Category Archives: Poultry

Asian Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry

Delightful Thai Peanut Chicken with Broccoli

Image: Thai Peanut Chicken with Broccoli

I love cooking with a wok, but you don’t need one to cook Asian food. A heavy metal deep-sided skillet will work fine.  Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time and keep them close. Stir-fry is a quick cooking method using high heat, so you need to add the ingredients quickly.

This yummy recipe uses cayenne pepper and Asian Chili paste to add a spice to the dish. If you don’t like much spice, then you can omit them and still have a tasty, healthy main course. Pair this up with riced cauliflower, either cooked fresh or one of the frozen varieties to keep this a low carb meal.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Broccoli

3 tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter
2 teaspoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves – cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons chopped Garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Ginger Root
3/4 cup chopped Green Onions
2 /2 cups Broccoli Florets
1 tablespoon Asian Chile Paste
1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted Peanuts

In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is golden on the outside, about 5 minutes.

Reduce to medium heat, then add green onions, broccoli, peanuts, Asian chile, and the peanut butter mixture. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until broccoli is tender, and chicken is cooked through.

Serve over riced cauliflower.

 

Breakfast & Brunch, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

A Mexican Cheese Pie Variation

Photo: Chicken Chile Rellano PieWhile a cheese pie is a lot like a quiche, it’s not exactly the same. It’s the basic recipe adapted with different ingredients that takes it on a different path. In this case, our cheese pie is similar to the Chile Rellano casserole but with a couple of differences. This recipe is adapted from Miz Liz at Low Carb Friends. I made a few adjustments and changes to spice it up a little more.

It cooks quickly and makes a thick, satisfying slice of pie. It will serve six average appetites, but those bigger eaters should be content with one-quarter of the pie.  You can dress it up when you serve it with other go-withs like pico de Gallo, avocado or guacamole, and/or sour cream.

If you want it to be spicier, add more fajita or taco seasoning to it. Don’t want it spicy at all? Omit the seasoning and simply add salt and pepper. While it does use a low carb baking mix – the original recipe came from Carbquik’s web site -, you don’t have to use it. Omit the flour if you wish, or simply use 1 tablespoon of any low carb flour to help thicken it.

I hope you will give this a try and let me know what you think

Chicken Chile Rellano Casserole

2 4 oz. cans chopped Green Chilies, drained
1 cup shredded Chicken
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese or Cheddar Jack Cheese
1/2 cup Cream plus 1/2 cup Water
1 cup CarbQuik mix or other Low Carb Baking Mix
1 – 2 tablespoons of Fajita or Taco Seasoning Mix
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.) Grease an 8″ pie plate or casserole dish or spray with baking spray.

Drain the chiles and spread them over the bottom of the pan. Top with cheese, then spread the chicken and chop onions over the top.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, cream, water, seasoning, and baking mix together until it is completely mixed using a spoon or silicone spatula. Pour over the chicken and cheese. Place pie pan on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Insert a knife in the middle to check if it is fully set.

Cool for about 10 minutes to allow it to finish setting up to make it easier to cut. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and/or guacamole to garnish. A green side salad works well with this dish.

Makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on appetite.

Tip: For those who want a meatless dish, simply omit the chicken.
If you would like to add corn to it, use Dynasty Baby Sweet Corn and chop it up. It adds the flavor with only 0.3 carbs extra per serving of 1/6.

Photo: Nutrition Info for Chicken Chile Rellano Casserole

 

 

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Comfort Food Equals Casserole

Photo: Cauliflower and Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Occasionally, I get an urge for some great comfort food. Things like pasta or fried chicken with mashed potatoes. I’ve found ways to make most of them work with substitutes that are lower in carbohydrates. To be honest, nothing is quite like pasta although a few are on the market that are low and taste pretty good.

Still, for a pasta or potato substitute, I keep coming back to the good old cauliflower. When it’s fresh or even frozen, the flavor is mild and works well with sauces. If you let it sit too long in the ‘fridge, it gets a stronger and not as pleasing taste. The same is true with turnips and other related vegetables.

When I saw this recipe for Chicken with Bacon, Ranch Dressing, and Penne Pasta, I was tempted to make it with a lower carb pasta, but I didn’t have any. So, I used cauliflower, and it came out great. Put that one in the make-often file. This uses pre-cooked chicken, store-bought Alfredo sauce and ranch dressing, so it comes together quickly.  I used Great Value (Wal-Mart brand) Alfredo Sauce and Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb spices.

I used my smaller bread loaf/casserole pan to bake this, and it filled it up to the top. I suggest at least 1 quart, but if you add anything else to it, use a 1-1/2 quart baking dish.

Photo: Casserole Dish
I baked this in my small loaf pan. See the beautiful layers of goodness.

Cauliflower & Chicken with Bacon Casserole

10 oz. bag frozen Cauliflower
1 cup Chicken, cooked and cut into small cubes
3/4 cup Alfredo Sauce
3 tablespoons Ranch Dressing
3 slices cooked Thick-sliced Bacon, broken into pieces
1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped or sliced
2-3 Sweet Mini-Peppers
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 teaspoon Garlic Herb Spices
2 tablespoon chopped Parsley (optional)

Pre-cook the cauliflower according to instructions on the bag. I usually steam mine in the microwave for about two minutes. They do not have to be done, just partially cooked.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a 1-quart baking dish by buttering the inside or spray with baking spray.

Heat a small skillet, add a splash of olive oil, warm, and add the onions and chopped mini-peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes until onion is partly done.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cauliflower, chicken, bacon, onions, and peppers. Stir in the Alfredo Sauce, ranch dressing, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon into a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley if you wish.

 

Makes 2 hungry hippo servings or 3 average servings.

Breads, Poultry, Product Review

Easy Low Carb Pizza with No Fuss

Image: Low Carb Thai Chicken Pizza

Just about everybody gets a craving for pizza, some of us more than others. Most of the time, I make my own low carb pizza crust using this recipe.

But recently, LC Foods added a personal-pan-sized crust to its product list. With three 6-inch pre-made and partially cooked crusts for only $7.95 plus shipping, this sounded like a pretty good deal. I ordered two packages of them plus 2 of their pizza and bagel flour mix to make your own. If you order enough from LC Foods, you can get free shipping. As it was, the shipping was $8.95 for priority mail, and the package arrived in Reno, Nevada, three days after it was shipped from North Carolina. That’s pretty good time!

Now, to speed up the pizza-making process, I discovered that Papa Murphy’s pizza is selling their pizza ingredients in a package for Keto eaters. So you have about a 12-ounce, 7×9-inch tray of pre-cut vegetables and pre-cooked meat ready to put on top of your pizza crust. In fact, you can customize your pizza ingredients from their website. I bought a custom variation of their Thai Chicken Pizza with all the same ingredients. When I cooked our first pizzas with it, I used half of the package to make two personal-sized pizzas. The taste was really good, but I didn’t think it had enough chicken in it, and it needed a bit of kick with a base sauce. When I made the next two pizzas, I added more cooked and sliced chicken, plus I spread a layer of Asian Chili Sauce on the bottom before adding the ingredients. This worked much better, yielding delicious results.

If you have a pizza place that will sell you the ingredients without the crust, this is a real time saver in getting your low carb pizza fix. If you don’t, then the ingredient list is below to build your own. If you don’t want to order pre-made crusts, you can make your own or use a cauliflower crust that many stores now sell or create your own from this recipe.

Thai Chicken Pizza

1 to 1 1/2 cups of Chicken Breast, cooked and sliced or chopped
1/4 cup Green Onions or chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped Tomatoes or Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 cup of Zucchini, sliced
1 teaspoon Dried Red Chiles, crushed
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Place pizza crusts on a foil-covered pan or raised rack.

Mix all the ingredients, except the chile sauce together. Spread 2 tablespoons of chile sauce on each 6-inch pizza crust. Spoon 1/4 of the ingredients on top of the pizza and sprinkle with a little extra mozzarella if you like.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned. Makes four 6-inch pizzas.

Nutrition Info for Thai Chicken Pizza

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Garlic Honey Chicken made easy!

Photo: Garlic Honey Chicken

Looking for a simple but delicious dinner? This one fits the bill. It comes together quickly and doesn’t take long to bake in the oven. Even though you need to use an imitation sugar-free honey, it does bring the flavor and keeps the carbs down. Most of the sugar-free honey brands come to 1 net carb per tablespoon, so that’s what I used for the nutrition calculations.

I served mine with a side of steamed Brussels sprouts and butternut rotini. A nice salad would go well with it, as would broccoli or green beans.

Garlic Honey Chicken

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1-1/4 teaspoons dried rosemary or 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup honey
4 4-5 oz. skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Mix in garlic powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

Cook for 1 minute. Stir in honey and bring sauce to a boil. Turn the heat to a low simmer. Dip each chicken breast into the sauce, coating it completely, then place in a baking pan or an oven-safe skillet. Spoon the remaining honey over the tops.

Bake about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on thickness. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part should show 165 degrees F. Remove from oven; Use tongs or a fork to turn each piece over to coat it in the sauce on the bottom. If you want to get more color on the chicken, put it under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Image: Nutrition Information