Authors: Dana Carpender
Tags: #General, #Cooking, #Diets, #Health & Fitness, #Weight Control, #Recipes, #Low Carbohydrate, #Low-carbohydrate diet, #Health & Healing
Yield:
5 or 6 servings
Assuming 5 servings, each will have 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 35 grams of protein.
My husband took one bite of this and said, “This is going to get you a lot of new readers!” I know of no other dish that’s so quick and easy, yet so incredibly good.
Olive oil
2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package (10 ounces, or 280 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese
Warm a little olive oil in a heavy skillet and brown the chicken breasts over medium heat to the point where they just have a touch of gold. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil, the spinach, and the garlic, and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cream and cheese and spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Place the chicken breasts on top, cover, turn the heat to low, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve chicken breasts with the spinach on top.
Yield:
3 servings
Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 33 grams of protien
Here’s a slow cooker version of an old favorite. It’s easy, too—what I call a dump-and-go recipe.
6 skinless chicken leg and side quarters (about 3 lbs/1.5 kg)
2 cups (480 ml) no-sugar-added spaghetti sauce (I use Hunt’s.)
1 can (8 ounces, or 225 g) whole mushrooms, drained
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ cup (80 g) chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup (60 ml) dry red wine
Guar or xanthan (optional)
Simply put everything except the guar or xanthan in a slow cooker and stir it up to combine. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 7 hours.
When the time’s up, remove the chicken with tongs and put it in a big serving bowl. Thicken the sauce up a little with the guar or xanthan if it needs it and ladle the sauce over the chicken.
If you like, you can serve this over Cauliflower Rice (page 212), spaghetti squash, or even low-carb pasta, but I’d probably eat it as is.
Yield:
6 servings
Each with 42 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 7 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include side dishes.
This is quick and easy enough for a weeknight but elegant enough for company.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons (42 g) butter, divided
1 can (14 ounces, or 400 g) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Melt 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté the chicken breasts until they’re golden (5 to 7 minutes per side). Remove from the skillet.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and toss the artichoke hearts, pepper, onion, and garlic into the skillet. Sauté for 3 minutes or so, stirring frequently.
Pour the wine into the skillet and sprinkle the thyme over the vegetables. Place the chicken breasts over the vegetables, turn the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Yield:
4 servings
Each with 8 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 26 grams of protein.
This dish is sort of a classic, yet it’s very little work.
1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon pepper
13 ounces (370 grams) canned artichoke hearts, drained
Guar or xanthan
In a big, heavy skillet, brown the chicken in the oil over medium-high heat until golden on both sides. Transfer to a slow cooker.
In a bowl, stir together the wine, lemon juice, bouillon, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Place the artichokes on top. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 hours.
Scoop out the chicken and artichokes with a slotted spoon. Thicken the liquid left in the pot with just enough guar or xanthan to make it the thickness of half-and-half.
Serve the chicken and artichokes, plus the sauce, over Cauliflower Rice (page 212).
Yield:
4 servings
Each with 42 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 7 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Cauliflower Rice.
1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
1 pound (455 g) asparagus
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dry white wine
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
Salt and pepper
4 ounces (115 g) gruyère, thinly sliced
First, pound the chicken breasts until they’re ¼ inch (6 mm) thick all over. Cut into 4 portions.
Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and start browning the chicken.
While that’s happening, snap the ends off the asparagus where they break naturally. Put the asparagus in a microwaveable casserole dish or lay it in a glass pie plate. Add a couple of tablespoons (30 ml) of water and cover. (Use plastic wrap or a plate to cover if you’re using a pie plate.) Microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes.
When the chicken is golden on both sides, add the wine and the lemon juice to the skillet and turn the chicken breasts to coat both sides. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the chicken continue to cook until the asparagus is done micro
Remove the asparagus from the microwave and drain. Lay the asparagus spears over the chicken, dividing equally between the portions. Cover each with gruyère and cover the skillet with a tilted lid. Continue cooking a few minutes just until the cheese is melted. Serve.
Yield:
4 servings
Each with 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 38 grams of protein.
This is fabulous Italian chicken!
4 pounds (1.8 kg) skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
½ cup (80 g) chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 can (15 ounces, or 420 g) black soybeans, drained
1 can (14½ ounces, or 410 g) crushed tomatoes
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate
In a big, heavy skillet, brown the chicken in the oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, put the onion, peppers, and soybeans in a slow cooker. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and beans.
In a bowl, stir together the tomatoes, wine, oregano, garlic, and bouillon. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 to 7 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield:
8 servings
Each with 31 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 5 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable carbs.
Don’t be afraid of the anchovy paste in this sauce. There’s no fishy taste to the recipe; it’s just mellow and complex.
3 pounds (1.4 kg) chicken pieces
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 cup (240 ml) dry white
wine 1 tablespoon (15 g) anchovy paste
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper
In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, brown the chicken in the olive oil. When the chicken is golden all over, remove to a plate and set aside. Pour off the fat.
Now add the garlic, white wine, and anchovy paste to the Dutch oven and stir until the anchovy paste is dissolved. Add the tomatoes and green
Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken and plunk it back into the Dutch oven. Cover, set to lowest heat, and let simmer for 40 minutes. If you like, you can thicken the liquid in the pot a little before serving, but don’t thicken it too much.
Yield:
5 servings
Each with 36 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.
2 pounds (910 g) skinless chicken breasts
2 pounds (910 g) skinless chicken thighs
½ head cabbage, cut in wedges
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms
2 cups (480 ml) no-sugar-added spaghetti sauce (I use Hunt’s.)
Guar or xanthan (optional)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Put the cabbage, onion, and mushrooms in a slow cooker. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the top.
Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 hours. Thicken the sauce with guar or xanthan if needed and serve with Parmesan cheese.
Yield:
6 servings
Each with 46 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.
You might recognize this recipe as being quite similar to Wicked Wings. However, Wicked Wings take well over an hour, and this is quite quick.
1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup (100 g) grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
4 tablespoons (56 g) butter
Pound the chicken breasts until they’re ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and cut into 6 portions. Set aside.
Combine the cheese with the oregano, garlic, paprika, and pepper on a plate.
On another plate or in a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Dip the chicken in the egg and then the cheese mixture, coating both sides well.
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat (higher heat will scorch the cheese) and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Yield:
6 servings
Each with 2 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 1 gram of usable carbs and 33 grams of protein.
*Use the Parmesan cheese in the round, green shaker fo