OMG--Chicken & Waffles

I stumbled across this recipe in a back issue of Clean Eating Magazine yesterday, and my husband made me promise to make it for dinner (it helped that I had all the ingredients on hand -- serendipity!) I've always thought of waffles as a sweet breakfast treat, but the idea of having waffles for dinner sounded fun. So I made these, and they were fantastic! I might make just the waffles again over the weekend and see how they work with that traditional heap of fruit and yogurt on top!

The waffles originally called for 1.5 cups of grated zucchini, which I didn't have. I subbed in 2 grated parsnips instead, and WOW! They gave it a sweet-spicy tang that really made the recipe for me (I was worried because the batter looked so watery) but they cooked up better than I expected. I might add a dash of cumin next time to really bring the parsnip flavor out...


Clean Chicken & Waffles

Serves: 4
Total time: 1 hour

1.5 cups plus 1 tbsp whole-wheat pastry flour, divided
3 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1 tsp baking powder
6 egg whites
1.5 cups skim milk
1 medium zucchini, grated (1.5 cups) ***I used two parsnips, grated--> highly recommended!!***
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
8 oz white or cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 pint Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 small bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used regular broccoli)
1/2 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup tarragon leaves, optional (I added 1 Tbsp dried tarragon to the chicken mixture instead)

1. Preheat a waffle iron. In a large bowl, whisk together 1.5 cups flour, flaxseed and baking powder until smooth. Made a well in the center of the mixture and add egg whites, milk and zucchini. Stir wet ingredients in center carefully until combined, then slowly mix into flour mixture until just combined, about 15 turns. Pour a heaping 1/4 cup batter into the center of the waffle iron, spread batter out over iron surface with a spatula and close. Bake until waffle is golden, and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter to make a total of 4 waffles, setting cooked waffles on a cooling rack.

2. Sprinkle chicken with paprika and remaining 1 tbsp flour. Heat a large stockpot with oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until chicken begins to brown. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add celery, mushroom, brussels sprouts and broccoli rabe to same pot over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften or begin to brown and give off their liquid. Return chicken to pot and add broth. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.

3. Turn off heat (leave pot on burner). Transfer 1 cup chicken mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in yogurt and Dijon. Add mixture back to pot and stir. To serve, spoon 1.5 cups chicken mixture over each waffle. Garnish with tarragon, if desired.

Nutrients per serving (1 waffle, 1.5 cups chicken mixture): Calories: 399, Total Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 48g, Fiber: 8g, Protein: 36g, Sodium: 343mg, Cholesterol: 35mg