The chicken breast is a meat taken from the pectoral muscle on the underside of the
chicken. Chicken being a good source of Proteins, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Zinc,
and trace amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Looking at its nutritional value it is an ideal
choice for people who want to lose weight or maintain muscle mass.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
With consumers becoming more cautious of what they eat, chicken breast falls into a
healthy food category, ensuring you get all the vital nutrients. One 3-ounce (85-gram)
serving of chicken breast contains:
- Calories: 122
- Protein: 24 grams
- Fat: 3 grams
- Carbs: 0 grams
- Niacin: 51% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Selenium: 36% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 17% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 16% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 10% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 9% of the DV
- Zinc: 7% of the DV
- Thiamine: 6% of the DV
- Potassium: 5% of the DV
- Copper: 4% of the DV
HEALTHY RECIPES TO TRY
What’s healthy doesn’t always have to be boring. To spice it up, here are some of the best
recipes to try.
POMEGRANATE CHICKEN WITH ALMOND COUSCOUS
Chicken breasts are cooked a fruity, sweetly spiced sauce with pomegranate seeds, toasted
almonds and tagine paste. Total time taken to prepare this dish is 15 min and it serves four
people.
Ingredients required
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200g couscous
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 600g chicken mini fillets
- 4 tbsp tagine spice paste
- 190ml bottle pomegranate juice (not sweetened)
- 100g pack pomegranate seeds
- 100g pack toasted flaked almond
- Small pack mint, chopped
HOW TO PREPARE
STEP 1: Boil the water, preferably in a kettle and heat the oil in a large frying pan. Put the
couscous in a bowl, add some seasoning and small pieces of half the stock cube. Add the
onion to the pan and fry for a few minutes. Pour boiling water over the couscous to just
cover, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside.
STEP 2: Placing the onion to one side of the pan, add the chicken fillets and brown on all
sides. Stir in the tagine paste and the pomegranate juice, then crumble in the rest of the
stock cube and season well. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins until the sauce has thickened
and the chicken is cooked through. Stir through the pomegranate seeds.
STEP 3: After 5 mins, fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir through the almonds and
mint. Serve the chicken on the couscous with the sauce spooned over.
Voila! Your dish is ready to be served. It is easy to make and healthier to taste.
CHICKEN SATAY SALAD
What’s better than a salad that has chicken?
This dish is easy midweek meal that’s high in protein and big on flavour. It takes 10 mins to
cook Chicken Satay Salad and it serves two.
Ingredients required
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp medium curry powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp clear honey
- 2 skinless Chicken Breast fillets
- 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Sunflower oil, for wiping the pan
- 2 Little Gem lettuce hearts, cut into wedges
- ¼ cucumber, halved and sliced
- 1 banana shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- Coriander, chopped
- seeds from ½ pomegranate
HOW TO PREPARE
STEP 1: Pour the tamari into a large dish and pour in the curry powder, cumin, garlic and
honey. Mix well. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make 4 fillets in total, then
add to the marinade and mix well to coat. Put it aside in the fridge for at least 1 hr, or
overnight, to allow the flavours to penetrate the chicken.
STEP 2: Mix the peanut butter with the chilli sauce, lime juice, and 1 tbsp water to make a
sauce. To cook the chicken, wipe a large non-stick frying pan with a little oil. Add the chicken
and cook, covered with a lid, for 5-6 mins on a medium heat, turning the fillets over for the
last min, until cooked. Set aside, covered, for a few mins.
STEP 3: While the chicken rests, toss the lettuce wedges with the cucumber, shallot,
coriander and pomegranate, and pile onto plates. Spoon over a little sauce. Slice the
chicken, pile on top of the salad and spoon over the remaining sauce. Eat while the chicken
is still warm.
Give these new recipes a try and I’m sure you’ll thank us. These would be a gamer changer
and will give your boring life a healthier twist.