Authors: Dana Carpender
Tags: #General, #Cooking, #Diets, #Health & Fitness, #Weight Control, #Recipes, #Low Carbohydrate, #Low-carbohydrate diet, #Health & Healing
2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon spicy brown or Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
Cut the chicken breasts into 4 portions and brown them in the oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. While that’s happening, mix together the orange juice, Splenda, vinegar, molasses, mustard, and garlic.
When the chicken is light golden on both sides, add the orange juice mixture to the skillet. Simmer the chicken for another 7 to 8 minutes, turning once. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Yield:
4 servings
Each with 4 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 38 grams of protein.
This has been officially rated “Very Easy and Very Good!”
2 pounds (910 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
16 ounces (455 g) frozen Oriental vegetable mixture, unthawed
¾ cup (180 ml) chicken broth
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Low-Carb Teriyaki Sauce (page 465) or purchased low-carb teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate
1 tablespoon (20 g) low-sugar orange marmalade
¼ teaspoon orange extract
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon Splenda
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Guar or xanthan
Pour the vegetables into a slow cooker. Place the chicken on top.
In a bowl, combine the broth and the next 8 ingredients (through ginger), stirring well. Pour the mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Cover the slower cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 4 to 5 hours.
Before serving, thicken the sauce a bit with guar or xanthan.
Serve over Cauliflower Rice (page 212), if desired. Or for the carbivores, you can serve it over brown rice, lo mein noodles, or plain old spaghetti.
Yield:
6 servings
Each with 36 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include side dishes.
Don’t look at this list of ingredients and turn the page! This is actually easy—just make a marinade, marinate your chicken, and while the chicken’s roasting, cook down the marinade for a sauce. Since you put the chicken in to marinate long before dinnertime, the actual oh-my-God-it’s-already-six-and-the-kids-are-screaming cooking time is quite short—just 20 to 30 m
FOR THE CHICKEN:
3 pounds (1.4 kg) cut-up chicken
¼ cup (40 g) minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup (120 ml) lemon juice
½ teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) rice vinegar
¼ cup (6 g) Splenda
1 tablespoon (6 g) grated ginger
1 tablespoon (15 ml) brown mustard
2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola or peanut oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth
2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
2 teaspoons Splenda
1 teaspoon beef bouillon concentrate
Guar or xanthan
To make the chicken: Combine the onion, garlic, lemon juice, orange extract, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ¼ cup (6 g) Splenda, ginger, and 1 tablespoon (15 g) mustard. Put the chicken in a big resealable plastic bag. Reserve some marinade for basting and add the rest to the bay. Seal the bag, pressing out the air as you go. Turn the bag a few times to coat the chicken. Throw the bag in the fridge for at least a few hours, and all day won’t hurt a bit.
Okay, time to cook! Set your oven for 500°F (250°C, or gas mark 10). (Yes, I do mean 500°F!) Pull the chicken out of the fridge and pour off the marinade into a saucepan. Arrange the chicken in a roasting pan. Now mix together the canola and sesame oils and brush the chicken well all over with the mixture. When the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in and set a timer for 20 minutes.
To make the sauce: Put the saucepan with the marinade over medium-high heat, and add the chicken broth, the final 2 teaspoons of mustard, the final 2 teaspoons of Splenda, and the beef bouillon concentrate. Boil this mixture hard, until it’s reduced by half. Thicken just a little—you want it about the texture of cream.
When the oven timer goes off, check the chicken. Pierce a piece to the bone—if the juices run clear, it’s done. If the juices are pink, give it another five minutes and check again. When the chicken is done, serve with the sauce.
Yield:
6 servings
Each with 30 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.
You could cut back on the red pepper flakes if you’d like to make Moderately Spicy Citrus Chicken.
1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
½ cup (120 ml) lime juice
¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (12 g) red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (11.2 g) minced garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (8 g) grated ginger
¼ cup (6 g) Splenda
4 scallions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped cilantro
Cut the chicken into 4 servings, if necessary. Sauté the chicken in the olive oil over medium-high heat, covering the pan but tilting the lid. While it’s sautéing, mix together the lime juice, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, and Splenda. After the chicken has turned golden on both sides (about 4 to 5 minutes per side), pour the lime juice mixture into the skillet and turn the breasts over to coat both sides. Sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes on each side and then move the chicken to serving plates, scraping the liquid from the pan over the chicken. Scatter sliced scallions and chopped cilantro over each portion and serve.
Yield:
4 servings
Each with 8 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 32 grams of protein.
3 pounds (1.4 kg) skinless chicken thighs
cup (78 ml) lemon juice
2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda
½ teaspoon orange extract
½ cup (120 ml) Dana’s No-Sugar Ketchup (page 463) or purchased low-carb ketchup
2 tablespoons (40 g) low-sugar orange marmalade
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon cayenne
In a bowl, stir together the lemon juice, Splenda, orange extract, ketchup, marmalade, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cayenne.
Put the chicken in a slow cooker and pour the sauce over it. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 hours.
Serve with Cauliflower Rice (page 212).
Yield:
5 servings
Each with 31 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 2 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Cauliflower Rice.
I like the Saffron “Rice” (page 213) as a side with this.
2 pounds (910 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons (42 g) butter, divided
½ cup (60 g) chopped pecans
¼ cup (80 g) low-sugar apricot preserves
¼ cup (60 ml) bourbon
2 tablespoons (30 ml) plain tomato sauce
2 teaspoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup (40 g) minced onion
3 scallions, thinly sliced
First, pound the chicken breasts until they’re ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick all over and cut into 6 portions. Brown them in 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter in a large, heavy skillet over high heat.
While the breasts are browning, melt the last tablespoon of butter in a small, heavy skillet and stir in the pecans. Stir them over medium-high heat for a few minutes until they begin to turn golden. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Stir together the preserves, bourbon, tomato sauce, mustard, garlic, and onion. When the chicken is light golden on both sides, pour this mixture into the skillet. Turn the chicken over once or twice to coat both sides with the sauce. Cover with a tilted lid and let it simmer for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with the sauce spooned over each portion and top each with the toasted pecans and sliced scallions.
Yield:
6 servings
Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 35 grams of protein.
This is a very speedy meal, especially if you have a gas grill, and it’s very good!
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts-1½ to 2 pounds (680 to 910 g) total
2 tablespoons (40 g) low-sugar apricot preserves
2 teaspoons ground rosemary
2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, crushed
First, light a charcoal fire or start heating a gas grill. You’ll want medium heat.
Simply combine everything but the chicken breasts in a bowl and mix well. Divide the mixture into 2 bowls, reserving the second bowl for basting. Cut the chicken breasts into servingsized portions if needed. Start the chicken breasts grilling over medium heat, brushing the side facing up with apricot mixture. After about 7 minutes, brush with the apricot mixture again, turn, and brush with the glaze again. Grill another 7 minutes or so, brushing a couple of times with the reserved apricot glaze and using a clean utensil each time you baste.