How can I add flavor to this bland recipe?

hot sauce!

Herbs are always a good choice for making a recipe have more taste and they are zero calories
I would add some thyme, rosemary and oregano to this one!

garlic, garlic, garlic.

A pinch of thyme would go well with these ingredients. Maybe some sage.

Season the chicken before you cook it with some mrs. dash or whatever seasons you prefer.

You know what... I think you should try some Donna Hay recipes! Those are FULL of flavour and most of them are pretty decent calorie wise.
Donna Hay is an Australian cook and I get the magazine delivered every 2nd month. Most of my meals come out of those magazines.


I agree with BlackKat75, though - depending on the flavour of your meal - I add lots of garlic to everything!

For a fresh/zesty/summery taste, add a few basil leaves and a bit of lime juice to stirfrys or salads

I like to marinate my chicken in soy sauce and spices at least a few hours if not over night. Best to dice into chunks so that all sides of meat are able to absorb the flavors.
You can season with garlic and onion powders, red pepper, thyme and cumin. Or what ever seasons you like.

Cook the veggies in a separate frying pan (you can use olive oil for this)
Salt and pepper veggies.

Take chicken out when done and let it rest.
Add half the chicken stock to the hot chicken pan.
It will smoke like crazy.
Scrape the bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
This is called deglazing. You are now a chef. You just deglazed a pan.

Reduce the heat.
You can add 1 cup of white wine and spices now if you want. Leave the wine out if you are really counting calories.
Look at the liquid.
Simmer until half the liquid has evaporated.

Mix 1-2 TBS flour into the remainder of the cold chicken stock. (This is called a slurry. It will thicken the sauce. It is easier and has less fat than a roux)
Add this cold mixture to the liquid in the pan.
Reduce by half.

Dump the noodles, chopped chicken and veggies into the sauce and stir.
Remove from heat.
Put it on your plate and shred half ounce of real parmesian cheese on top.

Throw away the cream of mushroom soup.

italian seasoning, garlic onion powder, red pepper or black pepper flakes

Being Asian, I would put this in my chicken soup: garlic, ginger, green onion.

You could always try adding lemon while you make the chicken. Also, I like to put salsa into the pan while I cook, it's low calorie and yummy!

I bought a Betty Crocker 300 calorie Cook book....the book is decent but I have found lots of the recipes to be bland. Can you help with this one I am making tonight?

Creamy Chicken-noodle Skillet

1 tablespoon canola oil (i'm using extra virgin olive oil)
1 LB boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Medium onion chopped (using a frozen seasoning blend instead)
1 cup baby carrots cut in half lengthwise
1 cup frozen broccoli cuts
1 cup uncooked egg noodles
1 can (14oz) chicken broth
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup

1. in a 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Cook chicken and onion in oil 6 to 8 mins, stirring frequently, until chicken is brown and onion is just tender.

2. stir remaning ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10 minutes. Uncover; simmer 5 to 8 minutes longer stirring until tender.

1 serving=300 calories 90 from fat. Total fat 10g

---

So my problem is the chicken is super bland...HELP!!!

First, trim the chicken of all the fat. While on the cutting board, liberally season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (not garlic salt). I find it easiest to pour the salt in my palm and take a pinch from it to sprinkle over the breast.

I personally heat up my skillet and spray with nonstick spray, then lay the chicken breast there and let it cook without touching it or moving it. You can throw the onions around the sides if you want to give them a headstart on the flavor.

I wait until the chicken has a white ring of cooked chicken around the edges before flipping, ensuring a nice little browning on the other side. Respray the skillet with nonstick spray while you are holding the chicken up with a spatula, so you won't burn the other side.

Down the still raw side goes until the chicken feels firm. Take the chicken out and let it rest under some foil if you want to keep the flies away.

In the same pan without wiping or rinsing it out, add carrots to the pan to start cooking - you don't want to just boil the carrots without sauteing them first.

Continue cooking onions and carrots in the same pan until they are as done as you want them. Use the onion to really scrub off all that chicken goodness on the pan!

Last in should be the broccoli for a quick run around the pan to absorb the seasoning. You can add a pinch more salt here and a little garlic to bring out the flavor.

The carrots and broccoli should still be firm - this recipe has you cook the crap out of them to where they will break down.

Cut your chicken into the chunks and readd it in the pan. NOW you can add the rest of the ingredients and cook the crap out of it until the noodles are tender.

---- Good luck! ---

Side note: The biggest reason this recipe tastes bland is the Campbell's Soup. Packed full of sodium yet somehow lacking all flavor, their Cream of Mushroom soup completely eludes me.

Next time, consider making your own cream of mushroom - it's really easy. Nonstick spray and throw a pack of sliced mushrooms in, salt and garlic powder until they are sizzling on both sides, and 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup sour cream. You can add some fresh Thyme and black pepper at the end.