Chicken again?  We eat a lot of chicken and it is easy to fall into the rut of serving the same thing. As I try to avoid the “rut”, I am always on the lookout for toppings, dressings, and marinades that are… tasty, low calorie, low fat, low sugar, and low sodium.  Yes, I strive to have it all. You might liken my search to looking for a buried treasure, but I have actually found a few options that meet all these criteria.

Tonight’s chicken uses Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade.  It has mango, pineapple, apple juice, lime juice, ginger, passion fruit juice and noni juice, which gives it a real tropical flavor. It also has stevia extract which is a sweetener that is not processed through the liver so it is not insulin producing.  Per every 2 Tablespoon serving, it has 20 calories (much less than low fat salad dressings), 0 calories from fat, only 4 g of sugar, and 0 mg of sodium!  For those with dietary restrictions, it is dairy free, egg free, and gluten free!

…

With meetings most of the day and a dinner meeting out, I scrambled to pull dinner together for the kids.  Luckily, I was able to get some help from my son who got the rice going in the rice cooker before I got home.

Once I got home at 5:30, I pre-heated the grill to high, washed the chicken and marinated it in 1 Cup of Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade.  Then I cut the broccoli, placed it on the roasting pan, and sprinkled, basil, oregano, salt and minced onion on top. Lastly, I sliced a tomato.

As my husband arrived home to pick me up and the babysitter walked in the door, I asked the babysitter to put the chicken on the grill and roast the broccoli. I also asked that she take a picture of the final product…

The Verdict

This is a keeper!  I don’t know the details, but everyone really like the meal. My son and daughter rated it a 9.  After having it for lunch the next day, I think that the chicken could have stayed in the marinade longer (pre-prep opportunity), but adding more dressing on top of the chicken once it is on the plate  is a great fix.

In my search to keep chicken meals, fresh, can you help me out?  Do you have any suggestions???

Ingredients

1 Cup White Rice (If you can make ahead, change to brown rice as it is healthier but takes longer to cook)

2 Cups Water

3.0 lbs. of Chicken (You will be cooking all the chicken for the week.  If you are cooking this stand alone, use 1.5 lbs. of chicken.)

Braggs Hawaiian Dressing and Marinade

1 Bunch Broccoli*

1 t salt*

1 T Basil*

1 T Oregano*

1 T Minced Onion*

1 Tomato

*Make a double batch so that the broccoli is cooked for the week. You just have to warm up!

Instructions

Pre-heat Grill to High or Oven to 350

1. Measure 1 Cup rice and 2 Cups Water in a rice cooker and turn on. Or prepare using your preferred method.
2. Wash Chicken and mix with Hawaiian Dressing. Set aside.
3. Wash Broccoli and cut into small florets.
4. Place on lightly sprayed roasting pan and sprinkle salt, basil, oregano, and minced onion.
5. Place Chicken on grill and turn heat down to medium, or place in oven.
6. Place broccoli in oven.
7. Slice tomato and divide across plates.
8. Check on broccoli and chicken.  Stir broccoli and if chicken is on grill turn it over.
9. Broccoli should be done in 8 -9 minutes.  Oven chicken should take about 15-20 minutes and grilled chicken 12-15 minutes, (flipping chicken halfway through.)

10. Portion plates with chicken, rice, broccoli, and tomato.

11. Drizzle some extra Hawaiian Dressing on the chicken.

12. Serve and enjoy!

Pre-Prep Opportunities
1.  Make rice a day ahead or earlier in the day that you will be serving it.  Use brown rice since it will have more time to cook.

2.  Wash chicken a day or two ahead, mix with marinade, and store in fridge.

3.  Wash and cut the broccoli a day or two ahead and store in the fridge.