Chicken and Broccoli Braid - healthy subtitution advice?

Mollydolly10
Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
edited September 27 in Recipes
Hi all, so one of my faaaavorite recipes is this chicken and broccoli braid from Allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chicken-and-broccoli-braid/Detail.aspx), but it isn't the healthiest..

Nutrition Information:

Servings Per Recipe: 6; Calories: 580

Amount Per Serving:
* Total Fat: 36.3g
* Cholesterol: 99mg
* Sodium: 756mg
* Total Carbs: 36.3g
* Dietary Fiber: 3.5g
* Protein: 26.7g

Here are the ingredients, does anyone have any suggestions for possible substitutions or modification to make it a little better??

2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1/4 cup diced onion
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, beaten

Thank you SO much! :-)

Replies

  • smileyred2
    smileyred2 Posts: 5
    Possibly eliminate the cresecent rolls and egg white and just bake all other ingredients together in pan in oven. That would eliminate calories from crescent rolls, but still give similar taste. Or substitute some rice for rolls and bake in pan? Not sure if that would help or not. I love chick brocc braid, too! :) Just don't get to make it very often! Cutting back on Mayo would eliminate a lot of cals, too!
  • maggie4097
    maggie4097 Posts: 156
    Use only chicken breast (I would cook it in fat free, low sodium broth), light cheese--you could even cut it down to 1/2 to 3/4 C, light or fat free mayo or miracle whip, and reduced calorie/fat crescent rolls. Yummo!
  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
    Could you substitute the mayo with greek yogurt? That would cut down on fat and add protein. Use reduced fat cheese maybe...? It sounds delicious!
  • Mollydolly10
    Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
    Thanks everyone!! Yeah the crescent rolls are what is so killer, I was trying to read some reviews and one lady said she used pizza dough cause she preferred that taste, but I'm not sure if that's any better for you!

    I'm definitely using light mayo (or a sub if I find one), reduced-fat cheese, and trying to see if I can find an alternative for the crescent rolls.

    I just calculated it with my light/reduced-fat ingredients and it's now: 475 calories; 36 g carbs; 26 g fat; 28 protein; 1020 mg sodium; 8 g sugar

    (not quite sure why the sodium jumped so much!)
  • MoMoves
    MoMoves Posts: 36
    This is what I do with my old favorite recipes.....I use reduced fat products everywhere I could...the cheese, mayo etc. Then I cut down the portion size...so maybe traditionally it feeds 6, but maybe it needs to feed 8-10, and served with a small salad. Gives me a taste of my favorites without overdoing it. I'd like to hear if the greek yogurt for mayo replacement works...let us know if you give it a try!
  • Lacey34
    Lacey34 Posts: 25 Member
    I dont know how the crescents function- could you use filo instead? Or, could you put teh ingredients in a pan, and just top with one roll of r/f crescents, like chicken pot pie style?
  • maggie4097
    maggie4097 Posts: 156
    Greek yogurt is a great idea! Also, maybe you can use 1 pkg of reduced cal crescent rolls--only on the top (make it more of a casserole). I have done this with some things myself. Sodium might increase in the lite items because they have to make them not taste like cardboard somehow!
  • Mollydolly10
    Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
    So basically you are supposed to take the 2 rolls of crescent dough and combine them together, flatten into a rectangle, pour the ingredients on top in the middle, then cutting strips on the each side, you fold those over the filling into a "braid". I've heard its possible to use just one roll of crescent dough and roll it out muuuch thinner - I think I may try that way!
  • rnroadrunner
    rnroadrunner Posts: 402 Member
    Could you substitute the mayo with greek yogurt? That would cut down on fat and add protein. Use reduced fat cheese maybe...? It sounds delicious!

    agree with greek yogurt
  • jtndle
    jtndle Posts: 54 Member
    I love that recipe too but haven't had it in a long time as my kids won't eat it. It is the crescent rolls that are the tricky part I think. Pizza dough does sound like a good idea but I'm also not sure how it compares cal/fat wise to the crescents. I like your idea of using one instead of two also. Or may just don't braid it and use the crescent just on the bottom with the topping on top?
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