Clean Eating Chicken Recipes For Weight Loss

Before we get into the recipes, let’s discuss the basics. What makes clean eating chicken recipes for weight loss so magical? What gives them their power? It all comes down to that word – “clean.” Clean eating is more than just a diet- it’s a lifestyle based on your natural nutritional needs. So, stay away from food processed in a factory, and eat fresh foods that are good for your body. The benefits are worth it! Clean eating chicken recipes for weight loss are about adding nutrient-rich ingredients to your meals in order to avoid processed foods and sugar. By doing so you have an easier time burning off those extra pounds before you pack them on again.
Clean eating Chicken Recipes For Weight Loss is a hot topic these days thanks in no small part to the popularity of the media diet phenomenon — The Paleo Diet, The South Beach Diet, and more recently, the raw food diet. While these diets have their respective merits, an even simpler and truer approach to clean eating is simply to prepare all of your meals at home. Clean Eating Chicken Recipes For Weight Loss

Clean Eating Chicken Recipes For Weight Loss

Add some of these healthy chicken recipes for weight loss to your weekly lineup, and ditch chicken boredom once and for all. But before you check out these healthy dinner recipes, here are some helpful tips that will help you make sure your chicken recipe is perfect.

How Do You Properly Store Chicken In The Fridge?

“You want to store your chicken on the bottom of the fridge, under any cooked or raw products,” says Patrick Ochs, corporate executive chef at Pubblica Italiana and Dalia at The Celino Hotel. If you’re storing your container of leftover pasta under a couple of slabs of red meat, you definitely want to reconsider. Why? The last thing you want is the raw juices seeping into your already cooked food because it could cause foodborne illness.

Why Shouldn’t You Wash Raw Chicken?

Washing raw chicken is a no-go. As Meredith Carothers, the technical information specialist at the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service told us in a former article that washing raw chicken in the sink increases the risk of cross-contamination.

“By rinsing chicken meat, there is a potential to spread foodborne illness bacteria, like Salmonella or Campylobacter, to other surfaces or utensils,” she said. “If these surfaces or utensils are not cleaned or sanitized, it could spread to ready-to-eat foods and cause foodborne illness.”

How Can You Tell When Raw Chicken Has Gone Bad?

Head chef of HelloFresh, Claudia Sidoti, had previously told us in a different article that there are three main signs that indicate raw chicken has gone bad.

“Fresh, raw chicken should have a pink, fleshy color. As it starts to go bad, the color fades to a shade of gray. If the color starts to look duller, you should use it immediately,” she said. Once that meat turns gray, toss it!

Another way is to smell it. If emits a potent, sour smell remove it from the fridge and throw away outside immediately.

Thirdly, the chef instructed us to touch the meat, “Raw chicken naturally has a glossy, slimy texture. However, if the slime remains after rinsing underwater, it likely went bad.”

How Long Should You Marinate Your Chicken For?

“Depending on how much salt you use in your marinade, you can ideally marinate for days. I prefer to marinate for at least 24 hours to really penetrate the meat with flavor,” says Ochs.

Should You Add Salt To Your Marinade?

“I personally prefer to add salt to my marinade, especially for large cuts of meat,” says Ochs. “Depending on how much salt you use in the marinade, also limits the time you keep it on. Adding salts allow the meat to be evenly seasoned.”

Chicken Recipes For Weight Loss You’Ll Love To Cook

Chicken is so versatile to cook with, but we get that basic chicken can get old fast. Here, we’ve gathered the very of the best chicken recipes for weight loss for full flavor in every bite. You’ll never go back to bland chicken again!

And if you love cooking, check out our list of Easiest Recipes You Can Make.

Southerners may grunt and grumble about the travesty of “fried” chicken not being cooked in big skillets of melted lard, but we’d bring this crispy, succulent bird to a church potluck in Savannah without batting an eye. A long soak in buttermilk spiked with hot sauce both tenderizes and flavors the meat, while the spiced panko provides a layer of captivating crunch. We won’t go as far as to say you won’t taste the difference (properly fried chicken has a depth of flavor that stretches straight to your soul), but we can say with confidence that this chicken hits the spot.

It’s a known fact that pot pies will forever be one of America’s favorite comfort foods, but you don’t want to waste an entire day’s worth of calories, fat, and sodium in just one meal, which is what ends up happening in many restaurant renditions. We take the opposite approach, cutting the calories and fat in a pot pie you will still love.

With this recipe, you can have a chicken dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. Not to mention, you’ll be using classic Italian ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. That’s our idea of a perfect, healthy, weeknight dinner!

This version slashes the calorie count of your usual orange chicken takeout. So enjoy a healthier take on this classic Chinese takeout dish with our easy-to-make orange chicken recipe.

There’s something about the smell of roasting chicken, potatoes, and butternut squash that make you nostalgic for fall. It reminds you of crisp fall days, huddled up with sweaters, sipping on a cup of warm soup, and enjoying a flavorful roast. This roast chicken with vegetables is naturally gluten-free and low in calories.

This is a picture-perfect weeknight meal: chicken breasts topped with mozzarella cheese and pesto sauce. Pesto, made from basil, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts adds rich, satiating, heart-healthy unsaturated fats to the dinner. And the peppery bite of arugula, fresh tomato, and red onion are the perfect complement to the gooey melted mozz.

Need to use up the leftover cooked chicken in your fridge? This harvest pizza recipe is the perfect way to do so! Mixed with refreshing grapes, fennel, goat cheese, and arugula, this harvest pizza is as nutritious as it is delicious.

We use almond flour, chopped almonds, and a flaky spelt cereal to create a unique crunchy combo that adheres beautifully to little pieces of chicken. While many traditional crunchy chicken recipes use corn flakes, spelt flakes are lower in carbs and provide a toasted, nutty flavor.

Looking for something on the spicier side? By using a jalapeño in the recipe, this chicken curry comes with a slight kick, but between the sweetness of the coconut milk and the acidity of the crushed tomatoes, this tomato chicken curry recipe is the perfect dinner dish no matter what season you’re in.

This delicious tandoori chicken skewer recipe is about to be your favorite new food to grill. Served with a spicy cucumber raita sauce, these skewers are great on their own or served inside a warm pita.

Nothing beats a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold day, does it? Especially if it can be cooked with minimal effort! This Crock-Pot chicken noodle soup recipe is the perfect meal to warm up a crowd on a winter day.

A big bowl of ramen sounds like the perfect meal for a cold, rainy night, right? Well, if you’re paleo, ordering a bowl of ramen isn’t always an option. Nevertheless, a simple swap from noodles to zucchini noodles (also known as zoodles!) can easily solve that salty ramen craving.

Is there anything more delicious than fried chicken? That crispy, salty goodness, the juiciness of the meat…you don’t need to do much to make it a delicious meal. But fried chicken is often filled with calories and fat, making it one food you shouldn’t eat on a regular basis. If you’re still craving that crunchy meat, though, you’ll love this crispy chicken recipe. Baked in the oven, this chicken is way healthier than the typical fried stuff.

If there’s one meal you should truly master making in your slow cooker, it’s chili. Nothing really is more comforting than a warm, fiery chili, and we found a way to bring unique flavors to the classic dish by really elevating the basic chili—with the addition of pumpkin and chicken.

This recipe for air fried chicken wings makes a tender wing with a crisp exterior that holds up to a sesame soy garlic glaze. There’s no batter, no vat of oil—just some crispy chicken tossed in a spicy sauce.

The genius of getting a whole rotisserie chicken is that it can be used in a multitude of different flavor profiles and dishes—it’s like a blank, protein-filled canvas. It’s a simplified version of the iconic dish that’ll be ready in about 30 minutes (but equally hearty as the original).

Ready to kick your appetizer game up a notch? This garam chicken masala skewers recipe will do just the trick. Thanks to the flavorful seasoning, these chicken skewers are anything but basic.

The easiest way to make sure you’re eating a healthy dinner is to plan ahead. You can make meal prep even easier by buying a rotisserie chicken and using it in several different ways to create a nutritious plate.

Bored of making the same chicken recipe over and over again? Never fear, chicken marinades are here! These delicious marinade ideas are the perfect way to switch up your usual chicken routine with just a few splashes of oil, vinegar, juices, and more. Add in a few healthy side dishes, and you have yourself an easy dinner!

Sometimes, you just really crave a classic dish, and it doesn’t get more classic than some Buffalo wings. This version isn’t fried like most wings tend to be, and instead is a baked version, which cuts the fat content significantly. It’s also easier, cheaper (no oil for frying), and tastier this way, too.

Authentic Mexican food can be incredibly healthy, as the dishes usually consist of tons of fresh produce and lean proteins. These enchiladas are not only easier to make than the Americanized versions served in most restaurants, but they’re also tastier and contain fewer calories, staying true to their roots.

If you order a plate of nachos at a restaurant, you’re most likely going to end up with soggy tortilla chips that are drowning in cheese, sour cream, and oily ground beef. This version ensures that every chip is evenly covered with protein-packed chicken and fiber-rich beans, plus enough salsa and lime-spiked sour cream and cheese to keep your mouth watering.

This is one common restaurant chicken dish that you’ll typically find infused with cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing, ruining any shot you have at a good day of eating. Apply those same appealing flavors at home to crispy stuffed chicken breast, filled with veggies and pine nuts, and you’ll escape unscathed.

This is one chicken sandwich you can’t get at the local drive-thru! It brings a ton of flavor, thanks to the chimichurri sauce it’s dressed in. And along with a solid supporting cast of sweet peppers, sharp raw onions, and peppery greens, you can’t beat this dish that comes in at only 310 calories.

Everyone loves rotisserie chicken, and it’s a fast and easy go-to for dinner when you’re in a pinch with no prep needed. But once you’re ready to get back in the kitchen, turn to this great chicken tacos recipe that you can use with leftover pieces of the meat. Tossed with a good dose of mildly spicy salsa verde, these tacos bring a ton of flavor.

Chicken salad is often just doused in mayo, but this version is unlike the one you’ll find at your local sandwich shop. We use a modest amount of olive-oil-based mayo, then add in plump golden raisins and curry powder for a sweet and savory combo. Make a big batch of the salad as part of your weekly meal planning and enjoy it stuffed into other sandwiches, in pitas, or even atop a bowl of mixed greens.

Chicken buried in mushrooms and cream is the type of dish that’s at home in a country kitchen as well as in an upscale city restaurant. We combine elements from both ends of the spectrum: brown mushrooms and chicken stock from the country, a touch of sherry, and some dried mushrooms from the city. The combination of Greek yogurt and half-and-half gives the sauce richness and a velvety texture, without weighing it down.

29

Sometimes, salads can end up being calorie bombs in disguise, especially if you decide to order one at a restaurant. So how about you make a salad right at home that keeps it the healthy meal it should be? This recipe is rich in protein, and it is guaranteed to cut the number of calories you’d have on a salad you order in a restaurant in half.

Craving pizza? Allow yourself to indulge by adding some chicken on it! This recipe is inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and as good as theirs is, we’re confident this barbecue chicken pizza recipe is even better. Plus, it’s cheaper to make at home and has just a third of the calories.