Thursday, April 03, 2008

Some things you can't mess up
--Chicken Piccata



Chicken Piccata
501 Delicious Diabetic Recipes Copyright 2000

2 tablespoons dry white wine I was out of wine so I used water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons reduced-calorie margarine I used light butter
½ teaspoon chicken-flavored bouillon granules I used more since I used water instead of wine
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Vegetable cooking spray
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Lemon slices (optional)

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat until margarine melts, stirring often. Set aside, and keep warm.
2. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to ½-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
3. Combine flour, paprika, and red pepper in a shallow bowl; dredge chicken in flour mixture.
4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add chicken, and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is lightly browned. I added the wine mixture to the pan.
5. To serve, transfer chicken to a serving plate, and drizzle with wine mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Per serving: 154 cal, 4.2 carbs, 26.8 g pro, 2.9 g fat, 66 mg chol, .3g fiber, 194 mg sodium
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Once again, I wasn't expecting this to be that good. I think I have a mental bias when I see the words 'reduced-calorie' in a recipe. It wasn't all that different than other chicken piccata recipes I've tried. I was worried because I was out of white wine but in the end, I thought this was very flavorful and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I don't think you can mess up chicken piccata. I added the lemon mixture to the pan with the chicken at the end so that the chicken could soak in the flavor. You don't get any real sauce that way but it wasn't all that much to begin with.

And an added bonus, I had a freakishly low (for me) post meal blood glucose reading. I even had some pasta with this (Smart Taste but still pasta). I don't know where that came from but it was interesting. My numbers are definitely going down. My blood pressure was better too. At least healthy eating has some benefits. I can't say that I don't miss the bad stuff because I do. I really, really do.

Blast From The Past: Chicken Piccata from March 2006. I really liked that chicken piccata recipe but it's a bit more involved for after work cooking than I look for these days. I'd have to do the prep work ahead of time but lately I have no extra time in the evenings and definitely the mornings (packing my 'healthy' food takes a lot more time).

Question of the Day: Do you use butter, margarine, spread, etc? I mainly use light butter (butter and canola oil) and sometimes Smart Balance. Butter for baking of course, but that is on hold around here.

5 comments:

Jennifer said...

I use butter. I buy unsalted and salted. However, for most cooking purposes (except for baking), I use olive oil or canola oil and I rarely fry things.
Oh, and I use cooking spray for cooking on my contact grill.

So glad to hear that your numbers are good!

ThursdayNext said...

For tasting, I like to use Brummel and Brown Yogurt Spread. For cooking, there is a reduced fat butter I use...but for sauteeing and baking, I use the lowfat/nonfat sprays.

Anonymous said...

I use Smart Balance for spreading and cooked vegetables. I use Blue Bonnet, or something similar for baking. To saute - olive oil or canola oil, sometimes with Smart Balance.

Jan

Anonymous said...

I use country crock in the tub spreading on things, stick cheap-o margarine to cook with and stick unsalted butter for baking only. I also use cooking spray for coating pans and such when baking.

Anonymous said...

I feel for you and the gestational diabetes! Nothing made me want to indulge in all kinds of senseless carbs more than being told I couldn't! But for the sake of my baby, I managed. Thanks for all the diabetic-friendly recipes. I'll probably need them my next pregnancy!