Another “Marketman/Bond 007 Diet†option for lunch or dinner is this grilled chicken breast served with a generous amounts of grilled vegetables. Instead of eating Pinoy pork barbecue in the previous post (the minimum of which I would consume is three sticks), with say 1.5 to 2.0 cups of white rice, lots of sweet acharra and chilli vinegar, you could use the same hot grill to make this healthier alternative. The chicken breast was marinated in some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and lots of rosemary and a sprinkling of dried chilli flakes and grilled over a charcoal flame. If you are being extra good, remove the skin before serving it…but I don’t always bother to be that good. Next, toss some vegetables in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper…in this version I used some sliced zucchini, eggplant, asparagus, leeks and onion slices. You can also use tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, endive, fennel, etc. Grill until just cooked.
Plopped onto a nice large plate, the combination looks pretty good, don’t you think? If you think it is a bit dry, sprinkle with some freshly squeezed lemon juice. 
I can eat this dish as is or if you want some carbohydrates, add say a half cup of brown rice. Compared to the pork barbecue this has far less fat, less sugar, less carbohydrates yet an incredible amount of protein and fiber. And in case you are thinking that these MM/B007 diet dishes are time consuming, this dish is actually incredibly easy to make. Have a piece of fruit for dessert if you need something sweet, maybe a slice of melon or half a pear will do the trick. In fact, that’s what I am doing…instead of reaching for a full mango or pear or apple, I have taken to eating them half at a time. No total deprivation, just less of a good thing. I even pop a little Valrhona chocolate square when I really need a treat…
12 Responses
Your plating and presentation is magnificent as usual. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar dressing on the plate for background and taste will truly add another layer of flavor. In day-to-day life, I am not a white chicken meat eater – I love the dark meat – more flavor, appeal to me and affordable. This dish is way too healthy for me. The American Heart Association is looking up there and blinking their eyes on your dish and giving it thumbs up. It truly talks to them. If we eat this healthy in our everyday meal, we will live up to 100 years old in our standard calendar not the dog’s calendar!!!!
I have been doing alot of chicken grilling myself lately and certainly appreciate this entry:-)! A nice variation I find to my chicken is simply changing the seasoning. I use the same primer of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper but instead of rosemary which I usually use to accompany chicken, I add plenty of locally grown oregano and thyme. I was surprised on what a subtle change of ingredients can do to an old favorite.
I also have been grilling the baby spring chickens from Pamora farms or, when they are not available, cornish hens from price smart. I butterfly them and weight them down while grilling.Another sprinkle of lemon juice on the crispy skin before serving and serve with a nice salad (I like a greek salad with this varaition). Yum!
Just for a change from the usual BBQ, I marinated chicken in a mixture of finely sliced lemon grass and patis (no need for salt) overnight. Once the chicken pieces were on the grill, I added Thai-style chilli sauce to the marinade and used that to glaze the chicken. For once, the kids ignored the kebabs — which was a surprise to me. Served with salad greens and a simple balsamic vinegar dressing, this chicken barbecue might still count as a diet entree.
hey MM, i know your on a diet. instead of grilling and frying, try poaching chicken breast or steaming over onions, carrots, red bell pepper, lemon, soy sauce a la lemon chicken. in this case i marinated the chicken in lemon & low salt soy sause for abt an hr. before cooking.
have tried ur pochero recipe but used chorizo & a bit of low fat chicken bouillon for the sauce and poached the chicken breast for a few minutes. my french friends really loved the dish(i live in paris), served with lots of veggies and eggplant/garlic/vinegar/patis sauce on the side and rice of course. i was surpised i could do the dish; it was easy!
mikel that version sounds great, and perhpas more western palate friendly… yup, a lot of the recipes I feature are pretty easy to do…if I can do them, most of the readers can too… gosh, I envy your current location at the moment, I love Paris. Have 3 raspberry macaroons at Laduree for me then top it off with a large chocolate macaroon from La Maison du Chocolat…thanks.
you really know your food. i agree laduree has the best macaroons in town. pistachio is my fav. next you’re in paris, must sample the macaroons at pierre hermé. i got a large box of chocolates from maison du chocolat as a new years present. went to the shop during the holidays near my home in 16e and they were distributing trays of truffles and chocolat macaroons to patrons. yes, i pigged out..discretely.
next you make foie gras, chill before frying. no more than 3Oseconds per side, hot pan to ensure browning. saw it on cuisine tv the other day & thought of you.
P.S i know payard’s in nyc. eat there every time am in the big apple as i stay in the neighborhood. usually stop by for expresso & pain de chocolat in the morning and a salad & lobster bisque for lunch. was in new years eve dinner/party at the resto in ’93. did you know that daniel boulud(daniel,café boulud) is part owner of payards?
Mikel, Francois Payard was the pastry/dessert chef at Daniel for a while before he went onto his own place on Lexington Ave. I really like Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, did a post on one a year and a half ago… My sister lives nearby to Payard’s so we head there often for hot croissants early mornings when we get to visit New York every few years. I think both of them, Boulud and Payard, before that were at Le Cirque at the same time, an earlier place to be seen, though I thought their food was sometimes iffy, and Sirio, the Maitre d’ was a bit officious, but then again, I was quite young then, emaciated-looking and probably from the wrong continent when compared to his regular guests…thanks for the tips on foie, I will get it right some day…it’s just costly to keep trying or experimenting… And yes, I too, love the pistachio macaroons at Laduree…
Looks good AND healthy :)I love grilled veggies! I’ve been meaning to try fennel…Do you know I have seen it in Santi’s, the Salcedo Market, and…Landmark! Of course, like a foolish girl I did not check the price. After your last post I’m sure there was some discrepancy! Next time I will check…and report to you!
My mom, and now I as well, make a “chicken steak tagalog”, just like bistek but using chicken breast. Trust me when I say that I am the last person to be touting the wonders of chicken breast, but it’s really good!
MM! I can imagine it tastes like the grilled kebabs we get at Hossein’s and Cafe Med! Yummy! Siempre, very Pinoy to use the garlic sauce/yoghurt as a “sabaw” to the ulam! Also good with couscous ‘no, MM? Nakakagutom!
MM,
since you are in a diet, have you tried making fish parcels and having salad with them?
Zita, yes, I have several recipes for fish fillets cooked en papillote or in parchment paper in the archives, like here and here. Enjoy!