Help with meal ideas for chicken...

[Kearnzo]

Hey guys. I've recently started dieting bigtime, along with working out, in order to prepare myself for the police academy. I was wondering however, what are some good, REALLY easy recipes that include chicken on the stove top? As in, what type of healthy oils should I cook it in, what easy toppings should I add, etc. As it is, I picked up a package of boneless, skinless breasts, and as of right now, they are still sitting in my fridge. Also, if possible, they should be quick recipes, as my 17 month old son isn't exactly the most patient little guy in the world .

Any help? Thanks!

[p_rushing]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

I have some grape oil that is supposed to be better for you, but I didn't buy it and I don't use oil much. I have used it a few times without and noticeable differences.

[JohnnytheSkin]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

The most common healthy oil is olive oil. It's high in the good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) and is a staple in Meditteranean cuisine. For baked goods, frying, and some lighter fare use canola oil.

[fistofrage]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

You gotta get a grill. Then you can use all types of Dry Rubs and spices as well as marinades. Get a Webber cookbook. Its a few hundred pages and shows pictures of everything you'll be making. You can grill your veggies at the same time.

[KingV2k3]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

This is fast, easy and tasty:

Take a skillet and cover the bottom in olive oil...

Chop some onions, tomoatos and olives and sautee them in the oli over low medium heat...

When they have started to cook a bit, take the chicken (after flattening it somewhat by laying between two pieces of wax paper and going at it with a mallet or a reasonable substitiute) and add it to the pan...

Season side one and cook until you see some light browning, flip and repeat on the other side...depends on the thickness of the chicken, but it should take 3-5 minutes a side...

Remove the chicken and place on a plate and cover with the remaindered olive oil and vegtables...

OPTIONAL:

After removing chicken, cover with a sprinkling of a hard, shreeded cheese, and make a roux with a small amount of white (or red) wine by pouring it into the pan of oil and vegtables over medium high while stirring...

Then pour over chicken topped with cheese...

The whole thing takes 10-15 minutes, tates great and is healty...

Serve with salad, skip the starches and you're all good...

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

After removing chicken, cover with a sprinkling of a hard, shreeded cheese, and make a roux with a small amount of white (or red) wine by pouring it into the pan of oil and vegtables over medium high while stirring...

That's a good recipe.

However, this bit isn't a roux... just thought I'd point that out. This would just basically be deglazing the pan with the wine and creating a quick pan sauce by scraping the chicken drippings/bits from the pan. You can make a thicker sauce by using an actual roux by adding a bit of flour to the hot pan that you cooked the chicken in (whisk it in very well and let it cook for 1-2 minutes) before deglazing it with the wine. That'll cause the cause to thicken once it boils and it will hold to the chicken really well.

A roux in a technical sense is just the combination of fat and flour cooked to varying degrees of doneness. For something like a white gravy or a pan sauce (or certain bechamel/alfredo-type sauces), you just cook the flour a bit so it doesn't taste raw. But for something like gumbo, you want a dark roux, which is almost black in its doneness and really adds flavor as well as the requisite texture to dishes. Always gotta stir roux to make sure it doesn't clump or burn.

But yeah, just use olive oil for chicken and you'll be in good shape health-wise. I always make angel hair pasta with olive oil/pesto and small pieces of sauteed chicken... you can do lots of things with that same method of cooking.

[oakfan162]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

I agree with grill it, or broil it. Cover with orange juice, or apple juice for some interesting flavor. Delish!

[Hassan Darkside]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

Fried chicken and french fries
Fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy
Fried chicken and rice
Fried chicken and corn
Fried chicken and coleslaw
Fried chicken and mixed vegetables
Fried chicken and onion rings
Fried chicken and biscuits
Fried chicken and grilled chicken
Boneless fried chicken
Chicken nuggets
Chicken strips

That's some of my favorite combinations.

[ezekiel55]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

Nice and quick thing I like to do is butterfly the breast and marinate it in extra virgin olive oil lemon and orange zest and a little bit of sage...Marinate it for at least an hour and remove all of the zest and sage because it can burn and become bitter.

Grill it after that and you've got a nice bright and fresh chicken breast.

That works well with turkey and most types of fowl as well.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

Soups also... cube the chicken, sautee it with some onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, add spices, and then add water/broth and you've got yourself a chicken soup. Add rice or noodles, additional vegetables, cream, spices, etc. and you have about 100 soups from that base ha.

That celery/carrots/onions combo is referred to in cooking as "mirepoix", and is very common in French food and most classic recipes. Cajun cooking has its own variation, the Trinity, which is onions, bell peppers, and celery... that's in nearly everything you get in Louisiana.

[KingV2k3]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

That's a good recipe.

However, this bit isn't a roux... just thought I'd point that out. This would just basically be deglazing the pan with the wine and creating a quick pan sauce by scraping the chicken drippings/bits from the pan. You can make a thicker sauce by using an actual roux by adding a bit of flour to the hot pan that you cooked the chicken in (whisk it in very well and let it cook for 1-2 minutes) before deglazing it with the wine. That'll cause the cause to thicken once it boils and it will hold to the chicken really well.

A roux in a technical sense is just the combination of fat and flour cooked to varying degrees of doneness. For something like a white gravy or a pan sauce (or certain bechamel/alfredo-type sauces), you just cook the flour a bit so it doesn't taste raw. But for something like gumbo, you want a dark roux, which is almost black in its doneness and really adds flavor as well as the requisite texture to dishes. Always gotta stir roux to make sure it doesn't clump or burn.

But yeah, just use olive oil for chicken and you'll be in good shape health-wise. I always make angel hair pasta with olive oil/pesto and small pieces of sauteed chicken... you can do lots of things with that same method of cooking.

My bad on the roux repference...but obviously you "get it"...

I made this one up myself b/c I'm single, lazy and know good, healty food when I see / eat it...

Enjoy!

Also, Goya makes some Mojo bottled marinades that are the bomb on the bird...

Cold Chicken salad with artichokes (and whatever else you like) also rocks...

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

Another good thing is to make Italian chicken salad sandwiches. I use some olive oil, a tiny bit of mayo (to hold things together), some large-grained mustard, shredded chicken (I like the rotisserie chickens from Safeway, etc.), artichoke hearts (chopped), roasted red peppers, onions, etc. You can add olives or other veggies to the mix... much better than the typical mayo-based chicken salad. I do this with tuna also.

[peteykirch]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

One of my favorite things is garlic chicken, but it's not too healthy, you use nearly a stick and a half of butter, but you cook about 2-3lbs of chicken breast at a time.

[DC]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

More ideas anyone?

[JohnnytheSkin]

Re: Help with meal ideas for chicken...

More ideas anyone?

Ask a woman to cook for you, DC. That's her place, right?