Poultry

I’ve heard a lot of people comment over the years that white-meat chicken is dry. True, it’s not as fatty as dark meat, but it’s not dry when it’s cooked properly. The important thing to remember is that as soon as it’s no longer pink inside, you want to get it off the heat. If you don’t see pink, it’s cooked. You don’t need to cook it another five minutes “just to be sure.” All that will do is dry it out. Additionally, it’s important that you start cooking it at a high heat and don’t overcrowd it in the pan. If the heat isn’t high enough or the pan is too small for the amount of chicken, excess moisture will build up and you won’t get that browning on the outside that is so delicious. These basic tips, along with misting or very lightly rubbing chicken breasts with olive oil to create a protective coating of sorts, will keep you from needing tons of fat to make absolutely scrumptious chicken dishes.

I love making turkey cutlets, especially when I’m in a hurry, because they generally require very little trimming and cook exceptionally quickly. Whether you pan “fry” them or grill them, as I have done here, they take only a couple of minutes per side. After basic preparation, I always like to add a simple sauce. I could have thrown together another salsa suggestion here, but wanted to be a bit more creative with this one. And I’ve gone to upscale sandwich shops and cafés and ordered turkey sandwiches spread with cranberries and sweet mustard or mayonnaise, so I thought that might be a great place to start. I was very pleased very quickly, and I think you will be too.

Rarely do I shock myself with how great a made-over dish can taste. I’m pretty realistic. Apple pie is pretty much an impossibility if I want it to taste like traditional pie and be lower in fat and calories because of all of the butter. There really is no substitute for butter in a traditional pie crust. I thought this dish would be an impossibility as well. But when we pulled the chicken out of the oven the first time, everyone in my test kitchen was shocked at how fattening it tasted. We knew it would be good, but we had no idea it would actually be great, especially given how much quicker it is than the traditional version! Just be sure you don’t overcook the chicken. If you do, not only will the chicken be dry, the breading will fall off.

Everyone who knows me knows chicken parmesan was one of the major reasons I was overweight. Though I certainly don’t eat the deep-fried version these days, I do still love the incredible combination of tender chicken, perfectly seasoned marinara sauce, and gooey cheese. Here is one of the all-time easiest versions that’s especially great for low-carbers, as it’s not breaded. If you prefer the more traditional breaded chicken parmesan, I have a quick answer for you too: Just pop over to page 118 and try the Unbelievably Easy Chicken Parmesan. Or, better yet, try both!

Soaking chicken in buttermilk is an amazing, guilt-free way to make it super-tender and juicy. I’ve converted more folks to unfried chicken by soaking the chicken in buttermilk than I could possibly recall. Just be sure you don’t overcook the chicken. If you do, not only will the chicken not be plump and juicy, the juice that should have been inside will run out and make the breading soggy.

It can be a bit tricky to spread the cheese over the cucumber because the cucumber pieces are so moist. But this super-simple snack is more than worth the mini-challenge!

When making these “wings,” be sure your pan is piping hot and the chicken isn’t overcrowded. The tenders should brown on the outside, and there should be no liquid in the pan as they cook to yield optimum—that is, decadent—results.

We’ve all heard of sloppy joes. Well, now there’s a new dish on the block. Instead of serving your favorite sloppy joes on a regular old hamburger bun, have some fun (and some crunch) with them by using Tostitos Baked! Scoops. If it’s easier, feel free to sub in any baked tortilla chips for the scoops. They obviously won’t look the same, but they’ll taste just as great. These joes can also be made with extra-lean ground turkey, but you’ll need to add extra sauce because turkey is drier than beef. Using turkey in this recipe will save you about 3 grams of fat, but keep in mind that the extra sauce will add 95 mg of sodium per tablespoon.

When I was a child, we went to Chuck E. Cheese’s for our birthdays. In addition to all of the cool games and the characters, I loved that they cut their pizzas into squares instead of wedges. Not only could you get more crust or less crust as you like (I’m a less-crust girl), I got to eat a number of pieces, since they’re petite. Here, I’ve cut the flatbread into squares to distinguish it from other pizzas . . . and because it just feels more decadent. If you’re making this pizza on a charcoal grill, heat the coals until they are hot and covered with gray ash. Then place the pizza on the grill about 5 inches from the coals for best results. Cover and grill for 3 to 4 minutes.

This dish is a simple marriage of an enchilada and pizza that has become a favorite of mine. If you’re craving enchiladas, this is a great shortcut, because it doesn’t involve laboring over a big pot of sauce or the time-consuming process of rolling enchiladas. Canned enchilada sauce is a great ingredient to have on hand because it’s generally low-fat and has great flavor, and it can be used for more recipes than just enchiladas, like my Mexican Cocktail Meatballs (see page 107).

This wrap is a quick and easy twist on one of my favorite pizzas. I love the combination of barbecue sauce and goat cheese dripping from meaty bites of fresh chicken with a kick of fresh cilantro. Yum! I think you will too.

This wrap is filled with plenty of fresh ingredients. To make it easier to handle, be sure to finely shred the lettuce and cut the chicken into cubes, as this really is an overstuffed wrap—after all, the drippier the better (and more decadent!), right?

Open-ended wraps are a great way to ensure a balanced meal. A recommended serving of protein is about 4 ounces per adult meal. To fully encase that much protein in a tortilla, you would have to use a tortilla that’s higher in carbs than advised. So I keep many of my wraps partially open. That way I can stuff plenty of ingredients in them while keeping my meals in check. In this case, it’s a balanced meal that happens to be brimming with fillings.

Some fresh salsas or pico de gallos contain a lot of moisture. If your salsa or pico de gallo seems watery, drain it in a strainer to prevent the burrito from becoming soggy. Though it will take a bit longer, you can use turkey filets and cut them into strips if your store doesn’t carry the strips. Or, better yet, ask your butcher to cut the filets into strips for you so you don’t spend any unnecessary time in the kitchen.

When using your broiler, pay close attention to the cooking time of whatever it is you’re making. The cheese on the top of this sandwich can go from perfectly melted and bubbly to burned in just a few seconds. And keep in mind that oven settings vary, especially broiler heat. I found this sandwich was perfectly warmed and melted around 1 minute, but that time could definitely be different based on the intensity of your individual broiler.

To brie or not to brie . . . that is the quandary for many. Well, now that I’ve found ways to stave off the cravings without overindulging, I’m definitely a happy camper. Though the flavor is subtle here, the brie is great paired with the cranberry sauce and arugula leaves. In minutes, you’ll feel like you’re eating at a gourmet sandwich shop, but without the gourmet sandwich consequences.

This sandwich is great as a snack. The recipe makes only a half-sandwich, but it’s a meaty half-sandwich (great protein-to-carb ratio). I often eat it with an orange or banana, and it’s the perfect amount of food. Did you know that 4 ounces of deli turkey (or other deli meat) often contain as much as 1,200 mg sodium? If you’re watching your sodium, oven-roast your own skinless turkey breast at home and slice it down very thinly for deli meat. This will not only save you money but also allow you to control the amount of salt in the meat. If you can’t roast your own turkey breast, be sure to look for lower-sodium varieties of deli turkey.

Growing up on the East Coast, it wasn’t hard to find all sorts of pickled peppers, both sweet and hot. You couldn’t go anywhere near a cheesesteak place in Philly without seeing them. In Los Angeles, they’re less common, but most grocery stores have at least one or two varieties. One of my favorites is sweet cherry pepper rings. They add plenty of flavor without any fat—you can’t go wrong with that.

I’ve found people—even those concerned about sodium—often turn to the good old turkey sandwich as if it’s the perfect healthy lunch. This always amazes me, because 4 ounces of your typical deli turkey (as opposed to homemade) have about 1,330 mg sodium, while its lower-sodium counterpart (which rarely has great flavor) still has 680 mg sodium. Two slices of bread have about 320 mg, a 1-ounce slice of cheese has 140 mg, and light jarred mayonnaise has about 120 mg per tablespoon (mustard has 170 g per tablespoon). Add those together, and this otherwise healthy sandwich has over 2,080 mg sodium. If you’re ordering it out, it could have even more. Though I do believe the turkey sandwich has a place in our diets, this is must-know information.

The key to this sandwich is perfectly cooked chicken. Because this sub is jam-packed with grilled chicken, it’s important that the chicken isn’t dry or the sandwich will be dry. Just follow the directions for Basic Grilled Chicken (page 219), and you’ll be well on your way to prepping a delicious sub for the entire family. I love making the chicken on Sunday so I have it to use in recipes like this one over the next few days.