In leading a healthy life, we must go through several changes and accept them to get the results sooner and better. We must include little changes such as increasing our movement with exercise, leaving the bad habit of eating high-calorie foods behind, and replacing it with consuming healthy foods with high nutritional values such as healthy recipes with chicken for protein. We all know that going to the gym or following a workout routine is less difficult than finding and preparing healthy recipes in the kitchen to get full macros for the day. But what if, you were told, that there are more than 1 or 2 ways of prepping healthy recipes with chicken that are not too boring and have a lot of place for variations? To your surprise, we are going to unleash five ways of preparing healthy chicken breast recipes that you will love to eat every day to hit your daily protein goal. These ways do not take a lot of planning, and ingredients, and require less effort to come up with an easy recipe that tastes good. Keep reading!
Here’s How You Can Prepare Delicious Chicken Breast Recipes Five Ways:
Without wasting any of your time, we are mentioning five different styles of cooking chicken breast that are highly delicious and easy to make:
1. Grilled:
One of the most common ways of preparing healthy recipes with chicken is to grill it. It requires less oil, gives a great char to the meat, and tastes excellent. Here is one of the most loved healthy chicken breast recipes that you can make by grilling it:
Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 4 cloves minced garlic
Add herbs:
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, and dried basil each.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for at least 30 minutes or leave it overnight in the fridge. Prepare the grill or a cast iron skillet and heat it. Grill the marinated chicken for 6-8 minutes per side, let it rest well, and enjoy!
2. Shredded:
There are a thousand ways of making healthy recipes with chicken when it is boiled, shredded, or pulled. You can prepare several kinds of entrees, appetizers, and even main course dishes while staying under your limited calorie goal: One of the healthy chicken breast recipes while it is boiled is:
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- 2 cups of boiled and shredded chicken breasts
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- sandwich buns
- Salt and pepper
Toast the sandwich buns and add the seasoned chicken mixture. You can add your favorite toppings, cheese, lettuce, pickles, etc.
3. Stuffed:
Who doesn’t love healthy recipes with chicken while it’s stuffed with more goodness? Here is how you can prepare one of the most loved stuffed chicken breast recipes which is healthy and yummy:
Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Slid chicken breasts to make pockets for stuffing cheese and tomato mixture after layering pesto inside. Add salt and pepper and seal it with twine. Now heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the stuffed chicken per side until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
4. Fusion:
Healthy recipes with chicken can also be prepared by mixing and matching of several cuisines and creating a complete piece of delicious art that can give you the taste of both worlds. One of the most healthy chicken breast recipes Asian-fusion style is:
Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry
- 1 lb chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Vegetables 1 cup each (bell peppers, carrots, or any veg of your choice)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Minced ginger and garlic 1 tablespoon
- Peanuts for garnish at the end.
Heat oil and add sliced chicken. In the same pan, add your choice of vegetables and mix for about 3-4 minutes. Make a mixture of all other ingredients and pour it as a sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Mix through, garnish, and enjoy!
5. Pan Fried:
The most basic way of preparing healthy recipes with chicken is to pan-fry it. Requires no exquisite equipment, fancy ingredients, basic skillet, and simple and healthy chicken breast recipes on a hectic weekday. Here’s how you can prepare it:
Spicy Chicken Cajun Style
- 4 Chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Season chicken breasts with seasoning and cook it on a skillet with olive oil. Let the chicken rest before slicing. Eat it with a salad, rice pilaf, or as is.
Why You Should Choose These Healthy Chicken Breast Recipes Over Anything?
Out of all other parts of chicken, chicken breasts are the most convenient part of cooking when it comes to losing weight. A few basic reasons include easily giving any flavor to it, while other reasons are:
A Major Source of Protein:
Chicken is full of nutrients although when it comes to chicken breasts, it is the most lean piece that has 0 to none presence of fats in it. It is a pure source of protein which is very important to consume daily when it comes to loose weight or in general as well for sustaining muscles. Gym trainers focus on consuming at least 3.5 oz of chicken breast meat in a meal to get 30-35 gms of protein along with other ingredients for carbs and fiber portions. It is a versatile cut, and you can have it all the ways mentioned above to get the most flavors and benefits out of it.
Easy to Cook:
Chicken breasts are highly available at any grocery store. You can keep it for as long as you want to in the freezer. The more it stays with flavor and marinade, the tastier it will be. This part of meat freezes so well and cooks very easily. Keep in mind that it is very easy to overcook a good marinated chicken breasts. Cooking healthy chicken breast recipes at the correct temperature and giving it proper time to rest before eating it is the best way to consume goodness out of it.
Final Thoughts:
We have included a few of the best and most healthy recipes with chicken that you can prepare at any time of the day to hit your protein goal. Remember, eating in moderation while consuming every macro such as protein, carbs, and fiber with your every meal and staying under a calorie deficit for a consistent period of time while following a healthy fitness regime by doing simple and fun exercises will provide great results that you are aiming to achieve.