Chicken is one of the healthiest additions to your meals, especially if you’re trying to get fit. Eating a lean meat like chicken will give you numerous health benefits and keep you full for a long period. But the nutritional value here depends on how you cook chicken. If you deep fry it or roll it up in a maida roti doused in mayonnaise, you’re not getting any health benefits. What you need are healthy chicken recipes to ensure that you’re getting all the nutrients from chicken. Add the goodness of vegetables to it and you have a wholesome meal. These recipes are quick, easy, and can be executed even on busy weekdays.
Here are a few healthy chicken recipes to make sure you stay fit and fine.
1. Chicken Vegetable Soup
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Ingredients:
250 gms boiled and shredded chicken
1/2 cup diced onion
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
200 gms tomatoes, diced
100 gms tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups chicken broth
1 potato, peeled and cut
1 cup diced green beans
1/2 cup corn
1/2 tablespoon butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Take a large pot and add a sprinkle of olive oil. Add the butter on medium heat and, once it’s melted, add the onions and carrots to the pot. Cook till the carrots become soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Next, add the chicken, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Mix well. Add the cut potatoes, chicken broth and Italian seasoning. Reduce the heat to bring the pot to a simmer.
Cover the pot and let it cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken and potatoes have cooked, on medium to low heat. Add more salt and pepper, if needed. Add the green beans and corn, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Garnish with choice of herbs. Serve hot.
2. Classic Chicken Salad
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Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1/2 green apple, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
150 ml mayonnaise
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Choice of herbs for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Boil the chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized chunks. You can also shred the chicken with two forks. Mix the apple pieces, onion, celery and chicken in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour this dressing over the chicken mix and toss it.
Garnish with the herbs of your choice. Refrigerate for an hour and serve cold.
3. Tangy Sauteed Chicken
Ingredients:
250 gms chicken breast, cut into strips
2 onions, chopped
Olive oil
For marinade:
3 tomatoes, chopped finely
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon Marmite
1/2 teaspoon honey
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Method:
To prepare the marinade, chop tomatoes in a vegetable chopper or chop them really fine with a sharp knife. Make sure to keep the juice instead of letting it drain. In a bowl, add the chopped tomatoes and tomato juice, garlic, ginger, Marmite, honey, salt and pepper, and mix well. Add the chicken and make sure the marinade covers the pieces well. Refrigerate for 24 hours or overnight.
The next day, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it thaw for 15-20 minutes. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onions and saute till golden brown. Add the marinade and chicken to the pan and mix well. Cook for 20-25 minutes on medium high heat and keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Add 1/4 cup of water if it looks too dry.
Serve hot.
4. Chicken in Mushroom Sauce with Salad
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Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
200 gms mushrooms, chopped
2 white onions, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 teaspoon cornflour
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Vinaigrette dressing
Method:
Flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin. Season with salt and pepper, and let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes. In a pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add the seasoned chicken breasts. Cover the pan and cook for about 30 minutes. Poke the chicken to check if it’s cooked. Once done, turn off the heat and take the chicken off the pan. Add butter to the same pan and put it on low heat. Add onions and mushrooms and keep stirring. After about 5 minutes, add the chicken broth. In a small bowl, mix cornflour in hot water. Add it to the pan and mix well to thicken the sauce. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the cooked chicken breasts and cover them with the sauce. Cover the pan and let it cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.
In a separate bowl, add the sliced yellow and red pepper and grated carrot. Add vinaigrette dressing according to taste. Mix well. Add salt, if needed.
Serve the chicken hot and the salad cold.
5. Chicken Curry
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Ingredients:
500 gms curry cut chicken
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
3 onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 cinnamon sticks
2 green cardamom pods
2 star anise pieces
2 cloves
1 black cardamom pod
1/3 teaspoon cumin seeds
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon of ginger, grated
1/2 tablespoon ghee
Salt, to taste
Method:
For a basic, quick marinade: In a bowl, add the chicken pieces, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder, half the chopped garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the grated ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder. Cover the chicken pieces in the marinade and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, heat ghee in a wok and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, green and black cardamom, and star anise. Keep stirring occasionally and let it cook till you hear a crackle. Add the chopped onions and saute till golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, the remaining ginger and garlic, 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Cook till the raw smell of the garam masala goes away. Add salt, to taste.
Add the marinated chicken to the pan and mix well. Make sure the masala covers the chicken well. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes on high heat. Then, turn the heat down to a simmer and add about 1.5-2 cups of water. Cover the wok and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves if you want. Serve hot with roti or rice.
Which of these healthy chicken recipes are you going to try today?
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