13 Healthy Chicken Recipes That'll Make Dinner A Breeze (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest thing to cook chicken with? ›

Poached Chicken

Poaching is great because it adds virtually no fat to your food, yet yields subtle flavour and moisture. To poach your chicken, add your ingredients (chicken and any other vegetables, aromatics, and spices you like) to a skillet or pot, and add a cooking liquid such as broth, wine, or coconut milk.

Watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries make healthy snacks for chickens when fed in moderation. A few flock favorites include: Vegetables: Lettuce, beets, broccoli, carrots, kale, swiss chard, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers. Herbs: Lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, cilantro, thyme and basil.

A little variety might be all you need. Mix up your meals with seafood, beans, tofu, lentils, eggs, low- fat dairy, or even lean cuts of beef. Try out recipes like grilled halibut and strawberry guacamole, lentil Bolognese, or chipotle tofu and pineapple skewers.

Use Cooking Spray

One of the best ways to make fried chicken healthier is by eliminating cooking oils. Instead, use cooking spray, which has about 9 calories for every 1 second of spraying. Another perk to using cooking spray over cooking oil is that your kitchen will stay a lot cleaner!

Chicken is a healthy food (as long as it's poached, baked or grilled), but that doesn't mean you should eat it every single day. As both dietitians have explained, eating a wide variety of foods is the best way to give your body the nutrients it needs.

If your main aim is weight loss, then the best type of chicken you can opt for is- skinless, boneless chicken breast. Do you know that 3-ounce serving of skinless, boneless chicken breast provides just 140 calories, a whopping 26 grams of protein, and just 3 grams of fat?

Select fruits, vegetables and grains will keep chickens happy and ensure they are receiving a nutritionally balanced diet. Good choices include leafy greens, cooked beans, corn, non-sugary cereals and grains, berries, apples and most other fruits and vegetables.

Chicken contains the amino acid tryptophan, which has been linked to higher levels of serotonin (the “feel good” hormone) in our brains. The tryptophan levels in chicken aren't high enough to make you feel instantly euphoric, but studies show it could help to boost serotonin levels when paired with other factors.

An amino acid called tryptophan, which occurs in many protein-rich foods, helps the body produce serotonin. Carbohydrates help the body absorb tryptophan. For these reasons, eating a meal rich in both protein and carbohydrates may make a person feel sleepy. Tryptophan occurs in foods that are rich in protein.

Is rotisserie chicken healthy? ›

A rotisserie chicken is better than some of the other alternatives. Even with additives, a rotisserie chicken is a far healthier choice than a fast food run, says Allers. “It's still lower in fat and calories than fast food. It's serving its purpose – it's fast, but it can still help you create a balanced meal.

Overall, most health experts and dietitians would not recommend KFC products as part of a healthy diet. Fried chicken, KFC's signature product, is high in calories, fat, and salt, and has been linked to many health risks, including weight gain andl diabetes.

In terms of calorie and fat content, boiled chicken is the healthier option. However, the seasoning and cooking method used for rotisserie chicken can add flavor and convenience to your meals. If you are looking to maintain a healthy diet, boiled chicken is the better choice.

At the grocery store, the best chicken you can buy will be organic, free-range or pasture raised, antibiotic free, and air-chilled. This combo is the winner, winner chicken dinner.

But as Lewis points out, sautéing chicken with a quality pan will allow you to cut down on how much fat you're adding—and as long as you're steering clear of adding heavy amounts of butter or cream to the dish, you'll end up with a healthy meal.

Whether you opt for baked or grilled chicken breast, you'll get over 30 grams of lean protein and zero carbs. While both cooking methods preserve its flavor, baking is a safer choice. Both techniques can produce healthy results. However grilling requires more care not to produce unhealthy ones.