This recipe has been on my menu several times so far.  And I kept not making it.  I am good at making menus.  I just don’t alwasy stick to them.  I will usually end up deviating at least one or two days from the menu.  So this chicken never got made.  Well I finally made it last week.  It was tasty.

Oven Fried Chicken

From: Taste of Home April/May 1998

1.5 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder
1 T paprika
2 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t dry mustard
2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

Combine the first four ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat. Place on an broiler pan that has been coated with nonstick spray. Broil, uncovered, about 6-8 minutes per side.

Makes 6 servings at about 4 pts each.

I don’t remember where I got this recipe and a google search did not help.  But it was delicious.

Aztec Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts
2 cans black beans
2 cans corn
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup salsa

Dump it all into your crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hrs.

Serve over rice.

Nutritional Information:

Serves 4
Calories: 307
Fat:  12 g
Carbs: 26 g
Fiber: 5.25 g
Protein: 24.5 g

6 Weight Watcher points

This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes. Its not gourmet by any means, but it sure is comfort food. This recipe is all over the Internet. I adjusted it by leaving out the mushrooms and adding a can of peas.

Creamy Italian Chicken in the Crockpot

6 servings

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I like my chicken cut into chunks)
1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope dried Italian salad dressing mix (Good Seasonings is the brand I use)
8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can low fat cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Place the chicken breast halves in the crock pot. Sprinkle with the Italian dressing mix. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Combine the cream cheese and soup until smooth and blended. (I sometimes need to microwave the mixture for a minute to smooth out the lumps. Pour soup mixture over chicken. Add a can of peas. Cook 1 more hour.

Serve over hot cooked rice or pasta.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 234.3
Fat:  12.6 g
Carbs: 10.7 g
Fiber: 1.8 g
Protein: 10.7 g

5 Weight Watcher points (8 points if you divide this into 4 servings)

I found this recipe and thought it sounded interesting.  I’m glad I gave it a try.  I left the additional salt out and glad I did as the soy sauce gives the chicken plenty of a salty taste.
Oven Fried Sesame Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast strips
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking dish with vegetable spray. In a shallow dish, place soy sauce. Add chicken, turning once to coat; remove and discard remaining soy sauce. In a large resealable plastic bag, add sesame seeds, flour, and pepper. Add chicken and shake to coat. Place chicken in prepared baking dish. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 248
Fat: 6.4 g
Carbs: 8.1 g
Fiber: .9 g
Protein: 37.6 g

5 Weight Watcher points

When I make this recipe I will often make double or triple the spice mix to use later.  If you make extra, then when you go to use it, you will need about 1 oz of the spice mixture.  Also, to save money I buy my spices from the bulk bins at my local Whole Foods market - its about the only thing that is cheap there!  One of the smallest spice containers at a normal grocery store can cost $3 or more and only holds a 3rd of an ounce.  Whole Foods sells spices for $12.99/lb which works out to 35 cents for a 3rd of an ounce.  I also make this recipe using chicken breasts and not a whole chicken.

Sticky Chicken

2 teaspoons salt (this is less salt that the original)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (less than the original)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 chicken breasts with skin and bones

Blend all spices together and set aside. Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry.
Rub with spice mixture.  At this point you are supose to wrap the chicken and refrigerate overnight but I usually don’t.  Place chicken breasts in a shallow pan and roast uncovered in a 250 F oven 3.5 hours 5 hours if you are doing a whole chicken)
Baste with drippings every 30 minutes after the first hour.  I usually only end up basting 2-3 times.

Nutritional Info for this will vary depending on the size breast you eat and if you eat the skin.  I personally love crispy skin so I just plan on allowing it in my calorie intake for the day.  What I do when I eat chicken on the bone, is weigh the chicken before I eat it, then weigh the bones and leftover parts afterward and take the difference.  If you are on any kind of diet, I think a scale is very important so you can know exactly how much you are eating.  1 oz of chicken with skin is about 55 calories and 2 grams of fat.

I love Mexican food. Even quasi-Mexican food. I often have a taco night. I will cook up chicken in the crockpot with taco seasonings and shred. I almost always at least double the recipe. Sometimes even triple or quadruple the recipe so I can freeze some and save for later. This is a very forgiving recipe and is more of a technique or method.

Chicken Taco Meat

4 Servings

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pack of taco seasoning (you can also use homemade and I often do)
1/4 - 1/2 cup of taco sauce or salsa

Place the chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle with the taco seasoning.  Cook on low about 6 hours.  Take 2 forks and pull the chicken into small shreds.  Mix in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of taco sauce to moisten.  Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 222
Fat: 8.5 g
Carbs: 1.3 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 33 g

5 WW points

I kept waiting to post this recipe after I got pictures of the end result.  But even by my standards the pictures were pretty bad.  So I am posting without pictures.  Growing up I thought the only way to serve sweet potatoes was candied.  As in Candied Yams for Thanksgiving, with tons of brown sugar, butter and marshmallows.  Then I grew up and realized you could eat them baked, like a regular potato.  But again, they always had brown sugar and butter on them.  This is a savory recipe - no brown sugar in site.  And I think the salt and garlic powder really compliment the sweet potato.  The original recipe called for pork but I make it with chicken.

Crockpot Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

4 servings

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into large chucks
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 lb peeled sweet potatoes, cut into thick slices
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 cup chicken broth

Lay the sliced sweet potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot.  Pour the chicken broth over the potatoes.  Sprinkle with 1/2 the spices.  Lay the chicken pieces onto the sweet potatoes.  Sprinkle with the rest of the spices.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 364
Fat: 9.0 g
Carbs: 32.9 g
Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 36 g

7 WW points

This recipe is much better than the name implies.  The name makes me think of some nasty leftover bits of chicken no one wants to eat.  But I got past the name and tried it anyway.  I’m glad I did.  This is a nice simple recipe.  The chicken has a bit of heat to it and a slight Asian flavor.  I got the original recipe here and made a couple of changes to it.  I think I am genetically incapable of making a recipe as it is written.  I almost always make a few changes.  Also I don’t like meat cooked in the microwave so adapted it to the stove top.  Here is my version:

Glazed Chicken Bits

4 Servings

2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp ginger
2 garlic clove, minced
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbs olive oil

Combine honey, ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger and garlic in a medium bowl.  Add the chicken and mix.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook about 5-7 minutes, then stir the chicken and cook about 5-7 minutes more, stirring as needed.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 272
Fat: 10.7 g
Carbs: 9.3 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 33.4 g

6 WW points

This recipe for Maple-Glazed Barbecue Chicken sounded pretty good so I wanted to give it a try. I don’t have a grill so I used my George Foreman. I also thought the recipe sounded like it would lend itself well to some heat and I added some cayenne pepper. And because I am watching my calories and don’t tolerate sugar all that well, I used sugar-free maple syrup. I was afraid it might give the chicken that fake aftertaste a lot of sugar free products have but it didn’t. This was a tasty recipe and I will definitely make it again.

Maple-Glazed Barbecue Chicken

Serves 6 (depends on how much chicken you use)

Glaze

1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (my addition)

Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used about 1 1/2 lb chicken)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Heat grill (or the George Foreman in my case). In small bowl, stir together all glaze ingredients. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Brush chicken generously with glaze. Place chicken on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals; cover grill. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until juices run clear, turning once and brushing occasionally with glaze.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 220
Fat: 8.4 g
Carbs: .9 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 33 g

5 WW points

The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of butter.  I’m sure it is really really yummy but I can’t really justify eating that many calories for one dish.  Here is my lighter version.

Chicken Scampi

4 servings

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter substitute (I use Smart Balance)
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 lb chicken cut in cubes

In a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium high until the butter melts.  Add the broth and the seasonings and stir.  Add lemon juice and stir.  Add the chicken and saute for about 3-5 minutes or until white.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 222
Fat: 8.3 g
Carbs: 1.3 g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 33.7 g

5 WW points