300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (16 page)

Pound the chicken breasts until they're 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick all over. Cut into 4 servings if necessary.

Break the egg into another plate with a rim around it. (A pie plate would work well.) Now, dip each chicken breast piece into the egg, then into the cashew mixture, coating both sides.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add the chicken. Sauté until it's golden on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 33 grams of protein.

Almond Chicken with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

This dish is simply fantastic—lush and creamy and decadent. It's just fantastic. Do pound the chicken out thin enough, though, or it'll take an extra few minutes.

1 pound (455 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 cup (112 g) almond meal

2 tablespoons (16 g) coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 egg

1 tablespoon (15 ml) water

1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine

1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream

1/2 cup (60 g) crumbled gorgonzola cheese

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons (3 g) minced parsley

Set your big, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Using a blunt, heavy object, beat your chicken breast out to 1/4 to 1/3 inch (6 mm to 8 mm) thick. Cut into four portions.

On a plate with a rim, combine the almond meal, coconut flour, salt, pepper, and sage. On another plate, beat up the egg with the water.

Add the butter and olive oil to the skillet and slosh them around.

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg on both sides, then the almond meal mixture. Lay them in the skillet and cover with a tilted lid.

While the chicken is cooking, measure out the wine, cream, and gorgonzola.

Okay, chicken's golden on one side. Flip it and cook the other, again, with the tilted lid over it.

When the chicken's done, plate it and keep it warm.

Add the wine to the skillet and crank the heat up to high. Boil it down for a minute and then add the cream and the gorgonzola. Let the sauce boil hard, stirring constantly until it's reduced and thickened a bit. You can add a little guar, xanthan, or glucomannan if you like. Salt and pepper the sauce, spoon it over the chicken, top with parsley, and serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 645 calories, 43 grams fat, 46 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams dietary fiber, and 14 grams usable carb.

Chicken Breast Italiano

This dish is ridiculously easy, especially considering how good it tastes! It's great with one of the cauliflower “risottos” as a side dish (see
page 234
and
235
).

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

1/3 cup (80 ml) bottled Italian salad dressing

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, sauté the chicken breasts in the olive oil over medium heat. Cover them while they're cooking and turn them after 6 to 7 minutes. When both sides are golden and the chicken is cooked most of the way through, add the Italian dressing, turn the breasts to coat both sides, and let the whole thing cook for another 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 2 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 38 grams of protein.

Chicken Tenders

This is good for when you're having fast-food cravings or the kids are nagging for “normal” food. You really can make these in 15 minutes—because the pieces are small, they cook very quickly.

1 pound (455 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 egg

1 tablespoon (15 ml) water

3/4 cup (94 g) low-carb bake mix

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup (80 ml) oil

Cut the chicken breasts into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and 2 inches (5 cm) long. Beat the egg with the water in a bowl. On a plate, combine the bake mix with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

Dip each chicken piece in the egg wash, then roll it in the seasoned bake mix, and drop it in the hot oil. Fry these until golden all over and serve with one of the dipping sauces in the
Condiments, Sauces, Dressings, and Seasonings
chapter (see
page 289
).

Yield:
4 servings, each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs (exclusive of the dipping sauces) and 40 grams of protein.

Seriously Spicy Citrus Chicken

You could cut back on the red pepper flakes if you'd like to make Moderately Spicy Citrus Chicken.

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

1/2 cup (120 ml) lime juice

1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice

1 tablespoon (4 g) plus

1 teaspoon (1 g) red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon (6 g) plus

1 teaspoon (2 g) minced garlic

1 tablespoon (8 g) plus 1 teaspoon (3 g) grated gingerroot

1/4 cup (6 g) Splenda

4 scallions, finely sliced

2 tablespoons (2 g) chopped cilantro

Cut the chicken into 4 servings, if necessary. Sauté the chicken in the olive oil over medium-high heat, with a tilted lid. While it's sautéing, mix together the lime juice, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, gingerroot, 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.

Lemon-Herb Chicken Breast

This dish is simple and classic and summery.

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil

1 pound (455 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

salt and pepper

1/4 cup (10 g) minced fresh basil

2 tablespoons (5 g) minced fresh parsley

2 lemons

2 tablespoons (28 ml) water

Put the garlic in a measuring cup and pour the olive oil over it. Let it sit.

Give a skillet a squirt of nonstick cooking spray and put it over a high burner.

Now grab your chicken and a blunt, heavy object and pound your breast out to an even 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thickness. Cut into three portions and salt and pepper it on both sides.

Pour half or so of the garlicky olive oil into your now-hot skillet, slosh it around, and throw in your chicken. Cover it with a tilted lid and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Mince your basil and parsley. Also roll your lemon under your palm, pressing down firmly. This will help it render more juice.

Your chicken should be golden on the bottom now; flip it! Re-cover with the tilted lid and give it another 3 to 4 minutes. In the meantime, slice your lemon in half and flick out the seeds with the tip of a knife.

When your chicken is golden on both sides, squeeze one of the lemons over it. Flip it to coat both sides, turn the burner down to medium low, and re-cover with that tilted lid. Let it cook until it's done through.

Plate your chicken and then add the water and the juice of the other lemon to the skillet. Stir it all around with a fork, scraping up the tasty brown bits, and then pour this over the chicken. Top with the herbs and a last drizzle of garlic olive oil and then serve.

Yield:
3 servings, each with 508 calories, 40 grams fat, 34 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram dietary fiber, and 4 grams usable carb.

Apricot-Bourbon Chicken

This is amazing—as good as anything I've ever had in a fancy restaurant—yet it's fast enough to make on a weeknight after work! I like the
Saffron “Rice”
(see
page 237
) as a side with this.