Healthy Chicken Recipes

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

photo by recipe author

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, diced
3 garlic cloves finely diced
3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 organic green pepper, diced
1/2 pack button mushrooms (or to taste), diced
4 organic scallions (green onions) sliced, greens and whites
2 tablespoons gluten free tamari
salt and pepper to taste
1 head of bibb lettuce, leaves detached, rinsed, and dried

Heat up the coconut oil in a skillet and add the ginger and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes.

Add chicken and crushed red pepper and cook 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Add green bell pepper and mushrooms and sauté a few more minutes. Add the scallion in last with the tamari.

If you like your vegetables cooked more, add them in before the chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over 3 or 4 lettuce leaves.

Recipe submitted by Julie, Toms River, NJ

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Braised-to-Oven Fried Chicken

photo by recipe author

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1 head garlic, or to taste
Onion, to taste
Shallots, to taste
6 candlenuts (or raw macadamia nuts)
1 inch fresh turmeric root or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 teaspoons coriander powder
coconut oil, as needed
Handful lime leaves
2 stalks lemon grass, bruised
1/4 cup coconut milk*
6 chicken drumsticks
1-2 cups shredded coconut flakes

1. Blend garlic, onions, shallots, candlenuts, turmeric root, and coriander powder to make a paste.

2. Heat a pot over medium heat with coconut oil

3. Sauté the herb paste with lime leaves and lemon grass until fragrant.

4. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken drumsticks – let it simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt accordingly.

5. Cook until the sauce reduces to paste.

6. Remove and let cool.

7. Preheat oven to 400°F in broil setting

8. Roll the cooked drumsticks on the shredded coconut flakes until evenly coated.

9. Place on a lined baking sheet and broil for about 20 minutes – turn over once

10. Set aside and let it cool on wire racks

Recipe submitted by Jos, Los Angeles, CA

* For the freshest coconut milk make homemade coconut milk. (See video at this link.)

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Gluten Free Navajo Fry Bread & Navajo Tacos

Gluten Free Navajo Fry Bread and Navajo Tacos

photo by recipe author

Servings: 4-6
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Navajo Fry Bread:

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup sweet white sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup quinoa flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon organic evaporated cane sugar
1 tablespoon organic butter (or shortening)
3/4 cup water (or more as needed to moisten to workable texture)
oil for frying (expeller pressed coconut, or palm oil)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in butter (or shortening) using a pastry cutter or fork until it is fully assimilated into flour mixture.

Add water and stir with wooden spoon until mixture is fully incorporated. You should be able to squeeze it and have it stick together. Add in a small amount of water, if necessary. Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Heat 2″-3″ of oil in a deep heavy pan to approx. 350-360 degrees F. Test oil by dropping a tiny amount of dough into it and see that it begins to sizzle and cook immediately, but not too hot or it will burn quickly.

Take a golf ball (or slightly larger) size piece of dough and place in between two pieces of wax paper, then flatten with a rolling pin or press with your hand until it is no thicker then 1/4″ and approx. 5″ in diameter (the thinner the better!). Handle dough carefully as it is delicate and will break apart easily.

Peel away dough disc from paper and lay in your palm, then gently slide it into the hot oil. Fry for approx. 1-2 minutes on each side, flipping carefully with a spatula while using a fork to steady the flip so as not to splash hot oil on yourself; then drain on paper towels. Keep warm in 250 degree F. oven until all fry bread is cooked.

Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or honey for a sweet treat.

For Navajo Tacos: Top fry bread with seasoned beef or chicken, pinto beans, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions, salsa, olives, and sour cream, if desired.

Recipe submitted by Deanne, Glendale, AZ

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Coconut Cannellini Bean Sauce

Coconut Cannellini Bean Sauce photo

photo by recipe author

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 to 30 minutes

2 16oz cans cannellini beans with liquid
4 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut cream concentrate
6 cloves of garlic, pureed in a garlic press
1/2 cup organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Puree the cannellini beans, with liquid, in a food processor. Add in coconut oil, coconut cream concentrate, garlic and broth and pulse food processor several times to blend.

Transfer to a sauce pan. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper. Heat over medium heat until sauce thickens – 5 to 10 minutes. Serve over pasta or vegetables.

I also use this sauce to “smother” pork chops or boneless chicken breasts. Instead of heating the sauce on the stove, I pour it on the meat that has been pan seared and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Also, instead of garlic and parsley, you could use nutmeg and cinnamon for a different tasting sauce — kind of like moussaka.

Recipe submitted by Kelly, Pascoag, RI

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Chicken Satay with Coconut Peanut Sauce

photo by recipe author

Servings: 12

2 1/2 pounds frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thawed wooden or bamboo skewers

Marinade:

1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons oyster sauce (you can use fish sauce if you like)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Coconut Peanut Sauce:

1 cup Tropical Traditions coconut peanut butter
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 cup hot water
1/8 cup oyster sauce
1/3 cup coconut cream concentrate
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Marinade:

Throw all ingredients into the blender, and blend on high for 2 minutes. Pour into a zipper top bag with thawed chicken. Let marinate for at least an hour (24 hours is fab.) I would add a stalk of unchopped lemongrass here too, but I didn’t have any. Put it in the marinade, and discard after.

Cut marinated chicken into 2 inch chunks. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes, so they don’t burn when cooking (I know, I should have soaked them longer, but I was hungry…). Thread chicken onto skewers and place on a foil-lined broiler pan (or on a baking sheet). Broil on high for 12 minutes, flip skewers and broil for another 12 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

Coconut Peanut Sauce:

Throw all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for 3 minutes. Serve with chicken satay skewers.

Recipe submitted by Kristen, Laie, HI

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Egg Drop Soup with Coconut Oil

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Servings: 5 Preparation Time: 5 minutes

4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 – 2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
4-5 eggs, beaten
organic fermented soy sauce (or salt) to taste
3 tablespoons coconut oil

Pour chicken stock, water and ground ginger into a medium sized pot. Heat until hot but not yet simmering. Add a little water to the cornstarch to make a slurry and stir into the stock. Bring stock to a simmer, stirring constantly until it has thickened slightly.

Drizzle the beaten eggs into the gently simmering soup with a fork. Push cooked egg aside as you drizzle more in. Towards the end you can just slowly pour the rest of eggs into the soup.

Season the soup with a little soy sauce (or salt) to taste and stir in coconut oil. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy Sarah Shilhavy

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Crispy Cheesy Baked Chicken

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 12 minutes

1 whole chicken, cut into parts
salt, to taste
lemon pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, or to taste
bread crumbs, as needed
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Season chicken with salt, lemon pepper and Italian seasoning. Toss to mix evenly. You can now either proceed with the recipe or refrigerate the chicken for a few hours until needed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Dip each chicken piece individually into the beaten eggs and roll in bread crumbs to coat. Place in a large glass pan. Repeat with each piece. Dot the chicken pieces with the coconut oil and butter.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or just until chicken is cooked and no longer pink (you can leave it just a little undercooked for the next step).

Top with shredded cheese and return to oven. Turn temperature up to 450 degrees F (don’t wait for it to preheat) and bake for 5-10 minutes. Cheese should be browned and bubbly.

Recipe courtesy Marianita and Sarah Shilhavy

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Turkey Stuffing

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Servings: 6 Preparation
Time: 15 minutes

2-4 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup butter
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, diced small
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
salt & pepper to taste
4 cups chicken stock
6 cups dried bread stuffing cubes*
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat coconut oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add celery and onion, sauté until onion is soft. Add seasonings and chicken stock and heat until warm.

Place bread cubes in a large bowl and pour chicken stock over it, stirring to mix (bread should soak up all the liquid). Add egg and mix well. Adjust bread and/or stock amount as needed.

Place stuffing in a greased glass pan and bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes.

*For gluten free stuffing use gluten free bread.

Recipe courtesy Sarah Shilhavy

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