Hoisin-glazed Chicken and Green Beans

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry or orange juice
1/4 water
1 tbl low sodium soy sauce
3 whole star anise or 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 5oz skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 pound green beans
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil

Mix hoisin sauce, sherry, water, soy, star anise and garlic in large skillet, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add chicken. Cover and cook, turning once, 10-12 min or until chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile bring medium saucepan of water to a boil, add beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain.

Transfer chicken to plate. Bring sauce to a boil over med-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/2cup, about 2 min. Stir in sesame oil and any accumulated juices on chicken plate.

Cut chicken into 1/2in thick slices, transfer chicken and beans to serving plates. Remove star anise and spoon sauce over chicken and beans.

4 servings - 6pointplus each for 1 chcicken breast, 3/4c green beans and 2tbl sauce

Per serving: 254 calories, 5g total fat, 1g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 79mg cholesterol, 648mg sodium, 18g total carb, 7g total sugar, 4g fiber, 31g protein, 65mg calcium

Indian Butter Chicken

From GoodLifeEat blog

1 onion (1/2 lb.), peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter
1 recipe of coconut rice
Lime wedges
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook rice according to package instructions.

In a large saute pan, combine onion, ginger, chili, and oil. Stir often over medium-high heat until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Scrape mixture into a blender or food processor; add tomato paste and chicken broth. Whirl until very smooth. Pour mixture back into pan, add half and half or cream and crushed bay leaves, and bring to a gentle boil over high heat (mixture is inclined to spatter). Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to 3 cups, about 5-7 minutes. Pour sauce into a bowl. Rinse and dry pan.

Pat the chicken dry. Mix chicken with salt and pepper. Set pan over high heat; add 1 tablespoon butter and the chicken. Stir until chicken is no longer pink on the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink in the center (cut to test), 3 to 4 minutes. Cut remaining 3 tablespoons butter into chunks and stir into sauce until melted.

Spoon chicken and sauce onto rice. Squeeze lime juice over portions and garnish with cilantro.

BBQ Pineapple Chicken Packet

For each packet:
1 chicken breast
2 pineapple rings
2 pepper (green, red or yellow) rings
1 tbsp BBQ sauce

Use heavy duty foil and make a packet for each chicken - fold the top and ends to seal the packet but leave some room for heat circulation inside.

Grill 20-25 min or 30 mins at 350 in the oven.

Healthy Chicken Marsala

No butter makes this recipe a lot healthier for you than standard Marsala sauce - from foodfit.com

1.5tbl olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2/3c low sodium chicken broth
8oz mushrooms, sliced
1/3c Marsala wine
1/4c flour for dredging
2tbl chop parsley for garnish (optional)

Dredge chicken in flour, saute in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown about 2 minutes each side. Remove the chicken to a platter and keep warm.

Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the wine, stir with a wooden spoon to release any caramelized bits that may be stuck to the pan and cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated.

Add the chicken broth , chicken and any juices that have accumulated on the platter. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a clean serving platter and keep warm. Simmer the broth mixture until it has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsely and serve.

Coriander Lime Chicken Legs

1/4c fresh lime juice
2 limes zested
1tbl toasted ground coriander
2tbl chopped cilantro
2tbl chopped scallions
1tbl honey
1c olive oil
2tsp salt
12 chicken legs

Combine lime juice, coriander, scallion, cilantro and honey in food processor. With processor running add the olive oil in a steady stream. Add salt and pepper, give a final pulse to combine. Pour mix and chicken legs into a large ziploc bag and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.

Can cook on the grill or bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a variation on the one from Kraftfoods.com. I have used the precooked chicken but it leaves kind of a funny taste. I like just cooking up a ton of chicken, cubing it afterward and freezing it in 2c amounts in ziploc bags for recipes like this. You can double the filling recipe and freeze half for later, especially since the premade pie crusts come in packs of two. This is supposed to be healthier than traditional pot pies since it only uses one crust, and light/fat free versions of other ingredients. - still tastes great though.

1lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
1/2c Kraft Light Zesty Italian dressing
8oz Neufchatel cheese (fat free cream cheese), cubed
4tbsp flour
1c fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
10oz frozen mixed veggies, thawed
1 premade pie crust

Preheat oven to 375. Cook chicken in dressing, add cheese, cook and stir until melted, sprinkle flour over mix and mix well. Add broth and veggies, simmer 5 minutes.

Pour into casserole dish, arrange crust on top, cut 4 slits. Bake 30-45 minutes until crust is golden.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Very yummy, but also a little salty (ham) and all that cheese can't be good for you. I have frozen after adding the broth but before the rice and cheese and it still comes out great.

1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 lb diced ham
2 cups of shredded chicken
4 tbl butter
1/4 cup flour
14oz can chicken broth (low sodium)
3 cups of cooked rice
2 cups shredded cheddar
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. Cook onion and pepper in 2 tbl olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, chicken and ham, cook 5 minutes. Add butter, after melted add flour, stir until combined. Stir in broth. Mix in rice, 1c cheddar, 1c mozzarella. Transfer to 9X13 pan, sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes covered with foil. Reheats well right in the 9x13 pan in the oven for leftovers.

Chicken with Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 shallot, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound chicken breast pounded slightly and cut into 1-inch strips

Whisk together the chicken stock, coconut milk, soy sauce, shallot, garlic, brown sugar, lime zest, and ginger. Add the chicken strips and marinate for 1 hour (or overnight). Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.

Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray and cook chicken over medium heat until done. Serve with coconut rice and peanut sauce (see below).

1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes worth)
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Sauce can be made 1 day ahead of time, and will keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Sweet Citrus Chicken

1 cup warm OJ
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Cornbread stuffing
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
 3/4cup orange juice
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
2/3 cup Dried cranberry and/or raisins

Preheat oven to 400°F. Add hot OJ and craisins to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened. Set aside.

Place chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix juice, sugar and butter until well blended; pour over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing.

BAKE 35 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Can swap apple juice for the OJ and use craisins and raisins interchangeably.