Tag Archives: chicken

Skinny Chicken Enchiladas

If you’re an enchilada lover like me, you will love these!! Enchiladas are always my dish of choice when I go out for Mexican and this recipe is as good as any recipe you’ll find in a restaurant (if not better) without all the fat!

I like to serve these with yellow rice, re-fried beans and a little fat free sour cream topped with chopped scallions and cilantro. Leftovers are great the next day too!

I always have shredded chicken breast on hand, I usually make a whole package of chicken breast in my crock pot to use for recipes throughout the week. Leftover chicken would also work. Look for whole wheat, low carb such as La Tortilla Factory, or Mission Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas.

Low-fat Chicken Enchiladas
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 enchilada • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 159.5 • Fat: 5.9 g • Protein: 16.2 g • Carb: 17.8 g • Fiber: 8.3 g

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tbsp chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

For the chicken:

1 tsp vegetable oil
8.5 oz (2 breast halves) cooked shredded chicken breast
1 cup diced onion
2 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro
kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce

8 (7-inch) reduced carb whole wheat flour tortillas (la tortilla factory)
1 cup shredded low fat Mexican cheese
non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped scallions or cilantro for topping

Directions:

Sauce:

In a medium saucepan, spray oil and sauté garlic. Add chipotle chiles, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chicken:

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic on low until soft, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chili powder, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it.

Place on baking dish seam side down, top with sauce…

Then top with cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with low fat sour cream or scallions if you wish. (Extra points) Makes 8 enchiladas.

Skinny Chicken Tikka Masala

Tender chunks of boneless chicken breast cooked in an aromatic creamy tomato sauce. Chicken tikka masala, probably the most popular dish on the menu of any Indian restaurant here in the states, but ironically this dish is claimed to be originally from Britain and is actually Britain’s national dish.

I’ve attempted a skinny version of this dish many times without all the cream and ghee (clarified butter) yet never felt quite satisfied with the results. I almost gave up figuring this is probably just one of those dishes that does not lighten up well, after all it’s also known as Butter Chicken!

There is no standard recipe for chicken tikka masala; a survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was the chicken so I am sure we all have different ideas of what it should taste like. This week I stumbled on this recipe from a throw down with Bobby Flay from the restaurant Saffron on the Hudson. I gave it another shot using fat free yogurt and low fat milk in place of the cream and we felt for a lightened up version it was pretty darn good and not too complicated, my kind of recipe! I served this over a basmati medley but this would also be wonderful with naan.

Low Fat Chicken Tikka Masala
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Size: 3 oz chicken + sauce • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 190.4 • Fat: 4.5 g • Carb: 12.8 g • Fiber: 2.0 g • Protein: 24.5 g • Sugar: 5.1
Sodium: 99.3 (without salt)

Ingredients:

2 tsp canola oil or you could use butter
1 small onion, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
4 oz fat free yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric (optional)
1/2 tbsp chili powder
salt to taste
16 oz (2 boneless) chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
4 tbsp fresh cilantro (or to taste)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the crushed ginger, stir for a few minutes then add the garlic and cook another minute. Add cumin, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, and salt; mix well until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, yogurt and milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until cooked through. Add a generous amount of chopped cilantro and serve with Bamati Rice or Naan.