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!

Do you feel like enjoying some classic, savory recipes that taste like grandma’s dishes? How about some delicious meatloaf? Yes, that’s right! Why not choose a quick and easy way of cooking something that will surely “incite” your taste buds and delight your nostrils?

If you are not very fond of meatloaf, read these delicious meatloaf recipes that will definitely change your opinion about this mouthwatering culinary base! And if you simply love meatloaf, the following cooking ideas will most certainly make you hit the kitchen and try them for yourself!

Classic meatloaf recipes

A classic meatloaf dish could not overlook the traditional, Greek moussaka that obviously abounds in meatloaf!

For this delicious formula, you will need the following ingredients: 4-5 aubergines (eggplants); ½ kilo minced meat; 2-3 tomatoes; 1 teacup of olive oil; 2 onions, finely chopped; 1 bay leaf; 1 garlic clove; oil for frying; ½ teacup grated Parmesan cheese; some flour and 3 teacups of Bechamel sauce.

In order to start preparing your classic meatloaf, heat the oil in a pot and sauté the chopped onions together. Add the meatloaf and continue to sauté them for the next 10 minutes. Then, add the tomatoes, the garlic, the bay leaf, salt, and pepper and let them there for approximately one hour.

Meanwhile, after washing the aubergines and removing their stems, cut them into round slices and leave them for approximately one hour in salted water (to remove their bitter juices). Next, drain the round slices of aubergines, coat them with flour and fry them in hot oil (200 degrees Celsius). In a pan, arrange the aubergine slices in a layer with salt and pepper, put the minced meat in another layer, and then repeat the procedure until the end.
Finally, pour the Bechamel sauce over the last layer, add the grated Parmesan cheese, and bake them for about 20-25 minutes. Take this Greek meatloaf out after it is ready and serve it hot. Bon appétit!

Roast meatloaf with tomatoes, garlic & basil

And since we are talking about classic meatloaf recipes, why not try a new way of preparing it, with the ingredients of a typical American dish that will make you feel the crunchy and spicy meatloaf taste mixed all together?

Here is what you need: 2 red chopped onions; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 bit of ground cumin; 1 kg quality minced beef; 2 eggs; 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs; a couple of rosemary sticks (no more than 8); 10 cherry tomatoes; 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped; olive oil and fresh basil.

Before you start cooking this dish, make sure you preheat the oven up to 220 degrees Celsius (425º F). Mix the meat, onions, and spices in a blender (or any other food processor) until they are well
chopped together. Then add the eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Put the mixture on a flat surface and divide it into 8 balls.

Remove the ends of the rosemary sticks and push each stick through each meatball, leaving the leafy bit sticking out. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove most of the seeds; next, season with the garlic, olive oil, and what you have left of the chopped rosemary leaves, leaving these ingredients on a roasting tray.

Place a baking rack over each roasting tray of tomatoes and arrange the meatballs on top. Put them in the oven for about half an hour or until you think the meat looks cooked and crisp on the outside. Take it out and sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.

A special way of cooking the meatloaf

If you crave some special meatloaf recipes from time to time, either because you would like to impress your partner/friends/pretentious guests you have at dinner, or you simply want to “pamper” yourself with a unique dish, here is a suggestion: Spicy Meatloaf with Olive Salsa.

This recipe has a bold and spicy steak sauce, lavishly seasoned with whole kernel corn and chopped black olives. You need 1 kg ground beef; 1 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (they are better if they are in Italian seasoned-style); ¾ cup Spicy Steak Sauce; 2 eggs; 1 medium red pepper, chopped; 1 can pitted black olives, drained, chopped and divided; 1 can whole kernel corn and ½ cup sliced green onions.

The oven has to be well pre-heated first (about 190 degrees Celsius). You mix the meat, the breadcrumbs, ½ cup of the steak sauce, the eggs, and half of the peppers and olives until everything is well blended. Put this mixture into the aluminum foil of a 32.5×23 cm baking pan.

Bake it for about 1 hour and 10 minutes; let it rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining peppers, ¼ cup of the steak sauce, remaining olives, corn, and onions. Season the meatloaf with it.

Therefore, meatloaf can come “at hand” when you have no idea what to cook because it will always be guaranteed success if you choose the right recipe (either classic, like the Greek moussaka), or a surprising combination of spicy ingredients (like the Spicy Meatloaf with Olive Salsa). In either case, these meatloaf recipes will surely not deceive your taste buds!

When I was little, my mother would go on and on about how important it is to lead a happy and healthy life, but somehow it felt like fruits and vegetables couldn’t possibly give me that.

I heard someone saying that nothing tastes like skinny and someone else replied: You’ve obviously never had cake. Or cupcakes. Or chocolate.

But I am telling you: nothing tastes better than being healthy. I hear girls around me complaining about how fat they are, although they seem OK to me. I don’t claim to know the secret to a wonderful life, but there are a few things I can share with you as far as nutrition and health tips go. Without further information, these are my favorite fruits:

Apple – not just because it’s been featured on so many stories that nobody could keep a count, but because it’s proven to be a great help when I suffered from intestinal problems, thanks to some tiny particles called flavonoids. And for those of you who are used to peeling the skin off: stop it! All the vitamins and that wonderful fragrance lie underneath that thin skin. You may also it interesting to know that a medium-sized apple contains 75 calories and 3 g of fiber, which makes it a perfect addition to your meals, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

Avocado – at first, I was reluctant to this fruit since I didn’t really enjoy its taste, but I thought about it better and got used to it in time. I first found out about its benefits when a friend of mine got pregnant and had to look for folate sources, a vital substance for all babies. Her doctor suggested avocado and this is how I discovered that this fruit can also be used to lower bad cholesterol. As it turned out, babies also love it thanks to its creamy texture, so you may want to take this into consideration.

Banana – well, people have different thoughts on it, especially since it’s well known that bananas are rich in calories (a medium-sized one contains about 105 calories!). I can tell you from my personal experience that bananas are harmless from this point of view, as long as you don’t combine them with fatty foods and drinks. These fruits are an important source of potassium, which means that they will lower your blood pressure faster than any other natural remedy.

Blackberries – were called gout berries by the Ancient Greeks, thanks to their ability to treat gout-related problems. Usually, you shouldn’t eat more than half a cup of blackberries, meaning 31 calories, 4 g of fiber, and many antioxidants. It’s true that there are a few studies conducted to see if these small fruits could be a cure for cancer, but this is just a theory for now. My advice to you is to eat ½ cup of blackberries every week. And why shouldn’t you? They taste delicious!

Cherries – they are my all-time favorite! I love everything that contains cherries, from natural juices to cherry print dresses. ½ cup of cherries contains 46 calories, 1.5 g of fiber, and countless antioxidants. In fact, they contain more anthocyanin (a natural antioxidant) than any other fruit, which means that they will be happy to give you a hand in fighting gout and arthritis pain.

Grapefruit – although some people may not enjoy its bittersweet taste, grapefruit remains a wonderful source of vitamin C. In fact, you may find it very useful if you are craving a snack, but don’t eat too much or you risk developing stomach acidity. Just try to have ½ grapefruit every 4 days, meaning 52 calories, 2 g of fiber, and a huge amount of vitamin A. This fruit will lower your cholesterol, but it can also intensify the action of certain drugs, so you may want to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, let’s say, a grapefruit diet.

There is no rule that says you should look like this or like that, but there is a rule that says you should be happy with yourself, no matter what. Why would you eat food containing obscure ingredients when you could just pick up an apple? Fortunately, I’m one of the lucky people who put their health above any other craving and decided to lead a healthy life.

And although life is more than juicy fruits and healthy vegetables, they are an important part of it. Ever since I’ve started to choose fruits and vegetables over sweets and junk food, not only that I looked better, but I was also happier. I’m not saying you have to follow in my footsteps. Just find the one thing that makes you healthy and beautiful at the same time and go for it.

Good luck, beautiful beautiful people!