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Chicken Parmesan

1 Jul

Chicken Parm is one of my favorite “full fat” meals to make. Turns out, making it in the oven is almost the same. I’m not sure why I didn’t do this sooner! So, in the picture here, I served this with a different kind of pasta (which i wasn’t crazy about, so I didn’t post the recipe). The calories below are calculated using whole wheat pasta and marinara sauce.

 

Ingredients:

– 1 lb thin sliced chicken breast cutlets (the come about 4 in a 1 lb package)

– 1/2 cup water

– 1/2 cup italian bread crumbs

– 1/4 tsp garlic powder

– 2 tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese (the shreds, not the powdery kind)

– 8 tbsp 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

 

(Recommended: serve with Ronzoni whole wheat linguini and Marinara Sauce)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Pour water into a shallow dish, and mix bread crumbs, garlic and parmesan in a separate shallow dish.

3. Dip each chicken cutlet in water, and then in breadcrumb mixture, covering on both sides.

4. Place chicken breasts on a baking pan, sprayed with nonstick spray.

5. If there are left over crumbs in the dish, sprinkle them over the chicken breasts. Spray tops of chicken breasts lightly with olive oil flavored non-stick spray.

6. Bake chicken for 10 min at 450. After 10 min, flip chicken breasts over, and turn oven to broil. Broil Chicken until tops are browned.

7. Sprinkle Chicken with 2 tbsp each of mozzarella cheese, and return to oven just long enough to melt cheese.

 

Makes 4 Servings: 238 Calories per serving

When served with 1/2 cup of Marinara Sauce, and 3 oz of Ronzoni Whole wheat linguini, each serving is 573 Calories

 

 

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Chicken and Rice

12 Jun

Tonight I was wandering around the kitchen thinking…. “I feel creative” and “What experimental recipe can I throw together tonight?” I grabbed a few things from my pantry and decided to see how they got along in the oven.  The result is a simple, but tasty Rice and Chicken casserole.  Fun Fact:  I have had the same best friend for almost 30 years now; since we were itty-bitty kids.  So, I basically grew up in her house part-time.  My 2nd Mom makes a simple rice dish similar to this, that she calls “Party Rice.”  My intention here was not  to recreate that… but in the end, this recipe did take me back to that comfort food I grew up on.  So, I hope you like it too.  It’s simple, straightforward, and for me…comforting.   I actually like to eat “party rice” cold the next day.  I bet this would also be good that way.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb  cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded (cook with salt and pepper to taste)
  • 3/4 cups uncooked white rice (i use jasmine rice, but white is fine)
  • 1 can of Campbells healthy Request cheddar cheese soup
  • 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon Water
  • 1/4 an onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt
  • 1/4 Tsp Pepper
  • 1 Tsp Sazon seasoning (found in the hispanic section of the grocery)
  • 1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375.

 2.  Mix together following ingredients in a medium size bowl, until well combined: Rice, Soup, Water, Onion, Salt, Pepper, and Sazon.

 3.  Spray a 9×9 pan with non-stick spray. 

4.  Pour mixture into pan, and distribute chicken evenly over top of mixture.  Lightly press chicken slightly into Rice. 

5.  Cover Dish with Foil, and bake for 55 minutes.  Do not uncover during cooking.

 6.  Once the 50 minutes is up, uncover dish, and sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top.  Return to oven 2-3 minutes, or until cheese melts.   

Makes 4 Servings= 325 Calories per serving 

Approximately 9 weight watchers points plus per serving.    

Editors Note:  This would also be very good if you mixed in an extra 1/2 cup of 2% shredded cheddar into the rice mixture before baking.  If you did this, each serving would be 370 calories/10 ww pp. 20140612-192539.jpg       20140612-192848.jpg

Chicken Fajita Quesadilla

25 May

These were pretty darn tasty, and I can’t hardly believe how low the calories were. I have gone a whole year without making a quesadilla, because I thought there was no way I could get it to be calorie friendly, but these new low-carb tortillas I’ve found have really been a game changer. And they are really good. They’re not a weird texture or a weird taste. They’re just like a regular tortilla. Thank you low-carb Gods for sending me these puppies!

Ingredients:

  • 8 low carb tortillas (the ones I used, shown below, are 60 calories each)
  • 8 oz of boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 bell pepper (i used orange, just for fun)
  • 2 cups shredded 2% mexican blend (or cheddar) cheese
  • 4 tbsp diced fresh jalapeno (optional, but highly recommended)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice onions and peppers and set aside for now. Chop jalapeños into little pieces and set aside in a separate container.

2. Heat your electric skillet or griddle to 375.

3. Thinly slice chicken breast, then cut the slices in half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Heat a skillet on the stove, and spray it with non-stick spray. Sauté onions and peppers until they begin to caramelize. Then remove them to another container.

5. Re spray the skillet with non-stick spray and sauté chicken until cooked through.

6. Now turn off the stove and move all of your food items to the griddle. You’ll want everything close. This part goes quickly.

7. Spray griddle liberally with spray and place one tortilla on the skillet. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese evenly over tortilla.

8. Layer 1/4 of onion, pepper, chicken and jalapeño over cheese. Cover this with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

9. Cover with a 2nd tortilla. Spray the top tortilla lightly with nonstick spray.

10. Carefully check the bottom tortilla by gently lifting the edge with the spatula. You want to use the widest spatula you have here. When it reaches the desired color, place the spatula under the bottom tortilla and carefully flip the whole thing.

11. Once each side has browned nicely, remove quesadilla to a large plate. Use pizza cutter to cut into 8 slices.

12. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Makes 4 quesadillas.

Serve with plain Greek yogurt and salsa. (not included in calories shown here)

4 servings=380 calories per serving

Approximately 10 weight watchers points plus per serving.
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Penne Chicken Florentine

22 May

I love Italian food, but I typically lean more toward tomato-based sauces, which are sort of a weakness of mine. My kids and husband love a creamier sauce though, and I love a good reason to feed my kids spinach… so here goes.
Ingredients
  • 12 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1/2 box frozen spinach
  • 2 TBSP minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 can fat chicken broth
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 tsps dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 8oz. pasta (Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigatta)

 

Directions:

Cut Chicken breast into cubes, about 1 inch by 1 inch. Salt and pepper chicken to taste.

1. In a medium size pan, cook pasta al dente while preparing remaining ingredients. When it’s done, drain it and set it to the side until needed.

2. Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray, and saute chicken pieces until done through. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Mix Ricotta, Spinach, and parmesan cheese until all ingredients are well mixed.

4. In the skillet you used for the chicken, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Carefully add flour to the oil, and wisk together for 30 seconds or so to form a “roux” for your sauce.

5. Add chicken broth to your roux, and wisk together until sauce begins to thicken. About 2 or 3 minutes.

6. Stir in nutmeg, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and oregano and simmer sauce for about 2 minutes.

7. Remove sauce from heat, and gently fold in ricotta mixture, chicken, and pasta.

8. Pour pasta into a 9×13 pan (sprayed with nonstick spray) and cover with foil.

9. I just cooked this all together in the skillet until everything was hot and the sauce was thickened. For a “prettier” presentation, you could also Bake on 375 for 30 minutes.

 

Editors Note: I really liked this with crushed red pepper on top. yum.

 

Makes 4 Servings= 440 Calories per serving

Approximately 12 weight watchers points plus per serving

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

18 May

So, the taco seasoning I usually use in an envelope, contains 120 calories per envelope!!! This taco seasoning, contains 40 calories in the same serving size. I don’t know what’s in that store bought stuff that makes it so caloric (spices are typically really low cal, right?) So, here’s my version, which is just as delicious, but lower in calories. I also like that i can control the ingredients to make it hotter, milder, or however I like it. This version is a little on the spicy side, but I wouldn’t call it quite “hot”.

 

This Recipe makes seasoning for 3 lbs of ground meat.

Ingredients:

 

  • 2 beef bullion cubes, crushed
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp salt

 

Mix all ingredients together. Use 2 Tbsp seasoning for 1 lb of beef. After cooking beef, add 1/2 cup of water and 2 tbsp seasoning, and cook down until liquid has evaporated.

1/2 tbsp (4 oz of beef)= 10 cal per serving
0 weight watchers points plus

 

If you like this recipe, try it out with some of our other recipes!

Weight watchers Mexican Chicken

Nachos!

 

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Chicken Tikka Masala

3 May

So, on my mission to recreate delicious recipes into skinnier versions, occasionally I will run across another blogger who has already accomplished this mission on a certain dish. Oftentimes, it’s Gina over at Skinnytaste. Her goals with recipes are often similar to mine (low cal, easy, quick, kid-friendly) and I find we often have similar taste as well, so now and then I cut out the middle man and borrow an idea from a friend. This recipe below is pretty closely based on the Skinny Chicken Tikka Masala recipe at skinnytaste, and it’s pretty darn yummy. I will caution that it’s a little spicy for my kiddos, but I rather enjoyed it. Next time, I’m going to throw in some chickpeas and call it a stew! Enjoy

Ingredients:
– 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into bite size cubes
– 2 tsp canola oil
– 1 small onion, minced
– 1 tbsp minced ginger
– 3 tbsp minced garlic
– 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
– 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt, plain
– 1/2 cup 1% milk
– 1 tbsp cumin
– 1 tbsp garam masala*
– 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
– 1 tsp chili powder
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 4 tbsp fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a skillet on medium. Add onions and saute until golden.

2. Mix in ginger and garlic and continue to cook about 1 min. Add all spices from cumin-salt and stir.

3. Stir in crushed tomatoes, and let mixture cook for about 2 min, stirring regularly.

4. In a separate container, mix milk and yogurt until smooth. Stir in slowly, incorporating well into tomato mixture. Cook Sauce about 10 min on medium, stirring regularly, until it begins to thicken.

5. Add Chicken to mixture, stirring in well, and continue cooking another 10 min or so until chicken is cooked, and sauce has reached appropriate consistency.

Editors Note: I served this dish over Jasmine Rice. Basmati would probably be ideal, but Jasmine is what i keep on hand. It was yummy, and 1/2 cup of rice added 120 Calories to the meal.

* Garam Masala: This is an Indian spice mix. So, I live in Kentucky… ethnic spices are sometimes hard to come by. I ordered mine on ebay.

Makes 4 Servings (1 cup each)= 210 Calories per serving

Approximately 6 ww points plus per serving

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Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts

21 Apr

This is a variation of a recipe I found on pinterest. I liked the concept, but I tweaked the ingredients a bit to fit my taste. In the end, this was really good, and even my kids loved it.

Ingredients:
– 4 boneless chicken breasts (1 lb total)
– 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
– 1 large ziplock freezer baggie

Rub:
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– 2 teaspoons chili powder
– 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
– 1/2 teaspoon coriander
– 1 teaspoon kosher salt
– 1 teaspoon cumin
– 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
– 1/4 tsp black pepper
– pinch of salt

Glaze:
– 1/3 cup Honey
– 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Instructions:
1. Combine the rub ingredients in bowl and mix well.

2. Place chicken breasts in ziplock bag, along with oil. Shake bag to coat chicken with oil.

3. Add “rub” mixture into bag and shake, smoosh, or press seasoning onto chicken breasts until well covered on all sides.

4. On medium heat, grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

5. Mix honey and vinegar in a separate bowl. Once chicken is mostly cooked, use a spoon or brush both sides of chicken with honey mixture. Turn and Grill last few minutes, reapplying honey mixture until only about 2 tablespoons of honey remain (save these last 2 tablespoons). Honey mixture will begin to caramelize on the surface of the chicken.

6. Remove chicken from grill, and top with remaining honey mixture before serving.

4 servings= 240 calories per serving
Approximately 6 weight watchers points plus per serving

Editors Note: I would not recommend trying to make this in the oven. If you don’t have a grill, maybe just pass on this one. The sugary glaze creates quite a bit of smoke and will likely set your alarm off!

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Chicken Pot Pie

10 Apr

I love chicken pot pie. I’m a southern girl. What can I say? But that Crust!!! that cream!!! it’s oh-so-fattening, and I decided to post this recipe after picking up a frozen, single serving pot pie at the grocery store this weekend, that had a whopping NINE HUNDRED calories!!! what!? So, here it is…light flaky crust… even if there’s only half as much (crust that is. this recipe won’t leave you hungry). The filling is easy, quick, rich, and super low in calories. In fact, you could eat three servings for less calories than that single serve frozen version!

Ingredients:

– 12 oz of cooked chicken breast (diced or shredded)
– 1 large can of veg-all original mixed veggies (3 1/2 cups)
– 1/4 cup diced onion
– 1 tsp water
– 2 tbsp minced garlic
– 1 can of pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls
– 1 can of low-fat cream of mushroom soup
– 1 can of low-fat cream of chicken soup
– Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Dice or shred your already cooked chicken, and place it in a large mixing bowl with 2 full cans of soup (undiluted), veggies, garlic, salt, and pepper.

2. Place onions in a microwave safe dish with 1 tsp of water and microwave for 60 seconds. It’s in your best interest not to skip this step… the onions are very strong if you stir them in raw. After cooking, mix in with chicken/veggie mixture.

3. Pour mixture into a 9×13 pan which has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

4. Unroll Crescent rolls across the top of the pan. Press seams together with your fingers to “mend” perforations.

5. Bake pot pie at 350 for 25 minutes, or until crescent crust is golden brown and cooked through.

6. Allow pot pie to sit for 5-10 min before serving. Seriously. This thing is molten-lava-hot in the middle. Let it sit.

Note: you could add a 2nd tube of crescent rolls to use as a bottom crust if you wanted, and it would still only be 412 calories (11 pp) per serving, but i don’t even think it needs it.

Makes 6 Servings= 292 Calories per serving
approximately 8 weight watchers points plus

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Southwest chicken salad

6 Apr

Ingredients:

– 2 1/2 cups romaine lettuce
– 4 oz grilled chicken
– 1 tbsp diced fresh jalapeño
– 1/8 of an avocado, diced
– 3 tbsp chopped red onion
– 1/4 cup black beans
– 1 ear of corn
– 2 tbsp shredded 2% cheddar
– 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
– 3 tbs tortilla strips

For dressing:

– 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– black pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken breast as desired and grill it until done.

2. Shuck and clean corn on the cob. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave 2 min. then wrap in foil and grill over high heat about 10 min, turning regularly. Once it’s got a nice charred/roasted look to it, remove and let cool.

3. Open a can of black beans and rinse thoroughly. Measure out 1/4 cup.

4. Cut corn off cob and mix 1/4 cup with beans.

5. Slice jalapeño, onion, tomato, and avocado.

6. Mix ingredients for dressing thoroughly together, and toss dressing with lettuce.

7. Arrange lettuce on a large plate. Top with onion, jalapeño, corn and black beans, cheese, and avocado.

8. Arrange chicken and tortilla strips on top of salad.

Makes 1 salad with dressing= 585 calories
Appx 14 weight watchers points plus

1 salad, no dressing= 490 calories
Appx 12 weight watchers points plus

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Napa Chicken

21 Mar

This is inspired by the Napa Chicken at Applebees. It’s pretty tasty, and the whole meal (this and the roasted potatoes) together is less than 500 Calories.

Ingredients:

– 12 oz of boneless chicken breasts (3 chicken breasts, 4 oz each)
– Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
– 1 large onion, sliced
– 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
– 1/2 cup red wine
– 1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika on both sides. Grill chicken breasts on medium heat until cooked through. You could also bake them i the weather is bad, but I like them grilled.

2. While chicken is grilling, melt butter in a large skillet. Sautee onions until about halfway done. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to soften. Add 1/2 cup red wine to skillet, and cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until wine has reduced to just a few tablespoons of liquid.

3. Divide onion and mushroom mixture evenly between 3 plates, and place a chicken breast on top of onions. Pour any remaining “sauce” in the pan over the chicken.

I serve this with roasted potatoes, just like Applebees does, and altogether the whole meal is less than 500 Calories. Enjoy.

3 Servings of Napa Chicken= 309 Calories
Appx 10 weight watchers points plus

3 Servings of Napa Chicken with q cup of Roasted Potatoes= 490 Calories

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