Last time I was at the grocery store, I bought a bunch of chicken breast cutlets with the intention of cooking them all at once, to be used in different ways throughout the week. The six cutlets were seasoned and baked in foil packets. These individual portions make meal planning much easier, especially when packing a lunch for work. Last night I added slices of the packet chicken to romaine lettuce for a nice dinner salad. Today I coarsely chopped one serving, added chopped walnut halves, celery and a little mayo and packed a lovely chicken salad, along with a hard-boiled egg for lunch. At lunch time at work, I picked up a plate-full of lettuces at the salad bar (cost - 87 cents!), grabbed a packet of Ken's Golden Italian dressing, and added the chicken salad from home. It was really delicious! I can see the rest of this chicken teaming up with a cheese quesadilla, or added to a flat-bread pizza with roasted red peppers, or dipped into that great Thai peanut sauce from a few blog posts back. Chicken is so versatile and I haven't tired of it yet!
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Ready to bake on sprayed aluminum foil, sprinkled with
salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders |
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| All wrapped up! |
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| After baking at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes... |
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| In last night's dinner salad with chopped bacon... |
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| and today's chicken salad with walnuts and celery... |
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And here is one of those perfectly
hard-boiled eggs from a couple of posts back! |
I do this also. it keeps me on track and it makes putting my lunch up each day easier. I do it with sandwich steaks also.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great convenience when you're in a rush to get out the door! If you can, could you respond with your name so that if you win the drawing for the Valentine's cookies, I can let you know. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteIt makes perfect sense! I have been trying to be much more careful when planning my meals since I'm on Weight Watchers and having pre packaged servings ready means I'm less likely to eat more than my 'fair share'. A great idea Jeannie!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking on the way in to work this morning that I eat so much more healthfully when I have a lunch ready to go (rather than standing at a counter with hunger pangs!) and when I shop for groceries AFTER a meal! Small things that make eating well so much more successful. Thanks, Di!!!
DeleteI tried your low fat broccoli, cheddar soup a couple of days ago (from Ellie Krueger) and it was great. Made a little mess using the immersion blender for the first time!! Guess I will need to practice that step. Thank you for all of the calorie conscious recipes to counter the yummy desserts you post. Today's chicken cutlet idea is a great one! Sue Dunbar Smith
ReplyDeleteSue, glad you liked the broccoli cheddar soup! Those immersion blenders take a little getting used to, I agree! Happy to bring you a balance of healthy AND indulgent recipes. It's all about balance, right?! Appreciate your comment!
DeleteI make chicken in bulk often, but always do it in the Crock Pot. I love that I can cook it in anything from beer, apple juice, chicken broth, or even just water with spices. It always comes out perfect, and we use it for a lot of different things (enchiladas and chicken tacos are our favorites). Best of all, I always have chicken breasts in the freezer, and can cook perfect shredded chicken in the Crock Pot using rock hard frozen breasts!
ReplyDeleteTina, I love that idea. Next bulk purchase of chicken is going in the crock pot so I can enjoy it that way too! Thanks so much!
DeleteLove the idea of using foil for individual packets! Next time I bake chicken i'll give this a shot!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't be easier! Thanks, Candy!
DeleteWhat a great idea! I need some new lunch ideas.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things you can do with cooked chicken - can make lunch a little more interesting! Thanks Lindsay!
DeleteI have a freezer full of uncooked chicken that I never feel like taking the time to defrost.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great solution. Thanks!
Happy to help, Judy!
DeleteWhy did you wrap it in foil? The last time I cooked chicken like this I just tossed it on a cookie sheet and baked it naked?
ReplyDeletei'm doing this tonight!
ReplyDelete