Chicken Little...

     Boneless skinless chicken breasts are a Weight Watcher staple which I usually enjoy grilled.  After much prompting from my husband (answering, "How about chicken parm?" whenever I asked for his dinner input) I decided to try to improve my oven "fried" chicken breasts.  The simple recipe for crispy chicken breasts I came up with would never be mistaken for fried chicken breasts but are (at least to my mind) delicious and moist and a great accompaniment to pasta (or spaghetti squash) and marinara or with my Easy Ratatouille.  The following recipe is for two breasts so just double or triple the crumb recipe as needed.

Crispy Baked Chicken Breasts

Crumb Coating Recipe: 

• 1/4 cup Ian's Panko Breadcrumbs (or any Panko equaling 2 Points per 1/4 cup)
• 1/3 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (I use Parmigiano Reggiano)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (rubbed and crushed between your palms)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil (rubbed and crushed between your palms) 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

In Addition:

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon light butter, melted
• 1/4 cup part skim mozzarella (to equal 2 Points) 
• Cooking Spray
• A meat mallet

Breast on right is flattened.

Putting it Together:

     Preheat oven to 400 F; convection is fine.  Combine the crumb ingredients in a large, flat-bottomed bowl or pie pan; set aside.  Trim any visible fat from breasts and place a long piece of plastic wrap on a flat, washable cutting board.  Place the breasts, side by side (leaving ample space between them) on top and fold over the plastic wrap to cover them.  Using the flat end of a meat mallet gently pound the breasts on the thickest parts until they seem nearly a uniform thickness.    

Don't forget to season the chicken!

     Brush the breasts with the melted light butter, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and press buttered side onto crumb mixture, one breast at a time.  Place crumb side down and repeat process on remaining sides.

     Place on a baking sheet (with low sides) which has been sprayed with cooking spray, spritz the breasts lightly with the spray (I use olive oil cooking spray) and bake in a preheated 400 F oven for approximately 10-15 minutes; sprinkle with the mozzarella 3-4 minutes before done.    

   Recipe Builder has estimated 15 Points for the 2 chicken breasts (10 ounces raw chicken, total), making for a total of 7 Points per serving.  In the above photo I served the chicken with a quick vegetable sautee and Barilla marinara sauce over spaghetti squash for 4 additional Points.  It was a delicious and filling meal costing me 11 Points.

Poppin Fresh...

Lemon Pepper Popover

     I was trying to come up with a carb/starch to have with my Sole-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles recently and realized that I hadn't made popovers for months.  When it comes to muffins or other quick breads I often end up with a less appealing version after my Point-lowering changes but not so with popovers - I get the unadulterated real deal for 3 points per popover!  For those of you not familiar with these yummy poufs (crispy and light balloons with an egg batter interior), popovers have few ingredients, including not too much fat and no sugar - so they are an indulgence that won't break your Points bank.  Keep in mind that there is a price to pay since they cannot be made ahead of time and they do not keep well.  
     This recipe (which is pretty basic) came to me some years back from a magazine in a waiting room and it has always turned out so I hope it works well for you, too.  For plain popovers just omit the lemon zest and pepper.    

Lemon Pepper Popovers (makes 6)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whole milk (I used nonfat)
• 1/4 cup water (I used nonfat - LOL)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I use salted)
• 1 teaspoon butter or canola butter blend
  
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (preferably)

You will need a 6-cup popover pan or a heavy muffin pan

Putting it Together:

     Preheat oven to 375 F with rack in lower third - I don't recommend using convection for this recipe and I know this from personal experience!  Divide the teaspoon of butter between the 6 cups of the popover pan, let soften and use a brush to grease the cups; set aside. 

     Whisk together the milk, water, eggs and zest in a bowl (I use a spouted bowl to make it easier to pour batter into the pan), then whisk in melted tablespoon of butter.  Add flour, salt, pepper and whisk until the batter is combined but still lumpy.

     Pour batter into buttered popover cups (I give the batter a few stirs while pouring to keep the pepper and zest from settling), dividing as equally as possible; sprinkle tops with a bit of additional pepper.  

     Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until puffed and golden; remove from oven and cut a 1/2 inch long slit in the top of each popover and bake for 5 more minutes.  Serve immediately and enjoy!  

     If you do not have a popover pan you can use a muffin pan.  This recipe for 6 popovers would make 9 smaller muffin pan popovers.  Bake about 30 minutes before cutting the slits.  

    

The total in my Recipe Builder is 20 Points for 6 popovers, 3 Points per popover.   

Gone Fishing...

     I am thankful to have a source for good, fresh fish at Central Market here in Houston and even more thankful for their knowledgeable fish mongers.  I was deliberating waaay too long in front of the fish case (mourning the end of wild-caught salmon season) when my favorite fish guy came to the rescue - he suggested wrapping Dover sole around the asparagus he spotted in my cart.  From his mouth to my kitchen and now I've got another low Points and delicious fish dish!

 

 Sole-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles

  Ingredients: 

• 1 pound of Dover sole fillets, approximately the same size 
• A bunch of fresh asparagus (stalks on the thin side)
• A medium onion
• A large lemon  
• Dijon mustard, 2 to 3 teaspoons
• 1 tablespoon of light butter, melted
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup water 

I used a pound of sole for two people (with hearty appetites) but that amount could serve three - this recipe is a snap to bump up or down.  

Putting it together:  

       Preheat the oven to 425 F, rack in the lower-middle.  Melt butter in a small bowl in  the microwave.  Zest lemon over same bowl - I used half for this recipe.  Lightly juice the lemon and add 2-3 tablespoons of juice to the bowl.  Whisk in the mustard and about 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Set aside.

     Slice the lightly juiced lemon halves and onion into thin slices and place on the bottom of the baking dish which you have sprayed lightly with cooking spray.  Pour over about 1/4 cup water and set aside.

     Rinse and trim your asparagus (if you have thick stalks you may wish to zap them for a minute or 2 in a vegetable steamer bag in the microwave beforehand).  Have the salt and pepper handy - if you mix a bit more than you need in a saucer you won't have to keep washing your fishy hands.  Lay out a fillet, season it lightly with salt and pepper, place a few asparagus across the fillet at an angle and wrap it around and under and set the bundle atop the onion/lemon/water layer in the baking dish seam side down; continue with the rest.  When you're finished, spoon the sauce over the bundles, cover tightly with foil (I use the non-stick kind) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes.  Use caution when checking for doneness since the bundles are steaming-baking.

My Weight Watchers Recipe Builder came up with a total of 13 Points for the entire recipe.  This would be approximately 6 ounces of cooked fish and 7 Points each if divided into 2 generous servings.