Healthy meal of the week: Baked chicken and rice

Healthy leftover idea: Melted chicken sandwich

Here’s a meal that can basically be made in a skillet in the oven, which makes the whole thing very convenient. Aside from the minor prep work you have to do, for the most part once everything is placed inside the oven and the timer is set, you don’t need to do anything other than sit back and wait for it to go off. Plus, with the leftover food idea listed below, you can make these handy melted chicken sandwiches that when paired with a piece of fruit and a bottle of water, you’ll have a lunch that barely totals 400 calories. That’s far superior to a fast food meal that often surpasses the 1200+ calorie mark, so this is a huge step in the right nutritional direction.

Necessary equipment

– Oven-safe skillet with lid (or aluminum foil)
– frying pan
– pot for vegetables

Preparation time

– 15 minutes

Time to cook

– 40 minutes

Ingredients

(6-8 servings)

– 8-10 pieces of boneless chicken breasts
– 2 cups of rice
– 1/4 cup olive oil
– 2 cans of mixed vegetables (or another of your choice)
– seasonings: pinches of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper
– 3 bay leaves

For melted chicken sandwiches

– healthy whole wheat bread
– butter
– low-fat cheese
– spatula

Addresses

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Open the chicken package and rinse each piece under cold water in the sink. Place all the pieces on a plate on a plate where they will be marinated.

two. Using two forks, repeatedly pierce each piece of chicken on both sides to help the seasonings really soak into the meat. Sprinkle all of the seasonings over the chicken pieces and continue to use the forks to pierce the chicken pieces and slip those tasty seasonings into them.

3. In a skillet, add 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and let each side lightly brown, usually about 3-4 minutes per side. Once finished, remove the chicken pieces from the skillet and place on a plate.

Four. Using the same skillet over medium heat leaving the leftover oil from the chicken in the skillet add the two cups of rice and stir for a couple of minutes to allow it to “brown” and then remove from heat.

5. Add rice to the skillet you plan to use to bake everything in your oven, then add 4 cups of hot water, 3-5 pinches of seasoned salt, and 3 bay leaves. Stir everything well, then place the browned chicken pieces directly into the liquid and cover the pan tightly with the oven lid or a piece of aluminum foil. Place inside your oven and set the kitchen timer for 40 minutes.

6. When there are about 15 minutes left on the timer, you can open your cans of vegetables and add them to a pot on the stove, medium-low heat. Those should only take 10-12 minutes to heat up.

7. When the kitchen timer goes off, carefully remove the pan from the oven and everything should be good to go. Serve appropriately sized portions and don’t forget to save a piece or two of chicken for the leftover melting sandwich if you plan on making them later. Don’t forget your big glass of water with this healthy meal and you’ll get around 400 calories.

Healthy Leftover Idea: Melted Chicken Sandwiches

Here’s an easy way to pack a travel lunch that when paired with a piece, a piece of fruit, and a bottle of water will fill you up and only have a total weight of about 450 calories. All you have to do is take one of the chicken pieces and carefully slice it sideways in half to end up with two large, thin slices. In other words, from each piece of chicken you can make two sandwiches.

Next, with a knife, spread a little butter on one side of the bread and then place it in a pan over medium heat. Then add some grated cheese, a little rice if you like, the piece of chicken, then top with a little more cheese. Finally, add the bread top butter side up this time.

After a couple of minutes of cooking, carefully lift one side with a spatula to check the color of the bread. If it’s slightly brown (or to your liking), carefully flip it over to the other side. One tip when flipping these sandwiches is to use your other hand / fingers on the top slice (cold side) to help keep everything compressed so it doesn’t fall apart. Let it cook for a few minutes on this side and then everything should be finished. Remove from heat and you can cut in half if you like. Wrap it in a piece of aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator until you need it for lunch the next day.

Pair with a piece of fruit and a bottle of water and voila, a healthy lunch far superior to a fast food combo meal.