Chicken!

Before I start today's post, I just want to say something to my friends, family, and everyone here in Florida: I hope you made it through Hurricane Irma okay. We were without power in my neighborhood for maybe 14-ish hours, had a bunch of tree limbs down, a few fences blown over, but other than that, nothing much. Hope you, too, were so lucky. We survived!

And now, on to today's post.

There was a time when chicken was relegated to Sunday dinner, with the family gathered around the table.

Now, it's an anytime food. Here are six chicken recipes to help you through the day, including Crispy Chicken and Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Enjoy!

CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS

Servings: 4

Source: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/309.shtml

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups frozen stir-fry pepper blend

1 can (15 ounces) chunky Italian-seasoned tomato sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Saute chicken and garlic in oil in large skillet until lightly browned. Push chicken to side of pan; add stir-fry pepper blend and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 215; Protein: 28.5 g; Fat: 7 g; Sodium: 674 mg; Cholesterol: 71 mg; Carbohydrates: 9.7 g; Exchanges: 2 Vegetable, 3 Meat

CHICKEN GUMBO SOUP

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 cup

Source: The New Soul Food Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/279.shtml

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

3 cups reduced-sodium, reduced-fat chicken broth, divided

3 cups water

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp sage

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp thyme

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh

1 cup frozen okra

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/4 cup flour

2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions

Place the chicken in a large soup pot with 1 cup of broth. Bring to a boil.

Add the additional broth, water, onion, garlic, salt (omit this if you need to reduce total sodium), pepper, bay leaf, sage, red pepper flakes, and thyme and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, corn, and okra and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat the oil and flour and stir until the flour and oil are golden brown and bubbly, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup of the soup broth to the mixture and whisk until smooth.

Add the mixture back to the soup pot and whisk until dissolved. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the rice the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 279; Protein: 23 g; Fat: 7 g; Sodium: 720 mg; Cholesterol: 43 mg; Carbohydrates: 31 g; Exchanges: 2-1/2 Starch; 2 Lean Meat

CRISPY CHICKEN

Serving size: 3-4 oz

Servings: 4

Source: How to Cook for People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/265.shtml

Ingredients

1 cup cornflakes

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp pepper

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 Tbsp margarine, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Crush the cornflakes between two sheets of wax paper. Mix the crushed cornflakes with the thyme and pepper.

Rinse the chicken thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken, breast side up, in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Brush the chicken with the melted margarine. Sprinkle the corn-flakes on top of the chicken breasts.

Cover the baking pan with a lid or a large sheet of foil tucked under the sides of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove foil, then bake, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 202; Protein: 26 g; Fat: 7 g; Sodium: 173 mg; Cholesterol: 73 mg; Carbohydrates: 6 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Starch, 3 Lean Meat

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

This recipe begins, “This recipe was once the ultimate in gourmet dining. The ham-and-cheese stuffed chicken breasts are still delicious in their low-fat form!”

Serves: 6

Source: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/318.shtml

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

4 ounces sliced fat-free Swiss cheese

3 ounces lean smoked ham

Flour

2 egg whites, beaten

1/3 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs

Vegetable cooking spray

Directions

Pound chicken breasts with flat side of meat mallet until very thin and even in thickness. Layer cheese and ham on chicken breasts, cutting to fit. Roll up chicken and secure with toothpicks.

Coat chicken rolls lightly with flour; dip in egg whites and coat in bread crumbs. Spray rolls generously with cooking spray and cook in skillet over medium heat until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

Place chicken in baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 210; Protein: 34.6 g; Fat: 3.9 g; Sodium: 540 mg; Cholesterol: 73.2 mg ; Carbohydrates: 6.3 g; Exchanges: 4 Meat

ROASTED CHICKEN SALAD WITH NAPA CABBAGE

Yield: 4 servings

Serving size is 4 oz. chicken, 1 cup cabbage, and 1/4 cup snow peas.

Print version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=860

Online version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/860.shtml

Source: Express Lane Diabetic Cooking

Ingredients

1 pound roasted white-meat deli chicken (either pulled from a whole chicken and skinned or from sliced chicken), cubed or shredded

1 cup fresh snow pea pods, halved

1/2 cup julienne baby carrot strips

1/2 cup low-fat Oriental salad dressing or low-fat vinaigrette

4 cups shredded Napa cabbage

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the chicken, snow pea pods, carrots, and garlic.

Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in dressing. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and chicken mixture; toss together until mixed.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 285; Protein: 34 g; Fat: 13 g; Sodium: 416 mg; Cholesterol: 100 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Carbohydrate, 4 Lean Meat, 1/2 Fat

CHICKEN WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATES

Yield: 4 servings

Print version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=868

Online version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/868.shtml

Source: Magic Menus for People with Diabetes

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total), trimmed of cartilage and fat

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large shallot, minced

2/3 cup low-sodium, low-fat chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/8 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in small bowl water

Directions

Cut each chicken breast half into 6 equal parts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Saute chicken in oil over moderate heat, turning, until the chicken is just opaque throughout, 4-5 minutes.

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon. Add shallot to the skillet and sauté, stirring until softened, about 1 minute. Add broth, wine (much of the alcohol will evaporate, leaving only the flavor), marjoram, and tomatoes.

Bring to a boil over moderate heat and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Simmer, gently spooning the sauce over the chicken, until heated through. Simmer until sauce is reduced by half.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 177; Protein: 27 g; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 155 mg; Cholesterol: 64 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 3 g; Exchanges: 4 Very Lean Meat, 1/2 Fat