Tandoori Chicken

I love this dish because it's easy to make. The only hard part is remembering that it takes 8 hours to marinade. Christy, I think you will really like this dish because it incorporates your favorite spice...CUMIN!

3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray

Place first 3 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add yogurt and the next 8 ingredients (yogurt through nutmeg); pulse 4 times or until blended. Make 3 diagonal cuts 1/4 inch deep across top of each chicken breast half.

Combine chicken and yogurt mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill or broiler. Remove chicken breast from bag; discard marinade. Place chicken on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done (160 degrees).

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half)
Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2002

Sautéed Chicken with Chardonnay Sauce

This is another Cooking Light gem that can easily be made on a weeknight. My favorite wine to use for this recipe is Barefoot Chardonnay. The sauce is thin so it's best served over a bed of rice that will prevent you from wasting a drop!

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add mushrooms and shallots to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; add stock. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 10 minutes). Cut remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces. Remove pan from heat. Add butter, stirring until butter melts. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

CALORIES 288 (26% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 3.5g,mono 3g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 41.2g; CHOLESTEROL 115mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 309mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 5.8g Cooking Light, APRIL 2005

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Monica Simpson gave this recipe to me. Kenneth and I love this dish. It's easy and very tasty. Give it a try and I'm sure it will become one of your staples. I like to use my little grill pan on the stove instead of firing up the big Weber outside.

1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
1 tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil leaves

PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.

GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.

TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170ºF).

Makes 4 servings

Pollo con Mojo de Ajo (Chicken with Garlic Sauce)

A quick and easy meal that's great for weeknights. I really enjoy it with this simple rice and a green. This recipe comes from Cooking Light, which generally recommends using nonstick skillets. I prefer a "stick" skillet in this case because you're making a sauce from the chicken bits leftover in the pan (more flavor!).

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I love garlic, so I use a couple more)
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (I leave out because I'm not a big fan of cilantro)
4 lime wedges

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick/stick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm (I wrap mine in foil).

Melt butter in pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute (do not brown). Add broth; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in lime juice. Serve sauce over chicken; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

4 servings