Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

This may not be the traditional version of chicken and waffles but it is just as delicious. Baked chicken and potato waffles is my take on a significantly better-for-you option while still keeping the spirit of the dish. Marinated and lightly breaded with either a gluten-free panko or with grain-free crushed pork rinds, these tenderloins are baked on an elevated wire rack set over a baking sheet to allow for a light crisp on all sides without the added fat of frying.

Why do we marinate? Marinating is a bit like creating an infusion. The ingredients used in a marinade infiltrate the meat and create depth of flavor. Marinades are also used to tenderize and help maintain moisture during the cooking process. This is particularly true for lean meats like chicken. Lean meats have a tendency to become dry so marinating in an acidic base like buttermilk, citrus, or vinegar tenderizes the meat by breaking apart the muscle fibers which then allows for flavor and moisture transfer into the meat. This process happens on a molecular level and results in the best tasting tender chicken.

These waffles are not your traditional waffles either. Somewhere between a waffle, a hashbrown, and a latke, are these potato based waffles. Combine shredded white or sweet potatoes with seasonings and egg and cook them in a waffle iron. This will create a crisp crust on the exterior of the waffle while the inside remains soft. Top this creation with a slightly sweet maple-mustard mayonnaise for a uniquely enticing chicken and waffle experience.

Chicken and Waffles

Calories 699, Protein 41g, Carbs 59g, Fat 33g

Prep time: 30 min, plus marinating time

Cook time: 30 min

Serves: 4

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken tenderloins or other cut pieces of chicken
• ½ teaspoon sea salt or smoked salt
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk

Breading Ingredients:

• ¾ cup gluten-free panko (see note below)
• ⅓ cup cornmeal (see note below)
• ¼ cup parmesan or manchego cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder or Cajun seasoning
• ½-1 teaspoon salt, to taste

Waffle Ingredients:

• 4 small russet potatoes, peeled and shredded (can also use sweet potatoes or add some shredded broccoli stalks)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoon chives, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten

Maple Mustard Mayonnaise Ingredients:

• ½ cup homemade paleo or all natural mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

Preparation Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine chicken with the marinade ingredients. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 6-8 hours or ideally overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and cook shredded potatoes until tender but not crispy. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.
4. In a bowl, toss together breading ingredients.
5. Prepare a baking sheet with a wire rack on top.
6. Coat each chicken tenderloin (shake off excess marinade) in the breading and place it on top of the wire rack.
7. Bake chicken 20-30 minutes until cooked through and the breading is browned and lightly crisped.
8. While chicken is baking, cook the waffles. Preheat a waffle iron and lightly coat with olive oil or butter.
9. Stir the rest of the seasonings and eggs into the shredded potatoes.
10. Spread half of the potato mixture onto heated waffle iron and press closed.
11. Cook about 15 minutes until potato waffle is lightly browned and beginning to crisp. Repeat with other half of potatoes.
12. Make the mayo sauce by stirring together all maple mustard mayo ingredients. Serve sauce overtop the chicken and waffles.

Notes: For a grain free breading, you can use 2-3 cups crushed pork rinds in place of the panko and cornmeal. If pork rinds are salted, you will want to omit the salt in the breading.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Chicken and Waffles appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Chiang Mai chicken is a dish that originated in Laos and is commonly served in the area and throughout Thailand. The original version is typically marinated and prepared spatchcoked or cut into pieces and cooked over a charcoal grill.

In this simplified version, I’ve kept the intensity of flavors but used ground chicken to create a chicken salad feel to the dish that is incredibly fast to make. This dish comes together in about 20 minutes and tastes great served warm or cold. Serve Chiang Mai chicken salad dished up in lettuce wraps or over lettuce leaves to make an awesome easy lunch. For a creamy variation, stir in a little plain Greek yogurt until it’s the consistency of chicken salad.

Chiang Mai Chicken Salad

Calories 314, Protein 38g, Carbs 37g, Fat 2g

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped lemongrass (or use lemongrass paste)
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
• 2 red chili peppers, seeded and finely diced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 12 mint leaves, chopped
• 8 (or more) lettuce leaves for serving as wraps

Preparation Instructions:

1. In a sauté pan, cook chicken with the lemongrass, lime leaves, and chili peppers until cooked through.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients until combined.
4. Serve warm or cold in a lettuce wrap or over lettuce leaves.

Note: Also delicious as a creamy chicken salad with the addition of plain unsweetened Greek yogurt. Just add yogurt until you reach the desired consistency.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Chiang Mai Chicken Salad appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Serving meats topped with a glaze is an easy (and really tasty) way to dress up a meal. Using natural fruit juice, such as pineapple juice, combined with other seasonings is a simple method to create both a marinade and a glaze. Part of the mixture is used to marinate the chicken while the rest is reserved to create a glaze and transform this into a delicious Hawaiian inspired meal.

Pineapple has naturally occurring digestive enzymes which also work in a marinade to tenderize the chicken. If you use fresh pineapple juice you will only want to marinate for about an hour so the meat doesn’t become mushy. Canned pineapple juice still contains these enzymes but in a significantly less concentration due to the canning process so you can leave your chicken to marinate much longer.

The natural sweetness of pineapple juice and palm sugar in the marinade is what will caramelize in the pan to create beautiful grill or sear marks on your chicken. You can get these grill or sear marks without the sweetness but the markings are enhanced when there are sugars present in your marinade. To get a good sear, it is important that the fry pan or grill pan is very hot. Sear your meat on both sides on high heat for a just a few minutes and then turn the heat down and cover the pan to continue cooking without burning the outside. When finished, you will have a gorgeous piece of perfectly browned chicken worthy of being glazed. The silky smooth glaze is also delicious spooned over rice or sweet potatoes as the perfect flavor compliment to your meal.

Pineapple Glazed Chicken

Calories 279, Protein 28g, Carbs 39g, Fat 2g

Prep time: 20 min, plus marinating time

Cook time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons tapioca starch or arrowroot starch

Marinade Ingredients:

• ¾-1 cup pineapple juice (if using canned pineapple for the salsa, just use whatever juice is in the can)
• ¼ cup coconut palm sugar or honey
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1-2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce (sambal oelek)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan or sea salt
• 1 scallion, finely chopped

Pineapple Salsa Ingredients:

• 2 cups pineapple, finely diced (or use 20 oz canned pineapple)
• 2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano, seeded and finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Preparation Instructions:

1. Mix together all marinade ingredients.
2. Add ⅓ of the marinade to the chicken breasts in a bowl or zip top bag and marinate chicken breasts for 2-4 hours if canned pineapple juice is used or only up to 1 hour if using fresh pineapple juice. Reserve the rest of the marinade to make the glaze.
3. While chicken is marinating, mix together all salsa ingredients in a bowl and set in the fridge.
4. Heat a grill pan or sauté pan with olive oil until very hot.
5. Remove chicken from marinade. Toss the marinade out.
6. Place chicken in pan at a diagonal to the grill lines. Let sear 2-3 minutes until browned.
7. Turn chicken over and let the other side sear 2-3 minutes until browned.
8. Turn chicken again and place on the opposite diagonal. Turn heat down to medium and cover the pan with a lid.
9. Cook chicken about 5 minutes and flip over again and cook the other side about 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
10. In a small saucepan, add the reserved ⅔ of the marinade (the portion that didn’t touch the chicken) and add 2 teaspoons tapioca starch.
11. Heat on medium high until glaze has thickened and then remove from heat.
12. Brush chicken with glaze. Remaining glaze is also delicious stirred into rice or over sweet potatoes.
13. Top with pineapple salsa.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Pineapple Glazed Chicken appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Middle Eastern cuisine is known for its intense flavor profile. Chicken biryani is no exception. Biryani is a brightly fragrant dish popular throughout the Middle East particularly in India and Pakistan. The aromatics in chicken biryani come from a blend of cardamom, peppercorns, and curry spices. The rich orange-yellow hue is produced from turmeric and saffron.

For ease of preparation, I’ve used a pre-blended garam masala in the marinade as well as a yellow Indian curry spice blend for the cooking stew that contains turmeric and other commonly used curry seasonings. Using a pre-blended spice allows this dish to come together more quickly while still having the rich flavor attributes that make this cuisine popular.

Saffron is a hand-harvested spice derived from a particular crocus flower common in the Middle East. Originally used for medicinal purposes and later noted for its other health benefits, saffron was traditionally used only for special occasions due to its rarity. Using saffron in the rice base is optional but it gives the whole meal a sense of speciality.

Chicken Biryani

Calories 583, Protein 41g, Carbs 67g, Fat 18g

Prep time: 20 min plus marinating time

Cook time: 30 min

Serves: 4

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• ¾ cup plain unsweetened Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon salt

Biryani Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ghee, butter, or olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 8 black peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons yellow Indian curry powder (not Thai curry)
• 1 ½ cups long grain rice (like basmati)
• 3 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon saffron strands (optional)
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup sliced almonds or cashews (toasted if desired)

Preparation Instructions:

1. In a bowl, toss together the sliced chicken, garam masala, onion, garlic, ginger, yogurt, and salt until chicken is evenly coated.
2. Marinate chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to overnight.
3. In a wok or large sauté pan, heat ghee and add onion. Cook onion until it begins to soften.
4. Add chicken, cardamom, peppercorns, bay leaves, curry powder, rice, broth, and saffron to the pan and stir to combine.
5. Cover pan and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, 20-30 minutes.
6. Serve with cilantro and sliced almonds or cashews as garnish.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Chicken Biryani appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Sichuanese chicken dishes such as an authentic Kung Pao Chicken are known for their spicy kick bite after bite. I’ve tamed this one down a bit by using chili paste rather than Sichuan peppercorns. Common as a take-out dish, this version of Kung Pao subs in a few healthier ingredients like a lower sodium tamari and honey rather than sugar. Toasted cashews are also included in place of the more traditional peanuts and this variation uses spinach as the main vegetable component.

Stir-fry style meals are typically served with rice or noodles to complete the dish. I recently discovered a unique par-cooked dried ramen style noodle that is perfect for using as a base with Kung Pao Chicken. Par-cooked noodles like these create result in a quick to prepare side for Asian dishes in particular. Ramen has been given a bad rap mostly due to the infamous instant ramen popularly (and embarrassingly) used for “meals” in my college years. This, however, is not the same ramen. These long lanky noodles are a two ingredient mixture of organic brown rice and millet so they are a great gluten-free alternative to Japanese wheat noodles. Brown rice and millet ramen gives this meal a slight nuttiness that is a perfect partner to the savory flavors present in this Sichuan style sauce.

Kung Pao Chicken

Calories 489, Protein 35g, Carbs 41g, Fat 19g

Prep time: 15 min plus marinating time

Cook time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine (or mirin or sake)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

Kung Pao Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 can sliced water chestnuts

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon low sodium tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine (or mirin or sake)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon sambal oelek (chili paste) or more to taste

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

¼ cup chicken broth

2 cups baby spinach leaves

½ cup toasted cashews

1 green onion, chopped

2 pieces organic brown rice and millet ramen noodles

Preparation Instructions:

1. Combine marinade ingredients with chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to overnight.
2. Heat a wok or large sauté pan with the coconut oil.
3. Add chestnuts, garlic and ginger to the wok and stir fry until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
4. Stir in tamari, rice wine, sesame oil, chili paste, honey, vinegar, and broth.
5. Add chicken and stir fry until chicken is cooked through.
6. While chicken is cooking, prepare your rice noodles according to instructions.
7. Toss in spinach leaves and cook until spinach is wilted.
8. Stir in cashews and garnish with green onion to serve over noodles.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Kung Pao Chicken appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Italian chicken meatballs are a delightfully different version of a traditional meatball using Italian spices combined with ground chicken or turkey. Boiling the meatballs in a red tomato sauce makes them tender and enhances their flavor. The meatballs also season the sauce with Italian goodness so you can serve savory spoonfuls ladled over spaghetti squash, in a meatball wrap, or over your favorite noodles.

Typically, meatballs are formed by hand but ground poultry is really sticky to form into balls by hand. To remedy this and not have poultry perpetually adhered to your digits, use a cookie or ice cream scoop. Use a scoop that has a lever release to give you the best shape. You can also scoop these with a large spoon, like a drop biscuit, but they will have a more rustic appearance to them. No matter how you serve them, these chicken meatballs are sure to please everyone in your household.

Italian Chicken Meatballs

Calories 395, Protein 47g, Carbs 35g, Fat 6g

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 20 min

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean ground chicken or turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour or ½ cup rice flour or other gluten free flour blend
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 teaspoons parsley
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes
• 6 cups tomato sauce (about 2 large cans)

Preparation Instructions:

1. Place all meatball ingredients except the tomato sauce in a mixing bowl and mix with clean hands or a fork.
2. Form small balls with the meat mixture and place in a wide deep saucepan with a lid. Since raw ground chicken is pretty sticky, the best way to do this is with a large cookie or ice cream scoop that has a release lever. Otherwise, you can just drop them in by the large spoonful.
3. Pour tomato sauce over meatballs so they are all submerged and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. They can continue to simmer a bit longer than this if needed but be careful not to simmer so long that they start to get too tender and break apart.
4. Serve meatballs with the sauce over spaghetti squash, your favorite noodles or in a sandwich/lettuce wrap.

Note: You can cook these in a crock pot as well. Place meatballs in a slow cooker and cover with tomato sauce. Cook 6-8 hours until they are cooked through. Extra meatballs and sauce can be refrigerated and used within a week or can be frozen to reheat later.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Italian Chicken Meatballs appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Plain old meatloaf is plain old boring. I like to create a more flavorful meal by combining my main meat base with chorizo for a little kick. Chorizo purchased off the shelf often has less desirable ingredients in it and is typically made with ground pork. Making your own chorizo or purchasing from a butcher shop that doesn’t use preservatives and allows you to request the desired fat content is a good way to go. I prefer to make my own chorizo using a blend of spices so I know exactly what goes into my meal.

To make a chicken chorizo meatloaf, I’ve combined traditional chorizo spices with ground chicken. Using lean chicken or turkey for a meatloaf base significantly reduces the amount of saturated fat so you’ll notice that after you bake it, this meatloaf won’t be swimming in a pool of liquid grease that is common with traditional meatloaves. This little variation of meatloaf has a lot of bold flavor, some veggie value, and is topped with a Sriracha hot sauce to bring even more heat to your dinner table. Any leftovers are more flavorful the next day and make a tasty, easy sandwich filling or lettuce wrap for lunch.

Chicken Chorizo Meatloaf

Calories 252, Protein 28g, Carbs 8g, Fat 12g

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 60 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean ground chicken or turkey
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 bell pepper or poblano pepper, finely diced
• 2 red fresno peppers, finely diced (use a hotter pepper if you like it spicier)
• 2 stems kale, leaves only, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (no salt added)
• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan or smoked sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed)
• ½ cup heavy cream or coconut milk
• Sriracha hot sauce

Preparation Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add all ingredients except the Sriracha sauce to a bowl and blend together using clean hands or a fork until well combined.
3. Press into a loaf pan and then brush with the Sriracha sauce or squirt the sauce on top in a zig zag pattern.
4. Bake about 1 hour until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
5. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Chicken Chorizo Meatloaf appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Filling, simple to make breakfasts that provide protein and healthy fats for energy are my go-to for the morning meal. What I love about this chicken stacker is that it combines fresh vegetables in it as well. This is a fantastic way to use leftover chicken from last night’s meal. No matter what type of chicken you had for dinner, it will work in this dish. Slice yesterday’s chicken breast, use ground chicken taco meat, chicken sausage, or even a shredded barbeque sauced chicken and it’s bound to be a winner. Smoked chicken is particularly delicious used in this way. The vegetables in this stacker are mild enough and complimentary to work well with any seasoning.

For additional protein (and to make it more breakfast-y), I use a basted egg on top of the chicken. You can poach it as would be traditional for an eggs benedict style breakfast or you can cook the egg any way you like. I particularly like eggs that still have a runny yolk for maximum creamy, dreamy sauciness when you cut into it with your fork. It makes breakfast feel extravagant, yet it’s extra easy.

Chicken Stacker

Calories 302, Protein 23g, Carbs 8g, Fat 21g

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 5 min

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• Handful of spinach, chopped
• ½ avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
• ½ tomato, sliced
• 2-3 oz cooked chicken breast, sliced or shredded (about ½ of a leftover cooked chicken breast)
• 1 egg, basted (or cooked any way you like)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon (about ½ oz) cheddar cheese, shredded
• Green onion or chives, optional, for garnish

Preparation Instructions:

1. Reheat chicken breast if desired.
2. Stack ingredients onto a plate: spinach, avocado, tomato, and chicken.
3. Baste egg or cook egg as desired. To baste an egg (as shown in photo), fill a sauté pan with about ½” water and heat until simmering. Gently crack egg into the water and spoon hot water over the egg a few times. Continue basting the egg with water occasionally until whites are cooked. Yolk should still be runny.
4. Lift egg out of pan with a slotted spatula or fish spatula and place on top of the sliced chicken.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with the cheddar.
6. Toss green onion or chives on top if desired.

Notes: Get creative! Any type of chicken works for this recipe. Shredded, sliced, bbq, or you can even use ground chicken leftover from another recipe. Smoked, Mexican, Indian, or Asian seasoned chicken is delightful. Top with salsa or an Asian hot sauce for a kick.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Chicken Stacker appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Traditional chicken cordon bleu is time consuming. The original recipe requires the breasts to be pounded thin, stuffed, rolled up, dredged, breaded and then fried. This also creates a lot of dishes, which I am not a fan of doing. Having a family of five plus weeknight activities to get to, I’m all about time saving meals that have all the flavor of the original dish. My timesaver trick to cordon bleu is to simply stuff it, brown it, bake it (which leaves time to make a side dish) and then top it with parmesan. The taste is exquisite and you won’t miss the extra carbs from the breading.

Look for an all-natural uncured ham (or turkey bacon) to create the cordon bleu flavors. Provolone or Swiss cheese is perfect combined with a touch of spinach to create a beautiful presentation when served. Instead of the intricate Dijon cream sauce that typically accompanies chicken cordon bleu, I simply spread a light brushing of Dijon mustard on the tops of each breast prior to baking. Top it with a bit of shredded parmesan before serving and your savory simple cordon bleu experience is complete.

To save time on dishes, I am a huge fan of cast iron skillets, which is what I use for baking chicken dishes like this one. Once cast iron pans are seasoned properly, they are non-stick, are amazing at browning meats, and can go directly in the oven (or grill) as well. They also don’t get washed in soap making clean up a bit easier. Simply scrub with a hot water and salt rub until any stuck bits are removed from your pan, wipe out, and re-apply olive oil. Wipe out any excess oil and you’re done.

Cordon Bleu Stuffed Chicken

Calories 325, Protein 38g, Carbs 2g, Fat 20g

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 small or 3 large)
• 4 slices cooked ham (or 8 slices cooked turkey bacon), all natural uncured
• 4 slices provolone or Swiss cheese
• Handful or two of fresh spinach
• Ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Toothpicks, soaked in water

Preparation Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. With a sharp knife, slice a large pocket into each chicken breast being careful not to slice all the way through. You’ll want to cut to within about ¼” on all sides leaving just the one side open for stuffing.
3. Stuff a slice of ham (or 2 slices turkey bacon), a slice of cheese and some spinach into each chicken breasts.
4. Use toothpicks to secure the open edge so it’s mostly closed.
5. Sprinkle with pepper on all sides.
6. In a cast iron skillet or other oven proof skillet, heat the olive oil or butter until hot.
7. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Brush Dijon mustard on tops of the chicken breasts.
10. Bake 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and juices are clear.
11. Remove from oven, top with parmesan and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
12. Slice on the diagonal for a pretty presentation.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Cordon Bleu Stuffed Chicken appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Scandinavian flavors are second nature to me. Both sets of my great, great grandparents made the long trek over the ocean from Norway and Sweden to settle here in Minnesota. Traditional Scandinavian seasonings and ways of cooking have been passed down for generations and are ingrained in my taste buds. The scent of cardamom and the bright red tartness of lingonberries in this roasted chicken fill my house with a nostalgic aroma.

When roasting a chicken, you want to preserve moisture so it doesn’t turn out dry. To do so, I always roast chicken with the skin on, have moisture in the pan and keep it covered except for when I need to baste it. By keeping the skin on while cooking, the meat will be more flavorful and remain tender. By stuffing the cavity with aromatic herbs and citrus, the citrus will serve as a mechanism to steam the inside of the bird while cooking and provide additional flavor.

Using a Dutch oven is also one of the keys to awesome roasted chicken. A Dutch oven allows you to brown the meat on the stovetop and then transfer right into the oven, covered, to finish the cooking process. Dutch ovens are typically enameled so clean up afterward is also a breeze. I use a small amount of milk poured around the chicken in the dutch oven to create steam and a base for the cardamom to release its essence and infiltrate the meat. This milk sauce will be bursting with citrus and cardamom and is a great drizzle to add on top of the chicken when serving.

Scandinavian Roasted Chicken

Calories 346, Protein 24g, Carbs 8g, Fat 22g

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 90 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic chicken (about 3 pounds), giblets and neck removed
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil or butter
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• Handful of fresh sage, leaves only
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 lemon, zested and cut in half
• 1 orange, zested and cut in half
• 10 cardamom pods
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ¼ -½ cup lingonberry preserves or cranberry sauce

Preparation Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and stuff the chicken with the citrus halves, sage, rosemary, and thyme. If you can’t fit everything inside the carcass, it can be laid on top of the chicken or placed under the skin (on top of the muscle) for even more flavor.
3. Heat olive oil or butter with the garlic in a Dutch oven until very hot.
4. Sear the chicken on all sides so it’s a golden brown color.
5. Turn off the heat.
6. Pour the milk into the pan around the chicken and add the citrus zest and cardamom pods.
7. Bake covered about 75-90 minutes until internal temp of chicken reaches 165 degrees.
8. Baste (or ladle) chicken with the milk occasionally while baking.
9. After removing from oven, cover with lingonberry preserves and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
10. Serve with lingonberry preserves and a little of the milk sauce.

Notes: Milk sauce may curdle a little from the citrus. This is normal and is still super delicious to drizzle on your plate for serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated and used within a few days or can be frozen.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Scandinavian Roasted Chicken appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

Versatile preparations for protein such as this ancho chipotle chicken, allow for it to be served in many different ways similar to a create-your-own-ending storybook. For this dish, the chicken is given a marinade in Mexican spices ideally overnight to absorb all of the savory sauce. Marinades are a wonderful way to ensure that your chicken doesn’t turn out dry and flavorless. A long marinade time in a sauce or rub that contains salt or an acid, like lime juice, is what helps to break down the muscle fibers in meats creating a tender tasty bite.

Ancho chipotle chicken can be grilled for that familiar char that is so common in Mexican street tacos. Alternately, you can sauté the chicken in a grill pan or even cook it in a slow cooker. Diced or sliced, this pepped up poultry can be tossed into tacos, burritos, lettuce wraps, or served over salads, cilantro-lime rice, or quinoa.

Ancho Chipotle Chicken

Calories 156, Protein 26g, Carbs 1g, Fat 5g

Prep time: 60 min

Cook time: 15 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs
• ½ onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 chipotle chili (from canned chipotles in adobo)
• 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup water

Preparation Instructions:

1. In a blender, combine everything except the chicken breasts and blend until smooth.
2. Place chicken in a bowl or zip top bag and pour sauce over chicken.
3. Let marinate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
4. Heat a sauté pan with a small amount of coconut oil or olive oil. Alternately, heat a grill to medium high heat.
5. Cook chicken until cooked through about 8-10 minutes per side.
6. Dice chicken to serve on its own, in tacos, burritos, lettuce wraps, salads, or in bowls with rice or quinoa.

Note: You can cook this in a slow cooker as well. Marinating time is not needed when doing it this way, just put the chicken in the slow cooker with the sauce. Slow cook 4-6 hours until chicken is cooked through. Dice or shred to serve.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Ancho Chipotle Chicken appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!

This past fall, I was blessed with many, many apples from my backyard trees. When you end up with lots of apples, you find creative ways to use them. Apple chicken marsala is inspired by traditional chicken marsala paired with a preparation of cooking that I typically use for pheasant since it tenderizes the meat so wonderfully well. This preparation is to cook the meat in a seasoned broth. The method of cooking meats in a flavorful liquid is called poaching. The result of cooking this way is meat that isn’t dry, but perfectly tender. Poaching the chicken breasts also imparts all of the deliciousness from the apples, veggies, and marsala wine to savor in each and every bite.

After the chicken is fully cooked, the sauce is strained and used as a unique marsala sauce. Serve this with a helping of honey glazed apples on the side for a simple easy side dish that the whole family will adore. This is also fantastic served with cider-braised pearl onions or over a smashed baked sweet potato.

Apple Chicken Marsala

Calories 315, Protein 28g, Carbs 39g, Fat 2g

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 60 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• Coconut or olive oil to grease the pan
• 2 green apples, cored and sliced
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• ¾ cup dry marsala wine (the drinking type, not the cooking wine) or use a dry white wine like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc
• 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch mixed with small amount of water to create a slurry
• ½ cup heavy cream or coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• Pinch ground black pepper

Honey Glazed Apples:

• 3-4 green or red tart apples, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Coconut oil

Preparation Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a Dutch oven or other oven proof baking dish with lid, heat a small amount of coconut or olive oil until hot.
3. Brown chicken on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add green apples, celery, onion, and shallot into the pan. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Add wine and stock then stir. Add chicken breasts back into the dish.
6. Cover and bake until cooked through, about 40 minutes.
7. Transfer chicken to serving dish and keep warm.
8. Strain the remaining liquid into a small bowl. Discard the vegetables and apples.
9. Return strained liquid to the Dutch oven.
10. Add tapioca starch slurry to the liquid and heat until thickened and bubbly.
11. Add cream, salt, parsley, and pepper and cook until hot.
12. In a separate sauté pan, make the honey glazed apples.
13. Heat a small amount of coconut oil to prevent sticking.
14. Add apples and honey and heat until warmed but not soft.
15. Serve chicken topped with the marsala cream sauce and honeyed apples.

The post 20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Apple Chicken Marsala appeared first on Breaking Muscle.