Category Archives: Poultry

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Chicken Leek Pot Pie Comfort

Last week, a storm system rolled into the Northern Sierra  Mountains and brought downright chilly weather to Reno along with some heavy rains at times.  It was lovely to go from over 100-degree temperatures one day to down in the low 70’s for several days.  But it also called out for a casserole dish or some other kind of comfort food.  So I made this wonderfully delicious chicken with leeks and other vegetables pot pie.   It has a rich creamy sauce with light seasoning that is just great.   I used kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts in the dish, but the vegetables can vary.  Add turnips and green beans or cauliflower and broccoli.  The recipe is versatile.

Chicken Leek Pot Pie

Chicken and leek are just two of the wonderful ingredients in this delicious pot pie.

3/4 lb Chicken Breast
1/2 cup Leek, sliced (white and greens)
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup Kohlrabi, diced and parboiled
1 cup Brussels sprouts, cut into quarters and parboiled
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1 teaspoon Better than Bullion Chicken
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream or Half and Half
1 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon ground Thyme
1 teaspoon ground Sage,
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
2 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon Low Carb Flour

Topping
1 cup Low Carb Flour
1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 cup Water
1 large Egg,
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded & divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F.) Prepare a 2 to 3-quart baking dish by spraying lightly with cooking spray.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cover and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat, then add leeks and onions. Cook until they are just tender. Add chicken and cook until the meat turns white. Push the meat and vegetables to the side, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon low carb flour and stir together to make a paste in the middle. Add the cream, bullion and seasonings. Stir until mixed together, then pull the meat and vegetables back into the sauce. Add the mushrooms, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts. Turn burner to simmer and cook while you prepare the topping.

In a medium bowl, add the topping ingredients, except 1/2 of the cheese, and mix together. If it is too thick, add a little water. This is like a moist drop biscuit dough so don’t over-mix or add too much liquid.

Pour the chicken filling mix into the prepared baking dish. Use a spoon to drop six large biscuits over the top and use the back of the spoon to spread them to make an almost solid crust over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
     Calories:318.6 Fat: 22.7 g Net Carbs: 6.2 g Protein: 20.7 g

Give this recipe a try and add your own favorites to it.  Let me know how you like this.  By the way, what is your favorite comfort food for a chilly day?

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Spicy Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This recipe came through a Facebook post that originated from Budget101’s blog, who in turn got it from the Maine Cookbook. I wanted to adjust it just slightly for low carb, and really, the main adjustment was to eliminate the breadcrumbs. But, having watched Emeril for so many years, I needed to kick it up a notch, so I changed the spinach to a spinach and kale combination and added bacon bits. You can’t go wrong with bacon. If you don’t like spinach, but do like kale, then make the filling all kale and vice versa. Want to kick this up a little more? Add 2 or 3 tablespoons diced green chiles to the filling.

If you can’t find pepper jack cheese where you live, look for a semi -hard white cheese with pepper in it or you can add chile peppers to it.

Incidentally, for the curious, the vegetable in the picture is celery root, diced and boiled until fork tender, then pan fried in a little coconut oil until lightly browned. I put a little jack cheese on top.  The green veggie comes from a local grocery store and is broccoli salad.

Spicy Chicken Stuffed with JackCheese and Greens

6 boneless, skinless half chicken breasts (6 oz. each)
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 cups fresh Spinach, chopped
1 cup fresh Kale, chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup Bacon Bits
1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning or other spice
Salt
Black Pepper

Toothpicks, soaked in water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)  Prepare a baking pan with foil or with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.

In a skillet, heat1 tablespoon olive oil, then add chopped spinach and kale. Sauté until they are wilted but not limp. Add bacon bits to the pan and mix it together, but don’t cook anymore. Set aside.

Cut chicken breasts down the middle but not all the way through to make a pocket or butterfly. If they are thicker than 1/4″, pound them with a meat mallet or put plastic wrap over the top and use a rolling pin to flatten. If you don’t do this, the breast may take longer to cook.

Stuffed chicken ready to cook
All wrapped up and ready for final steps.

In the pocket of the breast or the middle, add jack cheese, then spread the spinach mixture on top. Do not overstuff them. Fold the chicken over the stuffing and secure with toothpicks. Tuck the end of the chicken in and secure it.

Place the chicken, seam side up on the pan and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasonings, salt and pepper on top. If you have leftover spinach, hold it until the chicken is almost done. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes until the juices run clear. Put the additional spinach on top and add any leftover jack cheese, if you wish. Return chicken to the oven for another five minutes to melt the cheese.

Serves 6

Nutrition Info per servings:
Calories: 301.3 Fat: 13.1 g Net Carbs: 1.4 g Protein: 41.1 g

Appetizers, Condiments and Sauces, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Guilt-Free Chicken Tenders

For everyone who loves chicken tenders, like me, but can’t have all the carbs in traditional breading, this is an alternate version I came up with based on the Betty Crocker recipe. It’s easy, not fried and uses low carb almond flour for the breading.  They taste wonderful, although not like a breaded one or an over-breaded one, in some cases.  The chicken is juicy and the flavor comes through beautifully.  This recipe makes 2 large servings or 3 to 4 smaller ones.  I found two of the tenders with the vegetables to be a very filling meal, but a  bigger appetite would probably want at least three of these.

Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

2 tablespoons low carb Flour (any fine mill type)*
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Water
1/2 cup Almond Flour or Ground Almonds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb Chicken Breast Tenders

Favorite dipping sauce, if desired

* Carbolose, CarbQuick, coconut flour, Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix, LC Foods or any others.  You could possibly even use almond flour for the initial dredge as well as the final one. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F.) Prepare a baking pan with a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with baking spray.

Rinse the chicken tenders and dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl or saucer, put the low carb flour. In a small bowl, add the egg and water and beat until frothy. In another shallow bowl, add the almond flour, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and a garlic powder.

Lightly dredge a chicken tender through the plain flour, then dip in the egg mixture, then coat it on both sides in the almond flour. Put on the prepared baking pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders. You should have about eight of them. Spray the top with butter-flavored cooking spray.

Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown and no cloudy juices run out. Let sit a few minutes, then serve. Wonderful side dishes with it are roasted golden beets and butternut squash, as pictured, or celery root or kohlrabi fries or creamed cauliflower. A salad is a colorful additional also.

You can serve with a low carb ranch dressing or chipotle dressing or the honey mustard dressing below.

Makes 4 servings or 2 large servings.

Nutrition Info for 1 servings (based on 2)
Calories: 257 Fat: 11.7 g  Net Carbs: 2.3 g Protein: 35.3 g

Honey Mustard Dressing

1 teaspoon sugar-free Honey
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until completely blended. No carbs in this recipe!

Tip: If you can’t find sugar free honey – it can be ordered online at Netrition.com- then regular honey can be used. It will add 2.9 g of carbs to each serving.

If you try this recipe, please let me know how you like it or post any questions or suggestions you might have.

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Grilled Chicken with Asparagus

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I’m still working my way through the two pounds of asparagus my friends left for me while they ran off to France.  So many ways to prepare asparagus and I’ve stir-fried a little, mixed it with cabbage and turnips and made a quiche.  But this simple recipe for chicken and asparagus wrapped in bacon is one of the best.  It is quick to prepare and cook, so dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.

A key to making sure the bacon is done is to pre-cook the bacon about halfway, so that it is still flexible, but not raw.  I used a George Foreman grill, but any tabletop grill, outdoor grill or broiler will work. It is so low in carbs that you can indulge with a salad and a few vegetable fries.  I used turnips and cauliflower fries with my dinner.

Grilled Chicken with Bacon and Asparagus

For a quick, elegant entrée, this goes together in four steps and cooks on the grill, in the broiler, or in something like a George Foreman grill in just a few minutes. It tastes wonderful! Chicken, asparagus, and bacon — how can you go wrong?

2 (8 oz) Chicken breast filets (about 1/2 inch thick), pounded to square if you wish
4 to 6 Asparagus Spears, trimmed – small or medium
2 slices thick Bacon
1/2 teaspoon Herb Seasoning of choice
Sprinkle of Lemon juice (optional)
Salt and Pepper to preference

Partially cook the bacon so that it is about half way done. This ensures that it will get done while grilling. Drain the bacon.

Partially cooked bacon is drained on paper towels.

Pound or press the chicken to tenderize and flatten to a square. (You can use the side a plate for this or the end of table knife.)

Put 2 to 3 asparagus spears in the middle of each chicken breast, season and sprinkle a little lemon juice on it. Roll up and wrap a slice of bacon around it. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon.

Chicken is wrapped with bacon and ready to grill.

Grill on each side until the chicken is done and juices run clear. If you’re using a Foreman or similar grill, it will grill both sides at one time, so just make sure the chicken is done.  The time to cook varies with the method used.

Let rest a couple of minutes, then serve.

Serves 2

Nutrition info per servings:
   Calories: 180.6 Fat: 6.1 g Net Carbs: 0.8 g Protein: 28.0 g

Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Italian Seasonings Make This Chicken Awesome

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to catch Rachel Ray’s afternoon talk show and she was making this chicken dish that is seasoned like sausage.  It sounded delicious and it also included butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, so I had to try it.  As near as I could jot down while drooling over the picture on mt TV, this is Rachel’s basic recipe.  All I’ve done is adjust the proportions a little and calculate the carbs in it.

I actually made this dish with four chicken quarters — thigh and leg – which were pretty large.   You can also use four whole chicken breasts or 8 half breasts.

Italian Seasoned Chicken Bake

Based on Rachel Ray’s recipe

2 cups Butternut Squash, cubed
1 Red Onion, sliced
2 cups Brussels Sprouts, halved
8 chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon grated Nutmeg
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Fennel
1/2 teaspoon powdered Onions
1/2 teaspoon Chile Flakes
1/2 teaspoon powdered Garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground Sage
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

Arrange the Brussels sprouts face down on the pan. Add the diced butternut squash and onions and sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Drizzle one tablespoon of the oil over the top.

Clean, dry and oil the chicken thighs in a pan or large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together all the remaining seasonings. Sprinkle over the chicken thighs., then use your hands to turn and coat the chicken until the seasonings are distributed over the thighs. Place the thighs on top of the vegetables in the pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.

Makes 4 to 8 servings depending on your appetite. I usually only eat one chicken thigh, but two per serving is okay.

Nutrition Info: 1/4 of recipe
Calories: 274.3 Fat:9.3 g Net Carbs: 13.2 g Protein: 30.2 g

Nutrition Info: 1/8 of recipe
Calories: 137.2 Fat:4.6 g Net Carbs: 6.6 g Protein: 15.1 g

Tip: To get down to the lower carb count and still eat 2 chicken thighs, cut the vegetable amounts in half. They are adding double the serving so using less still gives you about 1/3 cup of vegetables with the thighs. Using only half will bring the carbs down to 7 g.