Spiced Chicken High In Flavor, Low In Fat
Cumin-Spiced Chicken with Chutney and Mashed Sweet Potatoes is a wonderful, hearty dish for cool autumn evenings. The ingredients sound exotic, and the combination of flavors and Indian-summer colors makes it taste like gourmet fare, but the entire meal is quite simple to prepare and low in fat.
The chicken is dusted with a spice blend and steamed inside a packet of aluminum foil. No oil or butter is needed, so the whole tender, tasty entree gets just 18 percent of its calories from fat. This recipe is based on using plump chicken breast halves that weigh about 6 ounces each, so no one will leave the table hungry.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes are a delicious change of flavor from ordinary mashed potatoes. They’re prepared just like the white variety, except this recipe doesn’t call for butter or margarine. Instead, these potatoes are whipped up with hot skim milk, a dash of brown sugar and a sprinkling of nutmeg. They’re sweet without being cloying and very, very satisfying.
Fresh sweet potatoes, sometimes mislabeled as yams in supermarkets, are high in beta-carotene, vitamin A and dietary fiber. Served with Cumin-Spiced Chicken, they create a complete meal that is a healthful balance of complex carbohydrates and lean protein.
Cumin-Spiced Chicken with Chutney
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
Nonstick cooking spray
Spice mix:
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves or ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons mango chutney
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Tear off four sheets of aluminum foil, each about 10 inches square, and lightly coat them with nonstick cooking spray. Place a chicken breast in the center of each piece of foil.
In a small dish, combine the cumin, paprika, thyme, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sprinkle the spice mixture lightly over both sides of the chicken breasts. Fold the thin, pointy ends of each breast under the thick ends to make rough squares. Fold the foil tightly to make packets that will not leak in the oven.
You can prepare the chicken up to 8 hours before baking. When ready to cook, bake the chicken packets for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is firm to the touch and no pink shows.
Top with 1 tablespoon of chutney per chicken breast. Serve Mashed Sweet Potatoes on the side.
Yield: 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 326 calories, 6 grams fat (17 percent fat calories), 53 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrate, 146 milligrams cholesterol, 264 milligrams sodium.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 pounds or 4-1/3 cups diced)
1/2 cup skim milk, heated
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Boil the diced sweet potatoes in enough water to cover for 14 to 16 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain thoroughly in a colander, until all water is gone.
Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with an electric beater (not a food processor, or the potatoes will become gummy).
Add the hot milk, a few drops at time, until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy. Add the salt, brown sugar and nutmeg and beat on high speed until very fluffy. Serve hot or warm.
Yield: 5 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 138 calories, 3 grams fat (20 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 393 milligrams sodium.
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