Kalamata Feta Chicken

I found this recipe on SparkPeople.com (it is also a Cooking Light recipe) while looking for healthy, lower calorie dinner options. If I was to make this again (which I won't be, I will get to that later) I would probably add more seasoning to the chicken as it cooked. My husband and brother in law were not the biggest of fans (actually I got some funny looks from both of them as they took bites) and ended up scraping off the cheese/olive/tomato topping.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked orzo 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper 10 pitted kalamata olives, chopped 8 grape tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley 1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun dired tomatoes 1 t dried oregano 1 T dried parsley 4 4oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts Cooking Spray 1/2 cup water

Directions

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain; stir in 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper.
Combine olives, tomato, parsley, cheese, oregano, and 1/8 t salt.
Coat chicken with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining salt, 1/8 t pepper, and a dash of oregano.
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving plate; keep warm.
Add water to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Pour mixture over chicken. Top chicken with olive mixture, and serve with orzo. Makes 4 servings.


Number of Servings: 4

Chicken Stuffed Shells

In trying to find healthy recipes for my dinner menu I found this recipe on someone's blog. I want to apologize right now as I do not remember who I took this recipe from, so if it is yours please let me know so I can update and give you credit. This was a super easy recipe to make and fairly quick as well. I did not season the chicken very much which is a change to make for the future as it was a bit bland but still very good. This one is being added to the book of recipes to keep for sure. Thank you whoever I borrowed it from.


Chicken Stuffed Shells
Source Unknown
6 Servings (2 shells/serving)

INGREDIENTS

12 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
2 teaspoons oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
8 ounces diced, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 (28 ounce) can low fat marinara sauce


DIRECTIONS

-Heat oven to 400 degrees.
-Spray large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
-Cook pasta shells according to directions and drain.
-Cook chicken as desired.
-Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
-Combine chicken and garlic, cook for 3-5 minutes.
-Remove from heat and stir in ricotta, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
-Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
-Fill cooked shells with chicken mixture and place filled sides up in baking dish.
-Pour remaining sauce over shells.
-Bake covered with foil for 15-20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking until filling is lightly browned.



NUTRITION INFO

Calories 289.1
Total Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 34.1 mg
Sodium 927.7 mg
Potassium 6.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 39.7 g
Fiber 1 g
Protein 20.8 g

In my never ending search for lower calorie dinner options I found this recipe on SparkPeople. Based on the recipe it appeared super easy and fairly cost efficient, and yup, it was. I think the next time I give this one a try I will add a bit more of my own spices to the mix. Overall a good, quick Italian Chicken recipe (with my super large side of Broccoli)

Slow Cooker Chicken Italiano

Ingredients:
Boneless skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins 6 to 8 tenders
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 bay leaves
32 oz jar Classico tomato and Basil Sauce

Directions:
1. Place chicken on bottom of slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle seasonings over chicken.
3. Pour sauce over seasoned meat, stirring to be sure chicken is completely covered.
4.Cover. Cook on low 6 hours or on hight 3 1/2-4 hours.
5. Serve over pasta.
Works best in a 4 quart slow-cooker.

Number of Servings: 6

Bistro Chicken and Garlic

So, in cruising around in other blogs I found a recipe for Bistro Chicken and Garlic. I found it in Paula's Blog (a different one of course) Cookbook Junkie. The recipe comes from The Sonoma Diet Cookbook. I had never made a wine/garlic sauce before so I figured I would give it a go. It overall turned out pretty good. Here was my final product.

Bistro Chicken and Garlic
The Sonoma Diet Cookbook Copyright

1 bulb garlic
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Separate cloves of garlic, discarding small papery cloves in center. Trim off stem end of each garlic clove, but do not peel. (This will facilitate squeezing garlic from peel after it is cooked.)

2. In a large ovenproof skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic cloves and chicken. Cook about 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, turning chicken and stirring garlic cloves once. Sprinkle chicken with basil, thyme, rosemary, kosher salt, and pepper; transfer skillet the oven. Bake, covered, for 12 to 15 minute or until chicken is tender and no longer pink (170°F) and garlic is tender.

3. Using a slotted spatula, transfer chicken to a serving platter, reserving juices in skillet; cover and keep warm. Transfer garlic cloves to a small bowl; set aside for 1 to 2 minutes to cool slightly.

4. Add vermouth or white wine to skillet. Squeeze softened garlic from skins into skillet; discard skins. On rangetop, bring to boiling over medium heat; reduce heat . Boil gently, uncovered, about 6 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Pour garlic sauce over chicken. If desired, garnish with herb sprigs.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 185 cal, 5g fat, 66mg chol, 197mg sodium, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 27g protein