4 Healthy (yet still tasty) Ways With Chicken Breast

I could so easily talk about pie for the next 6 days, what with it being British Pie Week. It's taking all the willpower I have in me to stop myself retweeting everything about pie that has grabbed my interest (and it's only the second day of British Pie Week).

But I do need to practice a bit more self-restraint.

So I'm going to talk about, er, chicken today instead.

Every now and then, I go through phases where I suddenly decide to experiment with different ways to cook up the same thing. Something broad like ways to try out different types of seafood, playing around with a cuisine-specific dish like congee, or something randomly precise like er, pork strips.

This brings me to the breast of chicken - it's one of the more budget-friendly, healthier cuts of meat - also thought to be super versatile. Yet it can be so easy to just make the same 2 or 3 dishes over and over.

Nothing wrong with that of course (if it's not killing anyone), but it's good to be able to excite your stomach with something different for a change, with that smug feeling that what you're eating is rather good for you too.

So that's what the following four chicken breast recipes are about...

Oat-Topped Chicken with Lemon Polenta (at top of post)

Covering something meaty with oats and grilling it is something I've tried only a couple of times before and it's always come out a bit burnt on top, with the meat still only half-cooked. But a good trick that works is to add the oats on once the meat is halfway through cooking and ready to be turned.

The chicken is marinated with lemon, olive oil and honey to keep it lovely and moist whilst it's under the grill. The equally lemony polenta provides a welcome change to your usual potato mash.

See full recipe for Oat-Topped Chicken with Lemon Polenta

Five Spice Almond Chicken

This Asian-influenced dish has Chinese five spice and soy sauce in the mix, along with some flaked almonds for added crunch. The spinach works really well in this too, as it soaks up all the flavours. Other leafy vegetables, like pak choi would also be good to try in a dish like this.

See full recipe for Five Spice Almond Chicken

Garlic Chicken with Wholegrain Rice

Wholegrain rice can be tricky, but I've found that a ratio of 2:1 of water to rice works pretty much every time. It does take a little longer than normal white rice to cook (about 30-35 minutes), and has a slight nutty taste to it, so is actually quite a nice substitute to make for other rice dishes on your repetoire.

The chicken is kept relatively simple here too with just garlic and white wine vinegar to liven it up.

See full recipe for Garlic Chicken with Wholegrain Rice

Ginger Chicken with Spring Onion Mash

Finally, a grilled chicken dish, which is marinated in ginger and honey. You've got a nice bit of mash here too, with creme fraiche rather than your usual blob of butter to make it nice and creamy. And instead of sticking some veg onto the side, stir it right in there with the mash - fresh spring onions, crunchy green beans and broccoli, yum!

See full recipe for Ginger Chicken with Spring Onion Mash

Well, it's official, I've waffled on about chicken for ages now - and believe or not, there are more chicken recipes here that you might like. Enjoy!