1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (79 page)

¼ cup (60 ml) dry sherry

1 bay leaf

¼ cup (15.2 g) snipped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried oregano

Guar or xanthan gum (optional)

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with a little salt and pepper. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil and brown the chicken until it’s lightly golden all over.

While that’s happening, grate the zest of the orange and reserve. If your almonds aren’t toasted, this is a good time to do that too—simply stir them in a small, heavy, dry skillet over medium heat until they start to turn golden and then set aside.

When the chicken is browned, pour off any excess fat. Squeeze in the juice of the orange, adding any pulp that may squeeze out. Add all remaining ingredients, including the reserved orange zest, cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and let the whole thing simmer for 45 to 50 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter.

Remove the bay leaf and thicken the sauce a bit with guar or xanthan, if you like; serve with the chicken.

Yield:
5 to 6 servings

Assuming 6, each will have 31 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 7 g usable carbs.

This is an unusual—and good!—combination of flavors.

1 cut-up broiler-fryer

½ cup (120 ml) lime juice

½ cup (120 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon (10 g) grated onion

2 teaspoons tarragon

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Arrange the chicken pieces on the broiler rack, skin side down.

In a bowl, combine the lime juice, oil, onion, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Reserve some of this mixture in another small bowl. Brush the chicken well with the marinade.

Broil the chicken about 8 inches (20 cm) from the heat for 45 to 50 minutes, turning the chicken and basting with the reserved lime mixture every 10 minutes or so, using a clean utensil each time you baste.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 4 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 44 grams of p

24 ounces (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

cup (80 ml) lemon juice

cup (80 ml) spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon (4 g) rubbed sage

1½ teaspoons dried thyme

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3 scallions

This is quick and easy. Just mix together the lemon juice, mustard, sage, thyme, and garlic. Put the chicken breasts on a plate and spread this mixture over both sides. Let it sit for ten minutes, and a little more won’t hurt.

Heat up an electric tabletop grill and throw the chicken breast in. Set your oven timer for 5 minutes. Slice up the scallions, including the crisp part of the green. When the timer goes off, put the chicken on a serving plate, scatter the scallions over it, and serve.

Yield:
3–4 servings

Each with 53 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 7 g usable carbs.

Like the convenience of boneless, skinless chicken breasts but find they often come out bland and dry? With this recipe, they’ll be plump, moist, and flavorful even if you overcook them a little!

1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

FOR THE BRINE:

1 tablespoon (15 g) kosher salt

16 ounces (475 ml) lemon-flavored Fruit
₂
O

1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce

1 clove garlic

1 dash hot pepper sauce

FOR THE GLAZE:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice

1 tablespoon DiabetiSweet or other polyol-based sweetener

½ tablespoon soy sauce

1 clove garlic

Cut the chicken breasts into 4 portions, if needed.

To make the brine: Dissolve the salt in the Fruit
₂
O. (Heating the Fruit
₂
O will help the salt dissolve.) Then stir in the rest of the brine ingredients. Pour over the chicken breasts in a shallow, nonreactive dish small enough that the breasts are submerged and stick the whole thing in the fridge.

Three to 4 hours later, get your grill going. When the coals are well ashed or the gas grill is heated to medium, pull the chicken out of the fridge and drain off the brine. Make sure your grill is well oiled and grill the chicken about 7 to 10 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer registers 180°F (85°C).

To make the glaze: While the chicken is grilling, combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for just 1 to 2 minutes. Brush over the chicken during the last few minutes of grilling. If there’s any glaze left over, drizzle it over the chicken before serving.

Yield:
4 servings

Each serving will have 2 grams carbohydrate, a trace of fiber, and 38 grams protein. Carb count does not include polyol sweetener.

Meat cooked “piccata” is traditionally floured first, but with all this flavor going on, who’ll miss it?

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice, or the juice of ½ lemon

½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine

1 tablespoon (9 g) capers, chopped

3 tablespoons (11.4 g) fresh parsley, chopped

Place a chicken breast in a large, heavy, resealable plastic bag and pound it until it’s ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; if it doesn’t all fit at the same time, cook it in two batches, keeping the first batch warm while the second batch is cooking. Cook the chicken until it’s done through (3 to 4 minutes per side).

Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the garlic, lemon juice, white wine, and capers to the pan, stirring it all around to get the tasty little brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Boil the whole thing hard for about 1 minute to reduce it a little.

Put the chicken back in the pan for another minute, sprinkle the parsley over it, and serve.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 29 grams of protein.

Variation: Pork Piccata. Make this variation just like Chicken Piccatta, only substitute 4 good, big pork steaks, chops, or thinly sliced pork butt (1 to 1½ pounds [455 to 680 g] of meat total) for the chicken breasts. (Cut the bones out of the pork steaks or chops and discard.)

Yield:
4 servings, each with 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 26 grams of protein.

1 cut-up broiler-fryer

1¼ teaspoons lemon pepper, divided

1¼ teaspoons onion powder, divided

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup (60 ml) chicken broth

½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream

1½ teaspoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, and the salt. Arrange in a roasting pan and roast, basting once or twice, for about 1 hour or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced.

Remove the chicken from the roasting pan and skim off the excess fat, leaving just the brown drippings. Place the roasting pan over low heat, add the chicken broth to the pan, and stir, scraping up the tasty brown bits off the bottom of the pan. When the broth is simmering, add the cream, the rest of the lemon pepper and onion powder, and the mustard. Stir well, heat through, and pour over the chicken.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 2 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 44 grams of protein.

This is a very classic flavor combination.

1 pound (455 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (3.6 g) dried rosemary, crushed a bit

Mix together everything but the chicken. Put the chicken breasts in a shallow dish. Reserve some marinade for basting and pour the rest the olive oil/lemon mixture over the chicken. Turn the breasts over once or twice to coat them. (We’re not doing this in a bag because we’re going to marinate the chicken for only a short time.)

Now, go start your grill. You’ll want it at medium heat. When it’s ready, throw the chicken on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes per side, basting with the reserved olive oil/lemon mixture a few times using a clean utensil each time you baste.

I like to heat any leftover marinade until it boils hard and then spoon just a little over each breast while serving.

Yield:
3 servings

Even if you consumed all the marinade, which you won’t, you’d get only 2 grams of carb per serving, 1 gram of which would be fiber. 34 grams protein.

Chicken combines so well with all sorts of fruit flavors, and this dish is sure to be a hit with the whole family.

1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

¼ cup (60 ml) oil

cup (80 ml) orange juice