Healthy Dinners With Chicken

Chicken is very popular with those who are looking for a high protein and low-fat dinner choice. A 4-ounce serving of boneless, skinless chicken breast contains 110 calories, 2.5 grams of fat and 23 grams of protein. Many healthy chicken dinners, however, have about as much taste as wet cardboard. Healthy eating need not be so flavorless. Follow some of these ideas for a tasty meal your whole family will enjoy.

Grilled Chicken

First and foremost, if you want chicken to be juicy and flavorful, leave the skin on when grilling. Part of the enjoyment of a great, spice rubbed, grilled chicken is a nice, crispy, well-seasoned skin. The skin will keep the chicken moist while grilling and eating it is simply not that bad for you. The skin from a bone-in, 12-ounce chicken breast contains just 50 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. What's more is that 55 percent of that fat is the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind. Try experimenting with different homemade marinades and dry rubs. Avoid store-bought marinades that tend to have large amounts of sodium, preservatives and unnatural flavors.

Pan-Seared Chicken

There are many healthy flavoring options for pan-seared boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The first step when pan searing is to make sure the chicken breast has a relatively even thickness all the way through. To do this, place the chicken breast on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and tamp it with a meat mallet or heavy pan until it has a mostly uniform thickness. Use a small amount of heart-healthy olive oil to coat the pan and heat it on medium high. Brown both sides for about 5 minutes each or until the juices run clear. Pan-seared chicken can be used in a number of traditional dishes. Try a pan-seared chicken parmesan topped with low-fat mozzarella or a pan-seared chicken marsala topped with fresh mushrooms.

Smoked Chicken

Slow smoked, pulled chicken is a delicious dish and a healthy alternative to pulled pork. Use a traditional barbecue rub on a whole chicken and slow smoke for about 1 hour per pound at 225 degrees using a smoker or indirect grilling. After removing the chicken from the smoker or grill, tent it and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before pulling with a fork. Try topping it with an Eastern North Carolina-style vinegar-based barbecue sauce instead of store-bought sauces that tend to be loaded with sugar or corn syrup.

Ballotine

A ballotine is a classic French preparation where meat is boned, stuffed, rolled and then roasted or poached in water or a flavorful stock. The dish can be prepared with boneless chicken breast and stuffed with a limitless array of healthy herbs and vegetables. To kick up the flavor quotient even more without adding significant calories or fat, try poaching in a court bouillon created with white wine and aromatic vegetables.

Leftovers

Grilled, pan-seared, smoked, poached or roasted chicken can be chopped and chilled for later use. Chilled, leftover chicken is a good choice for topping salads or making a healthy wrap. Quickly sautéed, leftover chicken can also be used to fill an egg-white omelet or top-grilled whole-grain flatbread.