Any good ideas for plain old Chicken?!?!

heather62803
heather62803 Posts: 266 Member
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
My husband and I are both trying to eat better and cook better meals for our family - we've been going strong since January, but lately we have been coming up short with meal ideas and are getting tired of plain old "white chicken" as my five year old calls it (the nugget variety he used to eat is "brown" chicken!) Anyone have "family friendly" ways of baking/cooking chicken (or other meats as well) that are healthy and taste good? I have a picky husband, and even pickier 5 year old and a 1 year old who will eat just about anything - plus we are a one income family and the budget is tight. PLEASE HELP US FIX OUR BORING DINNERS!!
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Replies

  • Patti909
    Patti909 Posts: 36
    Pour a jar of salsa over boneless skinless chicken breast, cover and back.
    We had that for dinner tonight, yummy and easy! I serve over brown rice.
  • ARJacobson
    ARJacobson Posts: 11
    I found a great website: www.eatbetteramerica.com

    It has lots of ideas and most of the time has the calorie count and all nutritional info.


    Hope that helps!!
  • DizzieLittleLifter
    DizzieLittleLifter Posts: 1,020 Member
    I like to make a marinade with mustard, onion powder, and garlic. Simple. It doesn't taste like mustard. For mine and the hubby I add chipotle Tabasco sauce :)
    With the left over chicken you can make chicken burritos, with mushrooms and onions.

    You can make baked chicken strips with panko breadcrumbs. (always a favorite here).

    Bake and cube chicken then add to pasta sauce.
  • cesse47
    cesse47 Posts: 947 Member
    I make a coating mix using Kellogg's Corn Flake crumbs. I mix in garlic, pepper, sesame seeds, parmesean cheese, Mrs Dash, etc. ... whatever sounds good when I'm making it. Brush the skinless chicken with an egg wash then dip into coating mix. Bake at 350.

    I make a similar coating mix but include crushed rosemary leaves, Mrs Dash, pepper. I coat pork chops and bake them at 325. Pork chops stay much more moist this way. I estimate the amount of coating on the meat. and calculate calories based on the ingredients used.

    When my granddaughter was little she had two favorite chicken dishes -- healthy chicken nuggets baked in the oven and Chicken Teriyaki with pineapple chunks.
  • SHAMEKALACHELLE
    SHAMEKALACHELLE Posts: 25 Member
    Marinade is low in calories and the walmart brand is usually around $1.00. Do some breasts and grill them-I love my George Foreman grill-the best!
    A thing I've learned in baking chicken is to use as freely the seasonings with no salt added, they are calorie free.
    Also, Carolina Treet bbq sauce, crock pot it! (if they sell it where you are-it's fabulous-full of flavor).
    Crock pot chicken and veggies.
  • ron2282
    ron2282 Posts: 2,760 Member
    1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
    1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
    1 envelope of good seasonings Italian dressing

    Moisten the chicken with water, coat with the mixture and bake. I set the oven to broil after it's cooked to give it a golden brown look. It's a little higher in sodium than I normally like, but if I plan a low sodium breakfast and lunch I don't have a hard time staying under my limit.

    Calories 189
    Carbs 1
    Fat 5
    Sodium 663
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I've been playing with some old favorites and looking for good ones myself and these are two VERY popular items at my house (and we eat chicken ALOT too)

    Chicken Fingers
    I throw a small bit of flour (depending on how much I plan to make - either whole wheat, or that one that is a bit more fine that has the benefits of whole wheat but "acts" more like baking flour) and a tsp of garlic pwdr, paprika, and 1/2 tsp of chili pwdr, cumin, and sea salt into a ziploc bag, cut chicken breasts in 1/2 lengthwise, wet with cold water and shake in the bag one at a time to coat. Spray baking sheet with olive oil spray. Bake at 375 for 20 min.

    The coating keeps the inside juicy and they are great for picky eaters . . . and you are still eating chicken breasts . . . again . . .

    You can also shake up the spices . . .

    Our ABSOLUTE favorite one though is a MOCK chicken wing: cut chicken breasts into 3 strips, /or cut skinless boneless chicken thighs in 1/2. Cover with most of the following marinade, reserving some for later basting.
    MARINADE
    1/2 c ginger marinade (lots of versions in grocery store, I find the one with the least sodium & calories)
    1/4 c hoisen sauce
    2 Tbs sesame oil
    2 Tbs lemon juice
    2 Tbs low sodium soya sauce
    1 Tbs fresh crushed garlic
    1 Tbs fresh grated ginger
    1 tsp curry pwdr
    1 tsp chinese 5 spice pwdr
    1/2 tsp sea salt
    1/2 tsp cayenne pwdr
    ground pepper

    Shape the marinated raw chicken into finger shapes in a baking pan, line up close to each other so they retain the shape, pour the marinade it was soaking into it, bake for 15 minutes @ 350. Throw them on the grill just to get the "grill marks" and baste with the little bit of marinade you reserved.

    This is an amazing recipe that we saw on a tv show, Eat, Shrink & Be Merry. I got it off the food network a few years ago and we have made it consistently since when we have a craving for something different. My husband used to be a frequent pub patron and was really missing his chicken wings . . . these he says are way better!
  • TuscanySun
    TuscanySun Posts: 3,608 Member
    www.sparkrecipes.com great site...type in "chicken" and you'll get tons of hits and they have the nutritional info right with it...love the site.
  • youngs
    youngs Posts: 250 Member
    Take boneless chicken breast (4 to 6 pcs) and add 1 can of reduced sodium cream of chicken soup 1 packet of (dry) Hidden valley Ranch and 1 16oz container of Fat free or light sour cream..Mix this all together and pour over chicken and put in oven for about 45 min to hour on 400 degrees..then fix rice and serve over it..very yummy..
  • mommamills
    mommamills Posts: 437
    bump! we do lots of chicken at my house. Will def have to try some of these! thanks!
  • Samantharose8akaDebbie
    Samantharose8akaDebbie Posts: 407 Member
    Bump for later
  • fiendiish
    fiendiish Posts: 186
    b-b-b-b-b-bump for later
  • lilay
    lilay Posts: 122
    bump
  • heather62803
    heather62803 Posts: 266 Member
    Thanks for the GREAT ideas - everything sounds so good - will definitely try some of these this week - we just had plain old baked chicken (seasoned with spices and onion) tonight - now I'm wishing I would have posted this earlier!!!!! Thanks for the help - hopefully my family will appreciate the help as well - I think one in particular will like all the "brown" chicken recipes - he loves his chicken fingers!
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    I never know what to do with my chicken either. Glad you made this thread. :) Will be trying some of these soon
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
    A crock-pot salsa chicken
    I just put cut up cubes of chicken with a jar of salsa, a red pepper, a green pepper and a quarter onion into a crock pot when I leave in the morning by the time I get home it is done. Serve like a fajita. I have seen some recipes with black beans and corn added also.
  • RacheBell
    RacheBell Posts: 111
    I roast red bell pepper in the oven, chop it up (1/4 cup), chop up kalamata olives(2 tbs), basil leaves(as many as you want), and get feta cheese(1/4 cup). Cut the chick so there is a pocket and pack those ingrediants in. About 2 tbs per chicken breast. Simple and sososososososo good.
  • dore0021
    dore0021 Posts: 137
    Bump for later! These suggestions were soooo needed. Thanks :-)
  • sduhart
    sduhart Posts: 3
    I might give that a try tonight, thanks :drinker:
  • cvtga
    cvtga Posts: 118
    I take thin chicken cutlets and place provolone cheese, a tbsp on ricotta cheese, and spinach then roll up the chicken using toothpicks to hold the shape. Season outside with garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, paprika and parmesan cheese. Bake 350 for 35-45 minutes. Yum.
  • Rhaeven
    Rhaeven Posts: 123 Member
    I eat A LOT of chicken and am always messing with how its cooked. I tend to make large batches at a time so that I have easy grab and run food in the kitchen. My latest favorite is to take the chicken breasts, sprinkle liberally with Lemon Pepper seasoning and the McCormick Roasting rub..in French Herb (or any other yummy seasonings), and then juice one (or more) lemon over the top, I cover with foil to help retain moisture in the chicken, bake on 350-400 til done. They were super savory, lots of flavor and could mix into just about anything, or to eat alone. :) I tried limes last night, and it didn't come out nearly as well, so I wouldn't recommend that. :)

    Another of my more favorite things to do is make super healthy chicken meat balls with ground chicken breast. My usual recipe includes a couple pounds of grd. chicken breast, an egg white or two depending on how much chicken I've made, and then I load it up with whatever seasonings sound/smell good at the time, Italian seasoning works well, onions, veggies..whatever sounds good. I really want to get sundried tomatoes and some basil for my next batch and see how that goes. :) I have a tiny ice cream scoop that I use to make sure all my meatballs are about the same size...bake and enjoy. They can be eaten alone or used in recipes. :) I also will do this with turkey, sometimes I add a small bit of grd. pork to help keep up moisture so they don't dry out too much.

    Hope you enjoy
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    Crockpot BBQ Chicken Thighs

    Simple Cheap Quick Yum-O! :drinker:

    Here's what I did the other day when chicken thighs were on sale, they also happened to be 'Smart Chicken' brand, even better still! They had skin on them, it was easy enough to remove it all before tossing them in the crockpot, tossed in about 8 as that was how many was in the pkg. I poured over maybe 1/2 cup or so of BBQ sauce, put the lid on cooked on high for about 3-3.5 hours, (you could also cook it on low for about 6 hours) and they turned out Delicious! The meat simply feel right off the bones it was so tender.

    Don't need much BBQ sauce as the crockpot adds so much moisture itself.

    Enjoy!
    Becca

    **Also I make baked chicken and shred it and add it to cooked brown rice with a side of green veggies. Looks pretty and healthy too :)

    crockpots are terrific in the Summer saves heating the house with the oven!!:ohwell: :wink: :flowerforyou:
  • dj_stevie_c
    dj_stevie_c Posts: 270
    2 skinless chicken breasts.
    1 Clove of garlic
    10ml sesame oil

    Crush the garlic mix in the oil.

    Spread over the chicken evenly

    Wrap in tin foil. Cook in the oven for 30min at 200 degrees.

    Enjoy. Simple but oh so good.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    #1 Cover the bottom of a 9x13 (or 9x9?) glass dish (or any dish for that matter!) with olive oil. Lay out your boneless skinless chicken breast. Cover with 1 can of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup (you can experiment, with my family, they both taste great but it depends on what we're in the mood for!) and then top each breast with 1 slice (or 1/2 depending on size) of swiss cheese. Bake at 350 for one hour. Serve with rice, veggies, whatever!!

    #2 Cover boneless skinless chicken breast with spaghetti sauce (if you're opposed to that, just combine tomato paste, water, LOTS of Italian Seasoning, salt & pepper and use that - I like it better than store bought spaghetti sauce which I end up seasoning anyway!) Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350.

    #3 Pan fry/sautee chopped up boneless skinless chicken breast in a pan with olive oil and steak seasoning. At the same time, prepare a box of Rice-a-Roni's whole wheat (or whole grain?) chicken rice. When done, combine the two in a glass dish, along with 1/2 bag of frozen corn and 1/2 cup of low-sodium mozzarella cheese. Stir until casserole-like and bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until cheese melts.

    My top favorites right now. :bigsmile:
  • Behavior_Modification
    Behavior_Modification Posts: 24,482 Member
    bump
  • muriella
    muriella Posts: 2
    We often chop up the chicken, add small amount of potatoes, and then what ever vegetable we like, carrots, peas, onions etc. even use a frozen mix, then add a light Italian salad dressing and bake until done. Sometimes we leave out the potatoes and serve it over brown rice.
  • kcdrake
    kcdrake Posts: 512
    bump
  • bballgrrl34
    bballgrrl34 Posts: 174 Member
    bump
  • MFPfriend
    MFPfriend Posts: 1,121 Member
    #1 Cover the bottom of a 9x13 (or 9x9?) glass dish (or any dish for that matter!) with olive oil. Lay out your boneless skinless chicken breast. Cover with 1 can of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup (you can experiment, with my family, they both taste great but it depends on what we're in the mood for!) and then top each breast with 1 slice (or 1/2 depending on size) of swiss cheese. Bake at 350 for one hour. Serve with rice, veggies, whatever!!

    #2 Cover boneless skinless chicken breast with spaghetti sauce (if you're opposed to that, just combine tomato paste, water, LOTS of Italian Seasoning, salt & pepper and use that - I like it better than store bought spaghetti sauce which I end up seasoning anyway!) Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350.

    #3 Pan fry/sautee chopped up boneless skinless chicken breast in a pan with olive oil and steak seasoning. At the same time, prepare a box of Rice-a-Roni's whole wheat (or whole grain?) chicken rice. When done, combine the two in a glass dish, along with 1/2 bag of frozen corn and 1/2 cup of low-sodium mozzarella cheese. Stir until casserole-like and bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until cheese melts.

    My top favorites right now. :bigsmile:

    :noway:
    Can you come to my house for dinner? I'll let you cook. =D
  • imarlett
    imarlett Posts: 228 Member
    Stirfry!
    Cut up the chicken in to small chunks. Throw in some veggies after the chicken is almost done. Add some low sodium soy sauce.
    Sometimes I just stirfry the chicken and add garlic pepper and other spices and eat it like that. Just a big ol' bowl of protien.
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