Mish, here are some of my favorite "healthy" chicken recipes.
Asian Foil-Wrapped Chicken
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (5oz) chicken breast halves
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced ½ inch thick
½ lb. snow peas
½ cup sliced water chestnuts
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups hot cooked rice
Preheat oven to 500º. Spray four 12-inch square sheets of foil with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Place 1 chicken breast half on each foil square and fold edges up but not over the chicken. Scatter red pepper strips, snow peas, water chestnuts, and scallions evenly over each 4 chicken breasts. Spoon equal amounts of the soy sauce mixture over the vegetables. Fold the foil over the chicken and roll edges up tightly to seal. Place the foil packets on baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Check for doneness by opening one of the foil packets to see if the chicken is firm and juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife. Serve with rice.
Grilled Lemon-Sage Chicken
Marinade
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, cracked
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, all visible fat removed
In an airtight plastic bag, combine marinade ingredients. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put chicken smooth side up between two sheets of plastic wrap. Lightly flatten chicken halves to 1/4-inch thickness. Add chicken to marinade and turn to coat evenly. Seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Discard marinade. Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill chicken for 6-7 minutes on each side, or until done.
Cashew Chicken
Ingredients:
8 ounces boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Marinade
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable or peanut), divided
2 ounces cashew nuts
2 teaspoons dry rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon spring onions, finely chopped as garnish (if desired)
¼ lb. fresh snow peas
Directions:
Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken cubes, mixing with chopsticks and adding the cornstarch last. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 - 20 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, mix together the rice wine and light soy sauce and set aside.
Heat the wok and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is ready, add the chicken cubes and stir-fry on medium heat, stirring quickly to ensure that the chicken does not stick to the wok, until it turns white. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.
Clean the wok with a paper towel and add one tablespoon of oil. When the oil is ready, add the cashews and stir-fry them for about 1 minute. Add the chicken, rice wine/soy sauce mixture spring onions, and snow peas. Stir-fry the dish for about another 2 minutes and serve over white rice.
This is my favorite chicken salad recipe.
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
1¼ lbs. cooked chicken, shredded by hand into julienne strips
6 oz. thin rice stick noodles (maifun)
1 package of Mann™s broccoli slaw
2 tablespoons oil
1 ½ cups grated carrot
2 cups bean sprouts
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
½ cup finely chopped scallion greens
¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts
Fill large bowl with very hot water out of tap, enough to cover noodles. Soak noodles in water for ten minutes. Rinse under cold water in colander and drain thoroughly. Clip noodles in to 3-inch lengths and arrange on large serving platter.
Stir-fry broccoli slaw in 2 tablespoons oil for approximately 2 minutes. Allow to cool. Completely cover rice noodles with broccoli slaw. Arrange chicken in the center of platter over the broccoli slaw and then arrange carrots and bean sprouts around it in a circle. Sprinkle with cilantro, basil, scallions, and chopped peanuts on top of salad. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled.
Serve with the Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce on the side or pour it over the top and toss before serving. This sauce can be purchased under the name of Sweet Chili (Nuoc Cham) Sauce. The brand name is Mae Ploy.
Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce:
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Juice of 3 limes or 2 lemons
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons grated carrot
Soak the crushed red pepper in citrus juice for several minutes. Add the garlic, sugar, and fish sauce and stir to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to serving container, add the grated carrots and serve at room temperature. Refrigerated, the sauce will keep in a tightly covered container for up to 5 days. Makes about 2/3 cup.
This next recipe was from PA Baker.
Balsamic Rosemary Chicken Breasts
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or enough to coat chicken--I never measure)
2 Tbsp EVOO (same as above, I never measure)
3 stems rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped, about 2 Tbsp (or 1 Tbsp dried)
4 cloves garlic, cracked and peeled
Salt and coarse black pepper
Coat chicken in balsamic vinegar, then olive oil. Season chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes. Heat medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cracked garlic to pan. Cook 12 minutes or until the juices run clear, turning occasionally. The balsamic vinegar will produce a deep brown, sweet finish on the chicken as it cooks.
This recipe was from Norgeskog.
SLOW ROASTED GARLIC AND LEMON CHICKEN
1 chicken (about 3-1/2 to 4 lbs) cut into 10 pieces
1 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
2 lemons cut into chunky eighths
small handfull of fresh thyme
3 Tbs olive oil
10 Tbs dry white wine
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 300. Put chicken pieces into a roasting pan and add the whole garlic cloves, lemon chunks, and the thyme just roughly pulled off the stalks leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil, and using your hands mix everything together and then spread mixture out making sure chicken pieces are skin side up. Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper. Cover tightly with foil and add to oven at the low heat for 2 hours.