We all know chicken represents a delicious, quick, and healthy way of preparing something for dinner or lunch, grilled (like the famous grilled chicken breast), stewed/steamed, or baked.
If you are in search of a delicious and healthy chicken recipe, you’ve come to the perfect place. The following article will walk you through some of the most popular chicken recipes from around the world, cooked healthily, so as for you to enjoy all the savor and nutrients that chicken has to offer.
The Spanish way of cooking healthy chicken
Chicken, fennel, olive, and orange salad
This recipe has only 394 calories, 16.4 g carbohydrate, and 36.6 g protein, so it’s a “go for it” dish!
Here are the ingredients you need to purchase: 30 g butter; 3 chicken breast fillets (600 g), sliced thinly; 1 fennel bulb (550 g), sliced thinly; ½ cup (60 g) seeded black olives, quartered; 3 green chopped onions (scallions); 2 medium oranges (480 g) and 80 g baby rocket leaves (arugula).
There is also an Orange dressing that will go wonderfully with the chicken. For the dressing you need: ½ cup (125 ml) orange juice; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon white (granulated) sugar.
Now that you have all the ingredients ready, melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the chicken, stirring, until it looks brownish. Prepare the orange dressing meanwhile. Put the chicken in a large bowl, and season with fennel, olives, onion, orange pieces, rocket, and the orange dressing. Add salt and pepper and shake it well before you serve it.
This recipe can be easily prepared, is delicious, and figure-friendly at the same time!
Bella Italia chicken
Let’s pass on to the Bella Italia and see how the Italians like to eat their chicken dishes: Penne with Chicken and Preserved Lemon
This recipe has also a reduced number of calories (424), so it’s a good and healthy choice when eating. Not to mention the fact that the light pasta (penne) with the Parmesan cheese and delicious chicken is ‘shrouded’ in a splash of citrus that will seduce your taste buds!
Here is what you need: ½ pound uncooked penne; ½ pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 ½ tablespoon sliced garlic; ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper; 2 cups of boneless rotisserie chicken; ½ preserved lemon, rinsed and a bit of salt. You will also need 1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese + Parmesan cheese (for grating).
Start cooking the pasta. Add the broccoli to the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Keep aside 1/3 cup pasta water while they are still “al dente”. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil, garlic, and the red pepper in a pan for about 1-2 minutes (Beware not to have them get browned). Add the chicken and the rest of the pasta water, the preserved lemon, and salt; remove them from heat. Mix the chicken with the pasta, broccoli, and grated Parmesan.
Start peeling strips of Parmesan over the mixture and serve immediately while it is hot. Buonissimo!
Asian chicken recipe
Chicken with Mushrooms and Scallions
To prepare this particular Asian recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients: 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1 small bunch of scallions, sliced (the white parts are separated from the green ones); 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 100 g shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced; 4 cups water; ¼ soy sauce (preferably light); some ginger root (peeled) and 450 g boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes.
Now heat the sesame oil in a large pot; add the scallions (the white parts) and garlic and cook them for about 1 minute. Then put the mushrooms and leave them for about 3 minutes. Pour water into the pan, add the soy sauce and the gingerroot, simmering for no more than 2 minutes.
Next, add the chicken pieces and reduce the heat to low, leaving them there to cook for about 7-8 minutes. Put the chicken pieces into some large bowls and pour the other ingredients over them. Season with scallion (the green parts) and serve it while hot.
As a matter of fact, this recipe has the least number of calories – 190 – 7 g carbohydrate and only 5 g fat (0.9 saturated)…so it is indeed a healthy and delicious choice that you should not miss!
Oriental chicken flavor
Chicken and Couscous Salad
Last but not least, here is a recipe that you will surely find mouthwatering!
Here is the list of ingredients for the salad: 1 ¼ cup of fat-free chicken broth; 1 box of couscous; 1 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken; ½ cup green onions (finely sliced); ½ cup radishes cubes; 2 tablespoons pine nuts, roasted; ½ cup peeled cucumber and ¼ fresh parsley (chopped). For the dressing, you’ll need ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ cup white wine vinegar; 1 garlic clove (minced); 1 ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
Stir the couscous in a pan where you added the chicken broth and brought it to a boil. Remove the couscous from heat and cover it for 5 minutes. Mix it with a fork or whisk. Move the couscous into a large bowl, where you add the chicken pieces, onions, radishes, parsley, cucumber, and pine nuts.
Prepare the dressing by combining vinegar with the ingredients that you have left. Pour this mixture over the salad and shake well before you serve it.
After these multicultural chicken recipes, all you have left is to begin cooking them as soon as possible. They may seem too “exotically” cooked at first sight, but you will see that it won’t take you more than 20-25 minutes to cook them. And apart from that, they are so delicious and healthy that you won’t regret the time spent in the kitchen! Bon appétit!
