Healthy meal of the week: Baked Chicken and Rice
Healthy Leftover Idea: Chicken Melt Sandwich
Here’s a meal that can basically be made in a skillet right in the oven, making the whole thing super convenient. Aside from the minor prep work you need to do, for the most part, once everything is placed inside the oven and the timer is set, you don’t need to do anything more than sit and wait for it to go off. Plus, with the leftover food idea below, you can make these handy Chicken Melt Sandwiches that, combined with a piece of fruit and a bottle of water, will have a lunch that adds up to just 400 calories. That’s far superior to a fast food meal that often exceeds the 1,200-plus calorie mark, so this is a big step in the right nutritional direction.
Necessary equipment
– Oven-safe skillet with lid (or aluminum foil)
– frying pan
– pot for vegetables
preparation time
– 15 minutes
Time to cook
– 40 minutes
Ingredients
(6-8 servings)
– 8-10 pieces of boneless chicken breasts
– 2 cups of rice
– 1/4 cup of olive oil
– 2 cans of mixed vegetables (or another of your choice)
– seasonings: pinches of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper
– 3 bay leaves
For melted chicken sandwiches
– healthy wholemeal bread
– butter
– low fat cheese
– spatula
Addresses
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Open the chicken package and rinse each piece under cold water in the sink. Put all the pieces on a plate in a dish where they will be marinated.
2. Using two forks, repeatedly pierce each piece of chicken on both sides to help the seasonings really penetrate the meat. Sprinkle all of the seasonings over the chicken pieces and continue using the forks to pierce the chicken pieces to push those tasty seasonings into them.
3. In a skillet, add 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and allow each side to lightly brown, usually 3-4 minutes per side. Once finished, remove the chicken pieces from the pan and place on a plate.
4. Using the same skillet over medium heat, leaving any oil left over from the chicken in the skillet, add the two cups of rice and stir for a couple of minutes to allow it to “brown” then remove from heat.
5. Add rice to the pan you plan to use to bake everything in your oven, then add 4 cups of hot water, 3-5 drops of seasoned salt, and 3 bay leaves. Give everything a good stir, then place the browned chicken pieces directly into the liquid and cover the pan tightly with the oven-safe lid or a piece of aluminum foil. Place inside your oven and set the kitchen timer for 40 minutes.
6. When there are about 15 minutes left on the timer, you can open your cans of vegetables and add to a pot on the stove, medium-low heat. Those should only take 10-12 minutes to heat up.
7. When the kitchen timer goes off, carefully remove the tray from the oven and you should be all set to go. Serve appropriate portions, and don’t forget to save a piece or two of chicken for leftover sandwich melts if you plan to make them later. Don’t forget your big glass of water with this healthy meal and you’ll get around 400 calories.
Healthy Leftover Idea: Chicken Melt Sandwiches
Here’s an easy way to make a travel lunch that, when combined with a piece of fruit and a bottle of water, will fill you up and only weigh in at about 450 calories total. All you have to do is take one of the chicken pieces and carefully slice it sideways in half so you end up with two large, skinny slices. In other words, from each piece of chicken you can make two sandwiches.
Then, using a knife, lightly butter one side of the bread, then place in a skillet over medium heat. Then add some grated cheese, some rice if you like, the piece of chicken, then top with some more cheese. Finally add the top piece of bread with the butter side up this time.
After a couple of minutes of cooking, carefully lift one side with a spatula to check the color of the bread. If it’s slightly brown (or to your liking), carefully flip it over to the other side. A tip when flipping these sandwiches is to use your other hand or fingers on the top slice (cold side) to help keep everything compressed so it doesn’t fall apart. Let it cook for a few minutes on this side and then you should be all set. Remove from heat and you can cut in half if you like. Wrap it in a piece of aluminum foil and place it in your fridge until you need it for lunch the next day.
Pair with a piece of fruit and a bottle of water and voila, a healthy lunch far superior to a fast food combo.