These chicken recipes go way beyond baked or fried. Chicken is a very versatile protein that, if prepared properly, has a lot of health benefits and can be super tasty to boot.
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These eight recipes for chicken are good for both your waistline and your taste buds!
1. Creamy Salsa Rollups
This recipe originated from the culinary creativity of Hungry Girl and is sure to be a hit in your household.
Ingredients:
- 4 five-ounce cutlets of raw boneless skinless chicken, pounded to ½-inch thickness
- 4 wedges of Swiss cheese (Hungry Girl suggests The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss)
- ½ cup thick salsa
- Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season your pounded-thin chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, if you prefer, and lay them down on a dry surface. Spread a wedge of cheese on each piece of chicken, and do the same with the salsa.
3. Roll up each cutlet and, if necessary, secure them with toothpicks. Place them in the baking pan.
4. Cover the baking pan with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the foil and bake the chicken for an additional 15 minutes, to ensure that it’s cooked thoroughly. Then enjoy!
Makes four servings.
2. Lemon Cappellini with Grilled Chicken
This recipe from Half Hour Meals requires a few more ingredients, but the grocery shopping will be well worth it! Don’t worry: If you can’t find cappellini, you have the option to substitute it with angel hair pasta or even linguine.
Ingredients:
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- ½ lb. cappellini or angel hair pasta
- ½ cup + 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons of melted, unsalted butter
- 2 zested and juiced lemons
- 8 to 10 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
- 10 to 12 leaves of julienned basil
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste, if desired
1. Take the chicken breasts and cut them into strips of about 1 to 2 inches in width. Place them on a grill or grill pan.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with a little olive oil and, if you choose, some ground pepper (if not already seasoned or marinated). Cook the chicken until it’s no longer pink throughout.
3. As the chicken is cooking, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Add the pasta, and cook it to al dente, or not quite completely cooked, for about three minutes. Drain the pasta, saving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid for later.
4. Toss the pasta in the melted butter, ¼ cup olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, optional 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, basil, oregano and the reserved cooking liquid.
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss the dish. Finally, add the chicken, toss it again and serve.
Makes four servings.
3. Oven-Fried Chicken
Are you a fan of fried chicken, but looking for a healthier alternative without all the extra calories? Oven-fried chicken is the perfect alternative, and Kellogg’s has the best recipe for it.
Ingredients:
- Kellogg’s Corn Flake crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fat-free milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds broiler chicken pieces rinsed and dried
- 3 tablespoons margarine melted
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place Kellogg’s Corn Flake crumbs in shallow dish or pan and set aside.
3. In small mixing bowl, beat egg and milk slightly. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix until smooth.
4. Dip chicken in the batter. Coat with cereal. Place in single layer, skin side up, in foil-lined shallow baking pan and drizzle with margarine.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until chicken is tender, no longer pink and juices run clear. Do not cover pan or turn chicken while baking.
Feeds six.
4. Parmesan Dijon Chicken And Garlic Broccoli
This chicken, compliments of Moms Who Think, keeps the chicken moist and flavourful. It’s quick and simple – perfect for a weeknight!
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup dry breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- frozen broccoli florets
- butter and garlic salt for broccoli
1.Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 inch rectangular pan.
2. Mix breadcrumbs and cheese in a large resealable plastic food storage bag.
3. Mix the butter and mustard in a shallow dish.
4. Dunk the chicken in the butter mixture, then put the chicken in the plastic bag and shake it to coat with crumb mixture. Place the chicken in the pan.
5. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until thoroughly cooked. While the chicken in cooking, begin to cook the broccoli as directed on the package instructions.
6.Butter the broccoli to taste and sprinkle with garlic salt. Serve it with the chicken.
Makes 6 servings.
5. Easy Homemade Chicken Kolaches
These kolaches, from Sports Mom Survival Guide, are super easy and are great for breakfast, lunch, snacktime or dinner! They don’t require much effort or many ingredients and are ready before you know it!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 3 cups cubed chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 can biscuits
1. Take your cubed pieces of chicken and cook them thoroughly.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Then stir in flour and salt until blended. After that, add milk and cook for 1 minute until thickened. Stir in cheese and chicken until properly blended.
3. Pat biscuits into a 5- to 6-inch circle. Put ⅓ cup of the mixture on each biscuit and wrap each side of the dough around the mixture. Place them seam-side down on the ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let the kolaches cool and enjoy!
Makes four servings.
6. Creamy Pasta Chicken Skillet
Are you a pasta fan? This pasta dish is under 400 calories per serving (yes!).
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces of dry, uncooked penne pasta
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup thawed frozen green peas
- 6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, without the salt. While the pasta is cooking, spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in undrained tomatoes and soup. Cook for 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Add the peas and mix well.
3. Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl. Add chicken-tomato mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.
Serves six.
7. Greek-Yogurt Chicken Salad
Lizzie Fuhr of POPSUGAR offers up an interesting version of classic chicken salad that’s less than 200 calories!
Ingredients:
- 2 large poached, boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup diced celery
- 1/3 cup diced apples
- 1/3 cup grapes, halved
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
1. Dice the chicken breasts and put them in a large bowl. Mix in Greek yogurt until all the chicken is coated evenly.
2. Add celery, apple, grape and almond pieces to the bowl and mix them in.
3. Enjoy immediately; store remaining chicken salad in fridge.
Serves six.
8. Mexican Chicken Soup
Real Simple ends our list with their recipe for Mexican Chicken Soup. This tasty soup takes about two hours to make, but it’s worth it.
Ingredients:
- 2 whole chickens (3 ½ pounds each)
- 4 halved carrots
- 1 large yellow onion, halved
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups of long-grain white rice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 avocados
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 halved limes
1. Place the chickens, carrots, onion and salt in a 12-quart pot. Add enough cold water to cover all the ingredients and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Skim off any foam that appears.
2. Move the chickens to plates; let cool. Remove and discard the carrots and onion. Add the rice to the broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones. Add the meat and pepper to the broth and heat for 3 minutes.
3. Scoop the avocados into individual bowls and pour the soup over the top. Sprinkle with the cilantro and squeeze on the limes.
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