Lighten Up, Chicken!

Food Network Chicken Recipe Gets a Visit From The WebMD Recipe Doctor

I get a lot of requests on my Recipe Doctor website to lighten up various dishes from The Food Network. People usually write that they want to try the particular recipe, but are put off by all of the rich and fatty ingredients. I actually got three requests for this same chicken dish, so I decided to lighten it up and share the simple and savory recipe with all of you!

Basically I dramatically reduced the cooking fat and switched to a smart oil, plus I doubled the vegetables and used a reduced fat cheese.

The original recipe calls for half a stick of butter; I used 4 teaspoons of canola or olive oil. I used 2 cups of mushrooms and 1/3 cup of shallots compared to 1 cup of mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of shallots in the original recipe. I eliminated the salt and used 1 cup of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese instead of whole milk mozzarella. I also eliminated a preparation step to keep it all in one pot. Less to do and less to wash!

Here are the SAVINGS:

Calories decreased from 386 to 330
Fat grams decreased from 22.5 grams to 14 grams
Saturated fat decreased from 13 grams to 5 grams
Cholesterol decreased from 152 to 111 mg
Sodium decreased from 429 to 236 mg (mushrooms have a lot of natural flavor)
Fiber went up from .3 gram to almost 1 gram
Omega-3s went up from .2 gram to .6 gram (using canola oil)

Light & Easy Georgia Chicken

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons canola or olive oil, divided use
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (available pre-washed and pre-cut)
1/3 cup minced shallots (chopped onion can be substituted)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice)

Preparation:

1. In large, nonstick skillet begin heating 2 teaspoons of canola or olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and shallots and saute until lightly brown (about 5 minutes). Spoon out mushroom mixture to medium bowl and set aside.
2. In same large, nonstick skillet, begin heating the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. Coat both sides of chicken breasts with hot oil in pan and continue to brown both sides until cooked throughout (about 8 minutes on each side). Sprinkle pepper over the top.
3. Sprinkle cheese even over the top of chicken then top evenly with the mushroom mixture. Turn off heat, cover skillet, and let the chicken dish rest for 5 minutes to melt cheese and blend flavors.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Members journal as: 1 serving lean meat with sauce + 2 ounces lowfat cheese OR 1 frozen dinner light + 2 ounces lowfat cheese OR 1 1/2 cups hearty stews

Nutrition Information per serving: 330 calories, 44 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 111 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 236 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 38 percent.

Related Topics:

• Tips for New Cooks - Chicken
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox