75 Deliciously Healthy Chicken Recipes
According to The Washington Post, chicken and fish are two of the cleanest meat options. When eating chicken, there is no chance of ingesting excessive amounts of mercury or any other toxins that may be present in the water.
Chicken tends to be rather easy on your money in addition to being healthy for your body. Leite's Culinaria claims that despite recent price increases, it remains one of the least expensive cuts of beef available.
Oh, and for those who favor dark meat, we have some good news: According to Healthline, thighs, and drumsticks tend to be less expensive than breasts and wings and also include higher levels of minerals including zinc, iron, and B vitamins.
As a result, we have a ton of recipes for different varieties of chicken, including one for the liver, which is sometimes disregarded but is really healthful.
Chicken Noodle Soup in 20 Minutes
Since the common cold has been afflicting people for millennia, chicken soup has long been thought to have healing characteristics. In fact, it is the best treatment for the condition that science has been able to develop.
While the warm liquid can help to ease congestion, calm sore throats, and entice the appetite of people feeling under the weather, this soup won't make the cold go away (spoiler: nothing else will either).
While opening a can is often required for the quickest preparation of hot chicken soup, our nearly equally quick variation begins with leftover cooked chicken. You may also use pre-cut or frozen veggies to expedite the process even further.
Chicken Noodle Soup in 20 Minutes
Since the common cold has been afflicting people for millennia, chicken soup has long been thought to have healing characteristics. In fact, it is the best treatment for the condition that science has been able to develop.
While the warm liquid can help to ease congestion, calm sore throats, and entice the appetite of people feeling under the weather, this soup won't make the cold go away (spoiler: nothing else will either).
While opening a can is often required for the quickest preparation of hot chicken soup, our nearly equally quick variation begins with leftover cooked chicken. You may also use pre-cut or frozen veggies to expedite the process even further.
Salad Cobb
Leafy greens may be incorporated into a salad for a tasty lunch option. But a Cobb salad is a complete dinner in itself and a very tasty one at that.
While the star of the show is meaty yet healthful boneless skinless chicken, it is accompanied by a sprinkle of bacon pieces, blue cheese crumbles, and chopped hard-boiled eggs.
The lettuce leaves stand in for rice, bread, or spaghetti. You may substitute a lighter, tangier vinaigrette for the ranch dressing to make this salad even healthier and tastier.
Goo Gai Pan, Moo
The meal is known in Cantonese as "chicken with sliced mushrooms," and Americanized versions of it often include both of these components. Additionally, Americans frequently add a broad range of other veggies to the primary elements.
That is undoubtedly the case in this dish, which also asks for water chestnuts, snow peas, carrots, and celery in addition to the chicken and mushrooms. You'll probably have met your daily veggie targets after one bowl.
Stir-fried chicken
You got chicken? Got vegetables? You have some soy sauce and other spices and seasonings on hand, right? You can prepare a wonderful stir-fry for dinner in a matter of minutes.
Although bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and snow peas are called for in this recipe, feel free to use any other veggies you happen to favor.
To lower the overall calorie count, you may also adjust the spices to your tastes and minimize or eliminate the sugar used here.
Oven-baked chicken wings
If you order chicken wings in a restaurant, they might not be the healthiest meals or appetizers. One reason is that they may have been deep-fried and covered with a thick layer of breading or batter.
Another reason is that they could include a variety of additional sauces and dips. However, for this healthier snack, wings are covered in a spicy dry rub and cooked in the oven.
Chipotle Adobo
Although Latin-inspired, this chicken adobo dish also incorporates several ingredients seen in Asian food, such as soy sauce and coconut milk.
It is cooked using inexpensive chicken drumsticks and coconut milk, which although heavy in saturated fat, is a good source of iron and may have further health advantages.
However, you may substitute the canned ingredients with the light coconut milk from a carton and either boil the sauce for a little longer or add a little more cornstarch to thicken it.
Chicken Mochiko
In essence, mochiko chicken is fried chicken as it is served in Hawaii. It is created with dark meat that has been deep-fried after being dipped in a rice flour batter and marinated in soy sauce with garlic and ginger.
Japanese rice flour of a certain variety is referred to as "mochiko." Here, we replace the rice flour with cornstarch, but the main alteration is that instead of deep-frying the chicken, we bake it in the oven for a lighter, healthier version of the recipe.
Copycat Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-A
Although many fast food businesses are increasingly offering healthier choices, fast food generally has a terrible reputation when it comes to nutrition. A grilled version of Chick-fil-A A's chicken sandwich is one of your best chances for staying on your diet.
Do you know how to improve this sandwich any further? Create your own imitation. By doing so, you may choose the exact items that go into it, exclude any condiments you dislike, and use your preferred bread type or even a lettuce leaf.
Animal Shawarma
Middle Eastern chicken shawarma is usually roasted on a spit in a huge meat cone, but it goes without saying that this isn't something that can be done at home.
Instead, a Mediterranean-style marinade made of olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, red pepper, garlic, and paprika is used in this shawarma-style recipe, but the chicken is really cooked in the Instant Pot. However, it's alright if you don't have one of these devices because you can still bake or sauté the chicken.
Wings with Chinese Five Spice
While Buffalo, New York may have given chicken wings its notoriety, there are more ways to flavor them without only using Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
Here, we're flavoring the soy sauce and honey with garlic and five-spice seasoning while marinating the wings (bet you already guessed that last ingredient from the title). Then, for a treat that is both tasty and healthy, we bake them in the oven rather than deep-fry them.
Chicken Fried in a Sheet Pan
No one considers basic fried chicken to be a healthy diet, yet frying is still one of the most delectable methods to prepare fowl. After all, the fact that so many restaurants with a focus on chicken specialize in this specific dish is not a coincidence.
Is there a compromise, though, where you may still enjoy the flavor of fried chicken without all the calories and fat? Yes, you may bake your chicken in the oven rather than deep fried it after marinating it in buttermilk and coating it with a delectable crumb crust. Additionally, you won't waste a quart of oil, and cooking chicken this way is far less messy and risky.
Kabobs of chicken
Making and eating kabobs are both enjoyable activities. Simply alternately thread meat and vegetable bits onto skewers, and grill the kabobs until everything is cooked through. We're using chicken breast meat in this recipe, but thighs would also work.
Bell peppers and onions are normally good choices for veggies, but you could also like to try using mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or even pineapple. We're also baking the kabobs in the oven to make this dish even simpler and eliminate the hassle of setting up an outdoor grill.
Fajitas with slow-cooked chicken
The term "fajita" has evolved to refer to any form of meat strips cooked with veggies and served in a tortilla, even though authentic fajitas can only be made with beef (the name actually refers to a piece of steak).
Although fajita-style chicken is popular in restaurants, you can also make it at home with little difficulty. Since a crock pot is being used, the dinner basically cooks itself while you are occupied with other tasks.
Rotisserie Chicken Soup leftovers
Anyone looking for a quick and nutritious lunch frequently turns to rotisserie chickens. The greatest thing is that they're also reasonably priced as you get leftovers for tomorrow in addition to meals for tonight. One of the common uses for leftover rotisserie chicken is to top salads, create sandwiches, or fill quesadillas.
However, we like this soup made with rotisserie chicken that even uses bones. In fact, you can omit the deboning stage from the cooking process for the chicken. Instead, just add the remaining chicken to the saucepan with the bones still in, and when the soup has finished simmering, shred the meat off the bones.
Greek Chicken And Potatoes In A Slow Cooker
What could be easier than chicken cooked in a crockpot with potatoes and onions? A straightforward, filling dish that shouldn't break the bank, especially if you substitute the boneless, skinless breasts used here with thighs or leg quarters. In fact, once the chicken is cooked, you may remove the skin and bones.
The Mediterranean-style seasoning we're using—garlic, lemon, and oregano—could be considered the holy trinity of Greek flavor and is what truly sets this meal apart.
Pan-fried chicken breasts
Recently, sheet pan cooking has become popular, and for good reason. After all, who wouldn't like to save a little time by preparing an entire meal in one go? Use a bag or two of pre-chopped veggies of your choosing along with the boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make this dish even easier.
Although broccoli and carrots are called for in this dish, you can use mushrooms, onions, or pieces of potato instead. Set the timer and wait for dinner to cook itself as you season the meat and produce with olive oil, lemon juice, and your preferred spices.
Shredded chicken
If you enjoy sandwiches with pulled pork but would rather have something lighter, healthier, and lower in fat, may we offer pulled chicken? These seasoned, shredded chicken breasts are a very adaptable item because they may be used in tacos, quesadillas, salads, casseroles, baked potatoes, and pizza toppings in addition to replacing the pork in barbecue sandwiches.
Making a batch of this and portioning it out into single-serve baggies could be a good idea. For the next time, you need a quick supper, have them on hand in the freezer.
Barbecued chicken
When summer arrives, a lot of people break out their gas or charcoal grills, and cooking transforms from a job to an outside activity. Except in affluent areas where they can afford to serve steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers are traditional backyard barbecue cuisine.
However, grilled chicken provides a filling and inexpensive dinner that is far healthier than anything generally provided on a bun. You can make a healthy, summertime lunch by serving this straightforward grilled chicken with a green salad, and any dietitian would approve.
Kung Pao Chicken
Fear not, spice may be your new best friend if you've promised yourself you'll start eating better but are worried it means you're bound to a lifetime of nothing but bland, boring meats and veggies!
For instance, the soy sauce and vinegar in this dish for Szechuan chicken, which also includes a ton of veggies and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, might keep your taste receptors from getting tired. However, if you want an even greater flavor boost, you could choose to add a nice squeeze of sriracha or a healthy handful of red pepper flakes to the mixture.
Chicken Liver Bake
We frequently assume that there are only two types of chicken: light (breasts and wings) and dark (thighs and drumsticks). Of course, chickens also have other tasty parts! The pope's nose, feet, and beaks have all been known to be used by thrifty cooks, but if you want a more nutrient-dense diet, chicken livers are something you shouldn't ignore.
In terms of flavor, they are really quite mild and tasteless "livery" than cow liver while being loaded with vitamins and minerals. You may eat these roasted livers with herbs as is or purée them to make a delectable pâté.
Simmering Chicken Tacos
Street tacos are a food that is unquestionably in vogue right now, and not only on Tuesdays. This recipe is for a quick and simple chicken taco filling that is prepared in the crock pot. Because the chicken is cooked in salsa, it is tasty right out of the pot.
Simply encase it in your preferred variety of corn or wheat tortillas. If you like, you may even use firm taco shells. There is no right or wrong way to eat tacos since they are your tacos, after all.
Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap knockoff
There is a way to enjoy these foods without having to worry too much about what is in them, even though fast food isn't usually the healthiest option.
How? You just have to manufacture them yourself. You can combine a nutritious, low-fat wrap with simple grilled chicken, lettuce, and a little sprinkle of grated cheese with our take on the Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap.
You may enjoy a light and nutritious meal that will fill you up for under 300 calories if you exclude any fatty sauces or condiments in favor of low-calorie ones like mustard or hot sauce.
Copycat Green Goddess Cobb Salad from Panera Bread
The phrase "green goddess" may conjure up images of the hippy era, but this groovy herb dressing really goes back to the 1920s and gets its name from an old play that was later made into a movie, which, uh, hasn't aged all that well.
However, the creamy salad topping's century-long appeal is mostly due to the fact that it is delicious. A favorite dish at Panera Bread is the green goddess Cobb salad, but you can prepare it just as quickly at home. In fact, by swapping some or all of the mayonnaise for plain yogurt, you can alter the dressing to make it far healthier.
Brunswick Stew in the Instant Pot
Although there is still disagreement over whether Brunswick County, Virginia, or Brunswick, Georgia can claim ownership of the dish, Brunswick stew is a staple of the South.
Although the original recipe probably called for any small animals that were within shotgun range of the hunter (squirrels, rabbits, possums, etc.), we now choose to prepare ours using chicken.
The fact that this version is so contemporary even makes use of an Instant Pot means that the chicken, corn, and lima beans in a tomato-based broth should be ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.
Cornish hen in the instant-pot
It's because Cornish hens are chickens that a recipe for Cornish game hen may be included on a list of chicken recipes if that makes any sense. They are so little simply because they are young; think of them as the veal equivalent of chicken.
A single hen weighs around two pounds and is the perfect size to serve one person, however, two people may share it if you serve it with a few sides.
Although you may cook Cornish game hens in a similar way to how you would cook a bigger chicken, we're using the Instant Pot here for a supper that cooks in under 15 minutes, plus, of course, some extra time for the pressure to build and then release.
Lemon Chicken Rice Soup with Cream
The traditional Greek cuisine known as avgolemono, which is a sauce or soup cooked with chicken broth, lemon juice, and thickened egg yolks, is one that Mediterranean culinary enthusiasts are familiar with. To give them a little more heft, American versions of this meal frequently also add chicken flesh and rice.
Using leftover rotisserie chicken, you can quickly put together this soup recipe, an Americanized version of the Greek dish avgolemono. Oh, and since we're utilizing the whole egg, there's no need to worry about separating the yolks and using the whites again.
Chicken Breasts in the Air Fryer
Since food that is "fried" without oil is far lower in fat and calories than food that is deep-fried, the health advantages are one of the main reasons why consumers purchase air fryers.
You can't really make air-fried chicken that closely resembles Colonel Sanders' renowned secret recipe since air fryers don't really do well at cooking anything with a "wet" batter covering.
However, you may use this device to prepare boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a herb crust. Although they don't resemble traditional fried chicken, they are nonetheless tasty in their own right and quite easy to prepare.
Chicken Noodle Soup in the Slow Cooker
You might be tempted to just open a can of chicken noodle soup to get a quick fix if you're in the mood for it, whether it's because you feel a cold coming on or you just want some hearty comfort food. However, if you have the patience, the hours that this slow-simmered chicken soup needs to cook in the crockpot are well worth it.
The greatest part is that it just requires a little amount of preparation time, especially if you get the veggies already chopped. As a result, you may start it in the morning before work and look forward to a delicious cup of soup when you come home.
Chicken Cashews in 15 Minutes
In a hurry for dinner? A reliable go-to is a stir-fry, especially if you remember to defrost some chicken breasts. If not, the benefit of tenders with thin slices is that they defrost rather rapidly.
Add them to a mixture of peppers, green onions, and spices like soy sauce, hoisin, and honey. Then, and this is the killer, add a few handfuls of cashews. These delicious almonds not only offer crunch but also a ton of good fat and protein.
Simple Honey Garlic Chicken Bake
It could appear that honey and garlic are on different extremes of the flavor spectrum. In contrast to garlic, which is strong, pungent, and well-garlicky, honey is smooth and sweet.
Interestingly enough, though, their flavors complement one another pretty well; this suggests that opposites attract.
You can see what we mean by matching them in this quick and simple chicken recipe. To ensure that you don't waste any of the mouthwatering pan sauce, serve this honey-garlic chicken over some rice or noodles.
Soup enchiladas
There are certain soups that may stand on their own as an entrée. Soup is sometimes thought of as the companion to a sandwich or salad, or possibly a starting course if you're eating a gourmet meal.
The latter sort is what this enchilada soup is because it's loaded with chicken, corn, beans, onions, and peppers. You may add cheese, tortilla strips, and/or chopped avocado to this hearty, healthful dish to make it even more full.
Panera Bread Baja Bowl knockoff
The menu at Panera Bread really contains some rather healthy options for a fast-casual chain restaurant. Our Baja Bowl recipe uses the same components as the chain's Baja Bowl: quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes, feta cheese, yogurt, and salsa verde.
Ours has baked chicken as well, which is an improvement from Panera. Panera's cilantro-lime rice is the only ingredient missing from our Baja Bowl, but you can make up for it by adding some chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice to the regular brown rice used here.
Giada's Cacciatore Chicken
Giada de Laurentiis prepares chicken cacciatore in the classic Italian style, which calls for bone-in chicken pieces cooked in a tomato-wine sauce. However, in our condensed version, we use boneless, skinless chicken breasts to create a dish that cooks more quickly.
But you can also quickly put up a meal that resembles cacciatore with rotisserie chicken. Giada would not approve, but it will be our little secret if you serve it with a side of pre-cooked spaghetti.
This will give you a supper that you can prepare in a flash but looks like it took all day.
Copycat Wendy's Apple Pecan Salad
Are salads from fast food truly a healthy choice? Perhaps, yet it all depends on the toppings. A salad can have more calories than any burger on the menu if there are too many croutons, too much cheese, and fatty or sugary sauces.
The Apple Pecan Salad from Wendy's has been named one of the worst salads ever by Eat This, Not That! Wendy's is particularly infamous for its unhealthily prepared salads.
The excessive usage of blue cheese crumbles and dried cranberries that have been sweetened is a concern with Wendy's salad, as is the dressing's extreme sweetness.
However, you may reduce the number of high-calorie ingredients in this homemade salad and either select a less sweet dressing or use a lesser amount reduced with some balsamic vinegar.
Cooked chicken
One of the most popular dishes in the UK is chicken curry, even though when you think of famous British cuisine, you generally imagine things like fish and chips or bangers and mash.
While not quite as common in the United States, this quick and simple chicken curry is a great addition to any evening menu. Garam masala, curry powder, ginger, and red pepper give it a little spiciness, but the gentle and creamy coconut sauce greatly reduces the heat.
Quick Pot Chicken
Looking for ways to get the most out of your Instant Pot? As you've undoubtedly already realized, this device isn't ideal for cooking every cuisine you can imagine — While the Instant Pot isn't the best method for cooking filet mignon, it produces a sloppy mess of fried chicken.
However, these pots do have their uses, and they work really well for preparing chicken breasts that you can have on hand for meal preparation. Even after waiting for the pressure to develop and release, the chicken only takes a few minutes to cook, so you still save some time compared to baking it in the oven.
Chicken Everything Bagel
The inventor of the Everything bagel made a wise choice since the seemingly haphazard mixture of spices and seeds somehow blends together to create a flavor that is almost ideal. The everything mixture is fantastic on a variety of different foods in addition to making a fantastic bagel.
The following recipe serves two purposes: Along with the instructions for cooking delectable chicken breasts filled with cheese and covered in spice, we also show you how to make a versatile five-ingredient everything seasoning.
Chicken curry
A classic Indian meal called biryani is made in various ways according to the location. Our chicken biryani recipe uses elements that are widely available in our nation rather than attempting to duplicate any particular variation.
Beginning with marinated chicken pieces in yogurt, the dish is spiced up with the addition of bay leaves, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, garam masala, garlic, and ginger.
While the recipe also calls for incredibly expensive saffron, turmeric may get a similar yellow hue for a lot less money. You probably won't notice too many differences because this biryani already has so many different ingredients in it.
Chicken tortilla soup made slowly
Making soup is one task that slow cookers are particularly good at. All of the nutrients are extracted from the meat and vegetables by simmering them for a whole day, yet nothing is lost because everything healthy goes right into the broth.
This chicken tortilla soup comes together quickly because it uses frozen corn, canned green chiles, canned salsa, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are simple to shred after cooking.
Peeling and cutting an onion is the most difficult aspect of the preparation job (ouch! ), but you may also use frozen pre-chopped onions to save yourself the discomfort.
After that, simply put it aside for a few hours, then garnish the soup as you choose with cilantro, plain yogurt, or any other wholesome toppings.
Southwest Avocado Salad by Wendy's imitation
Although Wendy's Southwest Avocado Salad may not be the worst fast food item available, it is also not exactly a calorie-light option. Even without the ranch dressing, it has 420 calories and 9 grams of saturated fat because of the guacamole, bacon, and cheese. With that added, the salad has 560 calories and 11.5 grams of saturated fat (39 grams of total fat).
While the nutritional profile of this copycat recipe as written is comparable, you can always make it healthier by switching to turkey bacon and part-skim cheese, reducing the quantity of guacamole, and skipping the heavy ranch dressing in favor of a zesty, light lime vinaigrette.
Simmering chicken breasts
Despite the fact that "dinner prep" is nothing new, it has been around since the first hunter for woolly mammoths discovered he couldn't eat the entire carcass in one sitting. The adage "cook now, eat tomorrow" has been true for millennia.
The slow cooker is a modern invention that makes the procedure much simpler and is something that any primitive chef would have coveted.
You only need to put in your chunked mammoth—in this case, boneless chicken breasts—and seasonings; after a few hours, you'll have everything you need for a delectable supper to serve now, tomorrow, or whenever. (And hurrah for freezers! Much more practical than keeping one's fingers crossed for another ice age.)
Copycat Chicken Noodle Soup from Panera
While chicken noodle soup from a can is often quite bland, Panera Bread's chicken noodle soup is actually quite good. This may be due to the fact that they utilize a lot more meat and veggies, as well as wider egg noodles rather than shattered chunks of overcooked spaghetti.
However, Panera's soup is not exactly inexpensive. Even if you do get a tiny baguette, the price of the dish is currently above $7 for each bowl, which is quite pricey for fast food.
Can of beer chicken
Not many healthy recipes begin with the instruction to pick up a beer can, but in this case, the beer can is just used in this dish as a prop to keep the chicken upright while it cooks on the grill. Any can that is a comparable size will work, even Seltzer.
If the can is empty, you may fill it with regular tap water to make it heavier. The chicken will still benefit from standing while it cooks, and the wood chips used to smoke it plus the spiciness of the dry rub will give it all the flavor it needs.
Coconut Curry Cashew Chicken Prepared Slowly
Coconut curry in a crock pot A meal that is both tasty and alliterative is cashew chicken. Additionally, it is crammed with a ton of nutritious items.
In addition to the chicken's protein and the coconut milk's and cashews' beneficial lipids, this dish is bursting with vitamins and minerals from the chiles, green beans, bell peppers, onions, and potatoes.
This curry is a tasty and wholesome one-bowl supper when served over rice.
Whole Chicken Cooked Slowly
One of the easiest and least time-consuming methods to prepare a dinner suited for guests is to roast a chicken, but there is one additional step you can do to make the dish even simpler.
You may let your slow cooker handle the roasting of the bird rather than baking it in the oven. The chicken will be extremely juicy if prepared in this manner.
The skin won't be lovely and crispy, but you can always give the cooked chicken a brief broiler blast to quickly crisp it up.
Simple Curry Chicken
There are probably a gazillion chicken curry recipes out there, but if you start looking through them, you could feel disheartened since they all appear to require a long list of ingredients.
Some recipe creators seem to like displaying the full complement of spices in their well-stocked spice cabinets, but occasionally all you want is a curry without having to worry about where the fenugreek ended up or dash to the shop for cardamom pods.
You only need three spices for this straightforward curry recipe, and salt is one of them (the others are curry powder and crushed red pepper).
You can create a very decent curry by combining a package of chicken legs, a can of coconut milk, a dab of oil, and some chicken stock or bouillon cubes.
Chicken Stir Fry With Spicy Peanut Sauce by Alex Guarnaschelli
Although Alex Guarnaschelli is most renowned for her Italian cuisine, she also enjoys Asian cuisine. She has a recipe for a stir-fry with peanut sauce in her repertoire, but we make it in the Instant Pot, so it's not really a stir-fry at all.
Additionally, our recipe asks for the inclusion of coconut milk, which gives it a consistency more akin to curry. We did save the chicken and the peanut butter, though.
Spatchcocked Chicken Baked in the Oven
If you've never spatchcocked a chicken, the technique could sound challenging and even unpleasant. Older recipes would advise you to have your butcher take care of this kind of task, but unless you regularly buy at a specialty meat shop, you might not be able to find a supermarket butcher who can quickly spatchcock your plastic-wrapped bird.
Fortunately, the procedure is easy enough to DIY as all that is required is the removal of the backbone and displacement of the breastbone using shears and a knife.
The chicken is practically flattened during this process, which allows it to roast faster than if you had left it in its original shape.
Masala Chicken Tikka
The recipe for chicken tikka masala may have originated in Scotland or the Punjab. It is currently one of the most British Indian meals, and it is a pub favorite on par with Scotch eggs and toad in the hole.
Our recipe uses boneless thighs and half of the spices you have in your pantry: paprika, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, and garam masala.
Although a serrano pepper adds a little spice, the dish's pepperiness is moderated by the creamy tomato sauce, making it less spicy overall.
This tikka masala dish also doesn't require any specialized equipment because it uses the tried-and-true pot-on-stovetop cooking technique.
Roasted chicken
There are proper and improper ways to blacken chicken. The latter is quite simple to pull off, even if unintentionally: simply cook your chicken at a high temperature and neglect to remove it before it burns to a crisp. Simple, yeah, but not really tasty.
However, this technique, which just chars the outsides of the spicy chicken breasts while leaving the inside supple, is a superior approach to creating blackened chicken.
Hunan Chicken Spicy
According to Jeanie Cho Lee, China's three most well-known provinces for their spicy cuisine are Hunan, Sichuan, and Guizhou. Food from Hunan may be the spiciest of the three.
However, our American-style Hunan chicken dish isn't particularly spicy, so true heat enthusiasts might choose to increase the amount of chili paste required.
But because it includes broccoli, celery, and bell pepper, this meal is actually rather healthful. In addition to being nutrient-dense, these veggies also contribute to the dish's ability to stretch one pound of chicken to serve four people.
Greek Chicken in a Sheet Pan
This chicken meal with Greek influences is another example of the famedly super-nutritious Mediterranean cuisine.
It begins with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then tops everything off with a healthy dose of veggies including bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and artichokes.
A whole supper that tastes delicious and is healthy is created by baking everything on a single sheet pan with feta cheese on top.
Chicken with yellow rice in Spanish
The traditional manner of making arroz con pollo, a traditional Spanish dish with only a few simple ingredients, may take some time. However, there are a few time-saving shortcuts available in this quick and simple yellow rice and chicken meal.
The peas are frozen, the chicken is boneless and skinless, the tomatoes and chicken broth are both from cans, and the yellow rice is a pre-seasoned blend. All the ingredients cook together in one pot, and when you're through, you'll have a complete dinner with meat, veggies, and carbohydrates.
Mexican Stew With Chicken
You may serve this chicken stew with Mexican seasoning on its own, perhaps in a bowl over rice, or you can add some beans to make it more like chili. In order to make a filling for a burrito or enchilada, it might also be wrapped in a tortilla.
The only spice you'll find in this dish is a tiny touch of chili powder, which keeps everything quite mild. However, you may easily add more heat by adding chopped chilies, dried red peppers, and/or spicy sauce.
Chicken Baked with Cinnamon
In American pastries, cinnamon is a spice that is almost invariably used. In addition to the traditional suspects like apple crumble and elephant ears, some cinnamon devotees also add it to chocolate mousse and lemon meringue pie. Therefore, it is not unexpected to see this spice appearing in savory foods as well.
This recipe for chicken marinated in apple juice flavored with cinnamon is one example. It's likely that you'll like these flavors combined into one dish if you prefer a side of applesauce with your roast chicken.
Country Captain Chicken in a Slow Cooker
It's possible that the fact that the dish's origins were long cloaked in secrecy was a beneficial thing. Although curry powder and currants simmered in the sauce indicate some South Asian (or even British) influence, the meal is frequently thought of as a Southern dish.
Country captain chicken is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak, it turns out, having originated in the City of Brotherly Love. This not-so-southern favorite is made in our slow cooker and is light and healthful because of the abundance of vegetables and chicken, bits stewed in a tomato-based broth.
Chicken Jerk
In the Jamaican meal known as jerk, the meat is slow-smoked over green pimento wood after being marinated in a variety of spices. This jerk-flavored chicken is baked since we can't quite recreate the real dish in our own kitchens.
The bird is first marinated in a Jamaican-style spice mixture made of allspice, garlic, ginger, thyme, and Scotch bonnet peppers (you can also use habaneros, which are extremely similar), as well as a small amount of liquid smoke to suggest the original cooking method.
Thighs of Smoked Chicken
You can elevate your chicken to a whole new level if you own a smoker. One of the most affordable cuts of meat on the market, bone-in chicken thighs are called for in this dish.
The chicken is slow-cooked for a few hours as the aroma of wood smoke permeates the yard after being marinated overnight in a mixture of sweet vermouth, herbs, and aromatics. You'll have a dish that tastes as amazing as it smells after they're finished.
Chicken Green Chili Stew
Because it uses canned green chiles and jarred salsa verde, this version of green chile chicken stew may be prepared in any climate or location. Additionally, this dish asks for lime juice and cilantro to round off the overall green motif.
Even though the ingredients in this lush stew are Mexican-inspired, we believe it would be a great substitute for corned beef and cabbage for your upcoming St. Patrick's Day event.
Chicken Roast by Ina Garten
Ina Garten's method for roasting a chicken? Naturally, she begins with an "excellent" chicken and coats it in "good" butter. However, since we're not too picky about condiment brands, you can use any sort of mayonnaise you have in the fridge to massage the chicken in this dish, which is our take on the Barefoot Contessa's recipe.
In addition, our adaptation substitutes oranges and rosemary for Garten's favored thyme and lemons when stuffing the bird. Garten may disagree with these changes, but we think the overall effect is extremely nice indeed.
Greek Souvlaki chicken
The phrase souvlaki literally means meat roasted on skewers, and that's about the most difficult thing you'll have to do here. Souvlaki isn't a difficult cooking method.
Chunks of skinless, boneless chicken breast are first marinated in bottled tzatziki sauce before being skewered and then finished cooking in a skillet.
A bonus ingredient in this straightforward recipe is a tomato-cucumber salad, which you can serve alongside your souvlaki along with more tzatziki and a side of pita bread.
Chicken Thighs Baked in the Oven
Why are chicken thighs ignored? You'll notice that the majority of chicken recipes begin with "take a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts." Well, there are two legs and consequently two thighs for every chicken breast that is available.
However, there is a benefit to this specific galline body feature being less popular, since you can frequently get thighs on sale for ridiculously low costs.
Try this recipe for a simple oven-baked variation if you're unsure how to prepare your cheap bounty. It is a comprehensive dinner that cooks the potatoes at the same time as the chicken in one pan.
One-Pot Teriyaki Chicken
The main reason why teriyaki chicken isn't usually the healthiest meal on the menu is because the sauce has a tendency to rely significantly on sugar. Anyway, the benefit of making food from home is that you may modify the recipe however you see appropriate.
Even though this one-pot chicken and rice recipe calls for a significant quantity of sugar, you might want to start by using only half or even a quarter of that amount. Then, add additional sugar only as much as you think your homemade teriyaki sauce actually requires.
Tamarind Chicken
The clay oven that is used to cook tandoori chicken gives it its name. Since most of us don't have anything like that in our kitchens, we can instead make a chicken dish that is somewhat reminiscent of tandoori by marinating it in a yogurt and spice mixture alone.
The spices used in this recipe include black pepper, cayenne, coriander, cumin, garam masala, garlic, ginger, and turmeric, all of which are readily available in most shops. Simply bake the chicken in a standard oven once it has absorbed enough marinade, then serve it over rice with a touch of lemon.
Chipotle Chicken knockoff
When you consider the price you spend for a burrito filled with rice, Chipotle produces really great food, but it's also fairly costly. You can always use this ripoff recipe for their chipotle-seasoned grilled chicken if you want a meatier Chipotle-style chicken tortilla at home. (Chipotle small-c here, as we're discussing the smoked peppers.)
Additionally, you may "grill" this beef on the stovetop without the need for an external barbeque. When the chicken is finished cooking, shred it and wrap it in a tortilla. Feel free to omit or reduce the amount of rice.
Chicken and rice in one pot
When you get to the end of a recipe and it says to "serve overcooked rice," well, that dang rice won't cook itself, so that's another pot too dirty and another 20 minutes or so to tack onto the cooking time, which is the problem with so many so-called simple dinners (stir fries to come to mind). But not with this meal.
When the rice, veggies, and chicken are all finished cooking in the same pot, it is finished. In fact, you may omit the last microwave step of producing garlic butter.
Instead, simply add the butter and garlic to the hot rice dish in the saucepan; the residual heat will quickly melt the butter.
Pretzel Chicken Fries in the Air Fryer
It's always entertaining when one type of food masquerades as another, and chicken fries are a fairly adorable fast food staple.
Having said that, they aren't the healthiest snack option available. The deep-frying and batter-dipping portions are not as good as the chicken itself.
However, in our homemade version, we're replacing the batter with a thin layer of almost calorie-free mustard and some crumbled pretzels.
The greatest thing is that these chicken "fries" are really cooked in the air fryer, so there isn't any additional oil. (Be frugal and use up those starting-to-go bad leftovers!) If you want to make this dish even healthier, omit the sweet dip and replace it with a fruit salsa.
Bowl Oyakodon
Oyakodon, a dish from Japan, is referred to as the "father and kid rice bowl" since it includes both chicken and egg. In truth, it could be a Japanese adaptation of the Chinese Mother and Child Reunion, a dish that served as the basis for the corresponding Paul Simon song.
With that type of history, you know you want to give it a go. The only catch is that in addition to the sake and mirin required to flavor the dish, you'll also need to find a grocery store that sells Japanese goods.
Slow-Cooker Cacciatore Chicken
Since the Italian term cacciatore means "hunter-style," it's conceivable that the dish's original ingredients were rabbits, wild birds, or other commonly hunted animals.
However, nowadays, bone-in chicken thighs are used, so you may practice your bargain-hunting abilities by finding a low price on these.
After that, a sauce comprised of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and mushrooms is slowly simmered over the chicken. While spaghetti is frequently paired with chicken caciatore, you may omit the pasta and still enjoy this dish.
Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes) (Spicy Rice Cakes)
The Korean cuisine tteokbokki is more difficult to spell than to prepare. Rice cakes cooked with chicken, onions, and a generous amount of the spicy chile paste known as gochujang make up this hearty Korean one-pot dish. This rich dish will fill you up wonderfully and could even tempt you to ask for another bowl.
Thai Fried Rice in the Instant Pot
If it isn't fried, is fried rice truly fried rice? Technically, "Instant Potted" rice could be a more appropriate term for this meal, but that's not exactly a catchy moniker, is it?
However, this Thai-inspired meal makes for a delectable combination of chicken, onions, and bell peppers that are seasoned with ginger and sriracha.
It's not quite a one-pot supper because the rice and chicken cook in different pots, but it is at least a one-appliance meal that doesn't need the stove.
Chicken Soup with Heat
There is a lot going on in one pot with this chicken soup. Yes, it has some heat to it from the ancho powder, enchilada sauce, and jalapenos, but those are just 3 of the 19 — there are actually 19! — components listed here (and that doesn't even include the plethora of extra garnishes).
Additionally, it asks for a slew of veggies, including beans, carrots, corn, hominy, onions, and tomatoes, as well as a few other spices, namely cinnamon, garlic, and cumin. Yes, there is also chicken.
Lamb Vindaloo
We don't exactly consider our rendition of chicken vindaloo to be a simple dish; it asks for 17 different components. However, if you consider that almost half of those components are spices and seasonings, you would be inclined to think that making it at home isn't that tough.
With a side of potatoes, the chicken is marinated, coated in a multi-spice combination, and then cooked in a crockpot. Enjoy it alone or add rice or naan for more substance.
Vegetable-Rich BBQ Casserole
This dish is built on sweet potatoes rather than the common ingredients of rice, pasta, or potatoes. Make sure you use a low-sugar barbecue sauce or try creating your own if you want to change the recipe to make it even healthier.
Even better, try substituting salsa for some of the barbecue sauce if you like something less sweet. If you want to lessen the fat, you can cut back on the cheese or use something else in place of the cream cheese.
Comments
Post a Comment