Chicken

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken

Here is a simple chicken dish that can be made pretty quickly even when the weather is cold.  Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken probably tastes better in the summer when you can prepare this over an outdoor grill but it’s still a pretty good dish on an indoor grill.  I used my beloved Griddler by Cuisinart but any grill pan will work.  (And let’s be real – if you don’t have a grill pan, a skillet will work just fine!)

A mixture of apricot preserves, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic is brushed over chicken as it cooks making for a tasty, slightly sweet glaze.  I used chicken tenderloins but you can use any chicken you like (the recipe uses chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks).  Serve this with any vegetable, starch, or salad greens you like to make for a light and healthy meal.

The ingredients:

Combine apricot preserves, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl and mix well.

Cook one side of the chicken on a grill pan and turn over.  Coat the cooked side with apricot glaze.  When opposite side has cooked, flip the chicken over and apply glaze to the other side.  I flipped the chicken over one more time to make sure all sides with glaze were cooked.

Consider using this glaze with bite-sized chicken or on skewers for the little ones or as an appetizer.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • White wine vinegar for red wine vinegar

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Waldorf Chicken Salad

I went a little crazy at the grocery store this weekend and bought nearly every fruit and vegetable I could get my hands on. So, this week’s recipes will be full of healthy ideas. (I hope you don’t mind!)

This recipe for Waldorf Chicken Salad was buried in a cancer-fighting meal plan on Self Magazine’s website. Don’t pass by meal plans like these in magazines when you see them because they are usually very easy, healthy and full of great ideas. I don’t normally eat Waldorf salads even though they are full of all kinds of things that I love like apples, grapes, celery, and walnuts. I suppose it is because they are dressed in mayonaisse, making them a wanna-be healthy girl’s enemy.

This version has a teeny-weeny bit of mayo but also uses plain yogurt which cuts the calories. I used non-fat Greek yogurt which is tangy but is complemented by the sweetness of the grapes and apple. This is a great use for any leftover chicken you might have on hand or if you’re in a hurry, use precooked chicken strips like I did (I love Perdue Short Cuts). I didn’t use walnuts this time (even though they are one of my faves) but instead used chopped pecans because I had them on hand. Since chicken salad usually just tastes better as flavors meld, make this over the weekend and keep it in the fridge for a few quick workday lunches.

The ingredients:

In a bowl, mix yogurt, low-fat mayonaisse, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Add in chicken, apple, celery, grapes, and onions and mix well. (I put the pecans in here too but you can wait and sprinkle them over the salad just before serving if you prefer.)

Serve over your favorite greens.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Dijon mustard for yellow mustard
  • Pecans for walnuts
  • Non-fat plain Greek yogurt for low-fat plain yogurt
  • Light mayonaisse
  • Scallions for onion

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Self Magazine

Spice-Rubbed Chicken

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t eat any beef or pork so I eat a LOT of chicken.  Therefore, I’m always interested in any new way to prepare chicken that’s not boring or ho-hum.  I have a fully stocked spice cabinet so this recipe for Spice-Rubbed Chicken was a no-brainer for me.  Brown sugar is mixed with paprika, coriander, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and rubbed on chicken breasts and baked until fully cooked.  This spice mixture is sweet and spicy and utterly tasty.  The recipe calls for 16 chicken breasts (really?!?) but I only baked up 3 and still made the full amount of spice mixture that it called for.  I plan on keeping the rest in an air-tight container for future use because I will make this again.  Whip some of this up and tuck it away for those nights when you just don’t know what to do with those chicken breasts that have been sitting in your fridge for a couple of days and either need to be made or frozen.  Serve this with a salad or side of veggies and you’ve got a quick meal for last minute guests as well.  They’ll be impressed!

The ingredients:

Mix the brown sugar and all of the spices in a small bowl.

Lay chicken breasts flat and light rub each side with a little bit of vegetable oil (or spray with non-stick spray).   Sprinkle the spice mixture on the chicken and rub until the whole side is coated.  Repeat on the other side. 

Refrigerate chicken for 15 minutes and place chicken on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15-18 minutes (or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF – 170ºF) in a 400ºF oven  (mine took only about 15 minutes).

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

1 … 17 18 19 … 24
Blog at WordPress.com.