Easy and Tasty Chicken Marinades

Rather than post these all individually, I'm just going to post a long post.  :)  The best and easiest way to marinate chicken is to place the boneless skinless breasts in a gallon size zipper bag along with the marinade and refrigerate for the recommended time.  I love to use marinades because the meat is more tender and it is packed with flavor without having to add a lot of calories, etc! 

Some tips - I just buy whatever boneless skinless chicken is on sale and freeze it.  When it is almost completely thawed, I cut it into 5 oz pieces and trim off any fat.  I always make at least 3 more servings than my family will eat so I can use it in casseroles or salads later in the week.  Sometimes, I even re-freeze the COOKED chicken to use at a later date.

I would also guess that these would work for pork or beef as well - I'm not sure because we mainly just eat chicken at our house!

Southwest Marinade (for two 5 oz chicken breasts)

1/4 c lime juice
1/2 to 1 t hot pepper sauce
1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t dried cilantro

Marinate for up to one hour before grilling.

Caribbean Style  (for six 5 oz chicken breasts)

2 T finely chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
1/3 c white vinegar
1/3 c lime juice
1/4 c sugar
2 T curry powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Marinate for at least two hours before grilling.

Garlic - Soy - Lime (for six 5 oz chicken breasts)

1/3 c lite soy sauce
1/4 c lime juice
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t ground mustard
1 t minced garlic

Marinate for at least 30 minutes before grilling

Honey Citrus (for eight 5 oz chicken breasts)

1/2 c orange juice
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c lite soy sauce
2 T minced fresh ginger root (you can use 2 t powdered but it will not be as tasty!)
3 t minced garlic
1/4 t black pepper

Marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight before grilling.

Lightened Brazilian Chicken (for eight 5 oz chicken breasts)

1/2 c lite soy sauce
1/2 c lemon lime soda
1/2 c lime juice
2 jalapeno peppers - cut in half

If you are using this for beef, marinate up to 8 hours.  If using it for chicken, I wouldn't marinate for longer than 2 hours. 




 Happy grilling everyone!

BBQ Chicken Pizza - Deluxe Hawaiian Style

11/2 cup desired BBQ sauce
8 oz Mozzarella cheese
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1/4 c slivered almonds
1/4 c roasted sunflower seeds
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained WELL
1/4 c shredded coconut

Spread BBQ sauce on baked crust. Top with 3/4 of Mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle with chicken, almonds, sunflower seeds, pineapple and coconut, then the rest of the cheese.  Return to oven to melt cheese.

Makes 8 servings.

BBQ Chicken Pizza - Regular Style

1 1/2 cup desired bbq sauce (we like the honey flavor at our house)
8 oz mozzarella cheese
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1/2 c diced red onion
1 c sliced mushrooms

Spread bbq sauce over crust.  Top with 3/4 of the cheese. Then sprinkle with chicken, onions and mushrooms.  Top with remaining cheese and put back in the oven to melt cheese.

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

Honestly, this is such an easy dish to make.  Hope you like it.  We always serve it with extra sauce that has been warmed over whole grain pasta.

6  4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 egg whites
1 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 large can or 1 qt spaghetti sauce
4 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
6 t reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese (the one in the bottle on the shelf at the store)

Dip chicken in egg whites, then bread crumbs.  Place in a sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Spoon spaghetti sauce over chicken so it covers the piece.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, then with Mozzarella.  Bake for another 10 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Honey Dijon Chicken

4 - 5 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c dijon mustard
1/2 c honey
1 T olive oil
1/2 c real bacon bits

Marinate chicken in a mixture of minced garlic, olive oil and water for 1 - 2 hours.  Mix mustard, honey, oil and bacon bits together.  Coat chicken with mixture.  Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Makes 4 - 5 servings

Honey Curry Chicken

6  4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c honey
1/4 c yellow mustard
1 t salt
2 t curry powder

Mix honey, mustard, salt and curry powder and pour over chicken in a well sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Bake, covered, at 350 for 45 - 60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

We had this over rice - it was so so good.  The curry is not overly strong but if you are sensitive to the flavor you could cut it in half.

Makes 6 servings

Honey Peach Chicken

4 5 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c peach jam (can also use apricot)
1/4 c orange juice
3 T honey

Combine jam, orange juice and honey.  Pour over chicken in a well sprayed baking dish.  Bake at 350, covered for 20 minutes. Then remove foil for ten more minutes.

We served this over rice and it was delicious - we also doubled the sauce so we could use it over the rice.

Makes 4 servings

California Chicken

We absolutely love this one at our house!  We've had it over rice or whole grain thin spaghetti.  Both times it was great!

6  4 oz chicken breasts

1 cup orange juice

1/3 c chili sauce

2 T light soy sauce

1 T molasses OR 2 T brown sugar

1 t dry mustard

¼ t garlic powder

¼ t onion powder

1 green or red bell pepper, diced

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

Arrange chicken in a sprayed slow cooker.  Combine juice, chili and soy sauces, molasses, and seasonings.  Pour over chicken.  Cook on low 6 – 8 hours.  Then add bell pepper and oranges and heat 30 minutes more.  Makes 6 servings.

Moo Goo Gai Pan - a very light Chinese Chicken dish!

½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

½ lb snow peas

2 cans sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 c chopped celery

1 c chopped Chinese cabbage or coleslaw mix

2 t minced garlic

1 T grated fresh ginger root

1 – 2 chicken breasts, very thinly sliced

1 t white sugar

1 can reduced sodium chicken broth

3 T cornstarch

1/3 c water

1 T sesame oil

Use ½ T of sesame oil in large frying pan or wok – wipe it with a paper towel so it is distributed evenly.  Stir fry vegetables (including ginger root) for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Remove from pan.  Add the other ½ T of oil and wipe it around.  Stir fry chicken and garlic for 5 minutes over medium high heat.  Add back in vegetables.  Sprinkle with sugar and the add chicken broth.  Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water – stir until blended and add to the mixture in the pan.  Simmer until thickened.  Serve over rice.  Makes 8 servings.

Add other veggies if you would like or substitute.  We don’t do mushrooms at our house but some sliced zucchini would make a great substitution for them!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna - the lite version

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

9 whole grain lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 8 oz pkg diced ham

1 pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

3 pkg alfredo sauce mix (made according to package directions except use skim milk and no butter)

1 c grated mozzarella cheese

Layer 1/3 sauce in a well sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Then 3 noodles, then chicken, then sauce, then 3 noodles, then broccoli, then ½ of cheese, then noodles, then sauce, then ham, then rest of cheese.  Pour 1 cup water around the inside edges of the pan. Cover with a sprayed piece of foil  Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Makes 8 – 10 servings.

Chicken Caesar Casserole

2 -3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 c green or red bell peppers, diced

1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1/3 c fat free Caesar salad dressing

¼ c reduced fat Parmesan cheese

1 lb whole grain pasta, cooked until al dente

½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine all ingredients except the mozzarella.  Pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

2 boxes wild rice “rice a roni” type mix (made according to pkg directions but omit the butter and oil)

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 c chopped celery

1 bag frozen vegetables (we prefer broccoli and cauliflower mix)

1 c fat free plain yogurt

2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken or celery soup.

Combine all ingredients. Pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 325 covered for 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Rosemary Chicken and Beans - Slow Cooker

6  4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 c fresh sliced carrots
1 c chopped celery
2/3 c fat free zesty Italian dressing
2 t dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 t salt
1 t black pepper

Place chicken, beans, carrots and celery in a sprayed slow cooker.  In a small bowl, combine other ingredients.  Pour over chicken and vegetables.  Cover and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

1 can cream of tomato soup
3/4 c vinegar ( i just use white but whatever you have works)
1/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried basil
1 medium onion, chopped, if desired
6  4 oz pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl.  Place chicken in a sprayed slow cooker.  Pour sauce mixture over top of chicken.  Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.  I recommend the low setting!

Chicken Azteca

2 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed WELL
4 c frozen corn
2 cloves minced garlic
1 t ground cumin
2 c chunky MEDIUM salsa (even if you don't like things spicy, this recipe NEEDS the medium salsa)
10 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 lbs worth)
12 oz fat free cream cheese, doftened and cubed

Combine beans, corn, garlic, cumin and half of salsa in slow cooker.  Arrange chicken over top.  Pour remaining salsa over the chicken.  Cover.  Cook on high for 2 - 3 hours or on low 4 - 6 hours. Remove chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Return to cooker. Stir in cream cheese.  Cook on high until cream cheese melts.  Spoon chicken and sauce over cooked brown rice or multi grain pasta. 

Makes 10 servings

Per serving (not including pasta or rice):
Calories - 252  Total Fat - 3 g  Cholesterol  - 64 g  Total Carbs - 24 g  Fiber - 5 g  Protein - 33 g