Chicken recipes
 

I was wondering if anyone had some good chicken recipes. It is a staple in my diet but I feel like I’m stuck in a chicken rut. It seems like I keep making the same recipes every few days, baked chicken, chicken soup, chicken in a green salad, and then chicken salad. So either some variations on the traditional recipes or other recipes would be much appreciated.

I eat mainly chicken because I'm allergic to fish and turkey so chicken is my choice of a healthy protein.

What about chicken in some sort of sauce with a side of rice. I don't live far from you, and I've recently discovered Trader Joe's Curry Simmer sauce. Basically, I take 2 chicken drumsticks or some chicken breast and simmer it with the sauce (tomato-based, 70 calories), add some frozen broccoli mixed veggies during the last few minutes and then eat the chicken/sauce/veggies over rice. I'm sure there are other chicken simmer sauces available in a regular grocery store. I've also been making jerk chicken drumsticks. I just buy a jerk marinade (5 calories per serving) and marinade the chicken in it for however much time I have (preferably several hours but have done 30 minutes). Then toss it in the oven. You probably don't even really have to marinade it. I'll eat this with a side of rice and some frozen stir-fry type veggies sauteed with a stir-fry sauce.

I was eating chicken breasts for quite a while, and recently switched to chicken drumsticks! It adds some variety, they're still low cal/low fat, and cost much, much less. You may try switching your cut of chicken -- it may help with the food boredom.

Both of the above are quick easy meals, which suits my lifestyle right now. I know there are Trader Joe's in Royal Oak and Ann Arbor.

This is one of my all-time favourite chicken recipes:

Grilled Breast of Chicken Marsala With Grilled Carrots
Serves 4

2 tsp ground fennel seeds
3 1/2 cups marsala
1 tsp salt
8 pieces dried porcini (I use fresh oyster or chantrelle mushrooms - about a cup, chopped)
1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, smashed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
4 tbsp light cream
16 small carrots, peeled
4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Mix fennel, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Sprinkle spice mix over chicken; set aside. Boil carrots for about 4 minutes and remove; dry on a paper towel. Set aside. Bring marsala to a low boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until sauce reduces, about 20 minutes. Discard garlic and set sauce aside. Coat grill with cooking spray and grill chicken 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Grill carrots about 5 minutes, rotating until charred. Return sauce to stove; bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and whisk in cream. Divide carrots among 4 plates and top with chicken, sauce and a sprig of rosemary.

473 calories per serving
8.1 g fat (3 g saturated) 7.3 g fiber
33.8 g carbs 39.1 g protein

Chicken Rollups:
Note: I've adapted this recipe endlessly...its more of a technique. Instead of the laughing cow and arugula/spinach, for example, I've stuffed with half a thin deli slice of provolone and some sliced bell peppers. I've also made it with turkey cutlets.

Serves 4

4-4-ounce pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 laughing cow cheese wedges
1-1.5 c. fresh arugula or spinach
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pound chicken out to a square or rectangular piece approximately 1/4 in thick.
2. Spread each chicken piece with one of the laughing cow cheese wedges. Spread 1/4 of the fresh spinach or arugula leaves on top, and roll tightly. Secure with a toothpick and season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper.
3. Spray a pan with cooking spray and heat to high heat. Quickly sear all sides of the chicken rolls, about 1-1.5 min on each side. Place directly into a baking dish and put into the oven at 350 degrees.
4. Bake chicken rolls until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Calories: 161
Fat: 5g
Protein: 26g
Carb: 1g

Also, have you tried different sauces on your chicken? Sometimes I'll grill up a chicken breast and top it with a sauce, to keep the variety level high. I make a spicy tomatillo sauce, a simple red wine sauce, etc. Recipes tend to be quick/easy so I don't have to do much to get the variety in there.

I also marinate marinate marinate nearly every cut of meat I cook...especially chicken breasts! My favorite chicken breast marinade:

Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade
-2 whole lemons
-1 sprig fresh rosemary, or 2 tsp dried rosemary
-2 tbsp fresh, or 1 tbsp dried, thyme leaves
-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped and smashed to release oils
-1/3 c. chicken stock
-1 tsp olive oil (optional)
-1 tsp ground black pepper

Zest both lemons and place zest in a ziptop bag. Microwave zested lemons 10 seconds on high to ease juicing. Slice in half, and squeeze juice into ziptop bag with zest. Add garlic, chopped herbs, chicken stock, and olive oil, if using. Add pepper, close ziptop bag, and shake well. Throw juiced lemon halves into the bag along with the chicken you want to marinate. Press out all air, place in fridge, and let marinate at least 6 hours. I usually grill chicken prepared this way.

You can find some great marinades in your grocery store, too. Even those can add a ton of variety to your meals, and they're QUICK. I make chicken fajitas with a premade fajita marinade (grill onions and bell pepper, grill chicken breast and slice, serve in whole wheat tortillas with FF sour cream and salsa).

For something really simple and tasty, I enjoy the following:

1) Stuffed Boneless Chicken Breast ... I like to use fat free philadelphia mixed with a teaspoon of pesto sauce ... slit open the chicken breast and stuff with the filling, close the opening (secure with cocktail stick if you wish), and bake in the oven for about 30mins.

2) Chicken Wrapped in Bacon ... Wrap a boneless chicken breast in a slice of lean smoked back bacon and bake for about 30mins ... the smokey taste goes all the way through the chicken ... very tasty!

3) Cajun Chicken Caesar ... Sprinkle a boneless breast with cajun spices and bake in oven, then slice up and use in a chicken caesar salad to add a bit of spice to it.

4) Chicken with Chorizo ... In a little olive oil fry chicken breasts on both sides till browned, then remove from pan. Fry chopped onion, garlic, then add some thinly sliced chorizo sausage (you don't need much as it's very flavoursome). Return chicken to pan, add a little sherry or wine and cook down. Add a can of chopped tomatoes and cook in oven for about 40-45mins, then season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve with rice or veg.

I buy a large package of chicken cutlets, clean them all and package them 1 per bag and then I put it in a large freezer ziploc and freeze them. I can then just take out as many as I need for that days dinner, depending on who will be home that day and who wants to actually eat what I am.

I crush up some garlic and put it in the bag with a little salt, a little pepper and a little onion powder and it marinates in that all day. I then grill the cutlet on a grill pan which I spray with Pam. While the cutlet is cooking I spray a baking sheet with Pam and slice up a plum tomato and sprinkle it with a little salt. I then broil the tomato till just before it turns black. I then put the broiled tomato slices on the cutlet, yummy and easy.

I take chicken breasts and toss them in a crock pot with salsa poured over the top and let it cook all day on low. When I get home I top it with brown rice, mixing the salsa in with the rice, and serve it with a side of veggies.

Sometimes I shred the meat and use it as a taco/burrito filling. And I've marinaded the chicken in lime juice and hot sauce before cooking, too.

chicken parmigana
 

try this recipe
enough chicken breast to feed family or guests (2 thighs per person)
1 tbsp tomato sauce per chicken piece
grated mozzerella cheese
speghetti
bake chicken 40 min, then top with sauce and cheese bake 5 min more. cook speghetti top with leftover sauce add spices to sauce. :) :chicken:

glen

Thanks for the recipes. I'm going to go to the store this weekend and pick up some marindas and things to stuff the chicken breast with.

I cut chicken up and use it in stir fries and fajitas.

Actually, I 'cheat' and get precooked, prechunked chicken, and use bags of frozen veggies (either a pepper mix for fajitas, or a broccoli stir fry mix for fajitas). Sautee in some 'good oil' (I use olive oil), and add whatever seasoning powder is appropriate.

I used to have a good chicken marsala recipe from my mom. I wonder where it is...

I swear, I must have 100 different chicken recipes. Here are a few of my favorites that are a little different:

Coq Au Vin
This is a chicken stew that is low-calorie (345 per serving) but definitely doesn't taste low calorie. It also has a fancy french name to impress your friends! It stores great and tastes even better the second night. I swear, every time I make it I think "wow, this tastes fantastic!"

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 oz turkey kielbasa, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, sliced
• 2 cups carrots, sliced
• 1-2 tsp minced garlic (from a jar)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 15 oz pearl onions (see notes below)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water

Heat olive oil in 5 qt (or larger) saucepan. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink in the center (about 10 min). Remove chicken and set aside.

Add turkey kielbasa and onion to pan and cook until onion is slightly tender. Add celery, carrots, and garlic and cook for a few more minutes.

Add broth, wine, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, pearl onions, salt, pepper, and chicken. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir flour and water together. Add to pot and cook 5 minutes more until stew is thickened.

Nutrition: 6 servings. 345 calories, 10g fat, 3g sat fat, 25g carbs, 3g fiber, 9g sugar, 39g protein.

Notes:
You may be able to find pearl onions canned, in a jar, or frozen that are already peeled. If not, buy fresh and boil them for three minutes, then you'll be able to easily pop them out of their skins. The stew would still taste great without the pearl onions if you just can't deal with them, but they do definitely add something to it.

You could substitute mushrooms for the celery, which I'm sure would taste divine. The original recipe calls for mushrooms but, sadly, my SO won't eat them, so I've always made it with celery.

Chicken Picadillo, Barb-style
This is a recipe that I adapted. The original recipe called for raisins and almonds and my SO and I don't like either, so I substituted corn and red pepper. It came out fantastic; it didn't even taste like chicken.

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tsp cumin
• .5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp minced or crushed garlic
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 1 cup fresh salsa (I used Trader Joe's roasted tomato salsa)
• 3 ears corn, kernals removed (or 2 cups frozen corn, thawed)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Place chicken in food processor and pulse until ground.

Heat oil in large nonstick saucepan. Add onion and cook until tender. Add chicken, cumin, salt, cinnamon, garlic, and red pepper and cook until chicken is done (about 5 minutes). Stir in salsa and corn. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until thoroughly heated (about 5 minutes). Stir in fresh cilantro.

Serve with pita bread or tortillas.

Nutrition: 4 servings. 242 calories, 4.3g fat, .5g saturated fat, 24.4g carbs (3g fiber, 7.8g sugar), 29.8g protein.

Chicken Simmered in Vietnamese-Style Sauce

• 1.5 pounds chicken (recipe calls for thighs but I use breasts)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp crushed or minced garlic
• 3 tbsp finely chopped ginger (Trader Joe's sells this in a jar, way easier than chopping it yourself)
• 2 tbsp chopped shallots
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried chile flakes (I just use chile powder)
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 green onions, cut into 2-in lengths

Chop the chicken into big chunks. Heat oil over med-high heat in a large, deep non-stick skillet. Add chicken and cook for about 2 minutes, tossing once.

Push meat out to sides of the pan and add the ginger, shallots, garlic to middle of pan. Cook for about 1 min, then add fish sauce, both kinds of sugar, salt, pepper, and chile flakes. Mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and begin to thicken, then add the water. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and then cook chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When sauce is deep reddish brown syrup and the chicken is cooked, add the green onion and serve immediately.

Nutrition: 4 servings. 288 calories, 15.4g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 20g carbs, 40g protein.

A Few More Favorites
Here are a few favorites from Cooking Light:

• Chicken with Lime Sauce: http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking...ipe_id=1173801 (The lime sauce has a nice tang to it.)
• Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli: http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking...ipe_id=1206203 (The chicken patties make a nice change from traditional chicken dishes.)
• Chicken Piccata: http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking...cipe_id=701110
• African Chicken in Spicy Red Sauce: http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking...ipe_id=1536760 (This is super spicy. If you don't like spicy foods, cut the Berbere in half.

im a lazy cook.... but

sometimes I like to BBQ it... or bake in the oven with hot sauce, sometimes I add celery and carrots and bake it all together (awesome!)

also, cook in cream of mushroom soup and put over rice

last night, in a pan, we fried (with light butter), corn, mushroons, onion, pergoies, and chicken, it was great and low in calorie!!

but yah, I am not a very creative cook

:wave: www.kraft.com has goo chicken receipes. glen