Boneless chicken breasts are a staple amongst many gym goers and dieters. Fresh or frozen, they’re packed with protein, oh-so-versatile, and easy to prepare in advance for the week ahead.
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Unfortunately, many people don’t do their chicken breasts justice, failing to add seasoning and flavour or (gasp!) overcooking them to death.
Life is too short to eat boring, bland chicken. Why not get creative? Here, we’ve collected four of our favourite, super-tasty boneless chicken recipes to try.
1. Hummus Crusted Chicken
Hummus is delicious. Chicken is delicious. And when you put them together, you get something truly spectacular. Even better, this boneless chicken breast recipe from Gimme Some Oven only takes about 10 minutes of prep time before it bakes.
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 1 chopped yellow squash
- 1 chopped zucchini
- 1 cup hummus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lemons
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 F. While it’s preheating, prepare a large baking dish with cooking spray.
Pat the chicken breasts dry, then season them with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a bowl, mix the chopped zucchini, onion and squash with the olive oil. Season these with salt and pepper as well, then layer them across the bottom of your baking dish. Place your chicken breasts on top of the vegetables, and coat them with the hummus (you can either use store-bought hummus or make your own). Once the chicken breasts are entirely covered, juice one of the limes over the entire dish and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Wash the remaining lemon, then slice it thinly and place the lemon slices in the pan.
Bake until the vegetables and chicken until completely cooked (about 25 to 30 minutes).
2. Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts
If you like easy chicken breast recipes, rejoice, because Tasty Kitchen claims that this one is the “easiest chicken recipe ever.” This recipe only has three ingredients and takes about five minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Spice to enhance flavor (such as basil, garlic, sage, sun-dried tomato, etc.)
- 8 strips of bacon (uncooked)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Place your chicken on a plate, then sprinkle your spice of choice over the chicken. Next, wrap two slices of bacon around each chicken breast. If you arrange it so the ends are on the bottom, it will stay together and look tidier. Place the chicken in a baking dish, and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.
If you’re feeling adventurous, why not add some asparagus, eggplant, red pepper or other vegetables in your bacon wrap?
3. Lemon Chicken Breasts
Here’s another tasty and healthy recipe from Foodnetwork.com. This one takes just a bit more prep time than the others, but trust us, it’s worth it.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 9 cloves minced garlic (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- Grated zest from 2 lemons (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano (dried)
- 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves (dried)
- Salt and pepper
- 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
- 1 lemon
Directions:
To start, preheat your oven to 400 F. As it heats, pour olive oil into a small pan. Warm over medium-low heat, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic brown.
Take the pan off the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, dried oregano, fresh thyme, white wine and 1 teaspoon of salt. Then, pour it all into a 9-inch by 12-inch baking dish.
Pat your chicken breasts dry, then place them in the baking dish. Brush the tops with olive oil, and sprinkle plenty of salt and pepper over the top. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is lightly browned (about 30 to 40 minutes). If you want the skin browner, set it under the broiler, but watch it carefully. When it’s done cooking, cover the pan with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then serve.
4. Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki
This healthy teriyaki chicken recipe featured on Steamy Kitchen uses natural sugar in honey rather than the refined stuff.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple (1 can)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
- 2 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 small garlic clove (finely minced)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Directions:
Firs, make the teriyaki sauce by mixing all of the ingredients (except the chicken, of course) in a bowl and whisk. Marinate the chicken in half of the teriyaki sauce for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight, if you’ve got the time.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet, spoon some of the solids from your marinade on top of the chicken and cover with foil. Cook under the broiler with the rack in the middle of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes per side.
Heat the teriyaki sauce you set aside earlier in a saucepan or pot. Simmer it until it has thickened, then pour the sauce over your chicken and serve.