Dinner in Minutes: Chicken spiced up in marinara dish
Chicken cooked in a spicy tomato sauce is an easy recipe that you can assemble in five minutes.
Buying roasted or rotisserie chicken breasts and a good bottled marinara sauce make assembling this dish a breeze.
Look for a marinara sauce that is low in sodium. Find a brand you like and keep it on hand for quick meals.
There are many types of flavored pasta available in the supermarket. Just boil and toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Open a bag of Italian-style ready-to-eat salad and the entire meal can be ready in 15 minutes.
The chicken and pasta contain 616 calories per serving with 21 percent of calories from fat.
Italian Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce (Chicken Diavolo)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons flour
2 (8-ounce) roasted or rotisserie chicken breasts (bones, wings and skin removed)
1 cup bottled marinara sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Mix pepper flakes with flour. Roll breasts in mixture, pressing to adhere. Set aside.
Bring marinara sauce, garlic and parsley to a simmer in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cover with a lid and simmer 2 minutes.
Turn chicken, cover and simmer 2 more minutes, until warmed through. Serve on individual plates over basil linguine.
Yield: 2 servings
Nutrition per serving: 365 calories (21 percent from fat), 8.7 grams fat (2.1 grams saturated, 2.8 grams monounsaturated), 128 milligrams cholesterol, 45.2 grams protein, 26.9 grams carbohydrates, 4.4 grams fiber, 534 milligrams sodium.
Basil Linguine
4 ounces basil-flavored linguine (or other pasta, as desired)
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Bring 3 to 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook pasta for 6 to 7 minutes if dried, 2 to 3 minutes if fresh.
Drain, leaving about 2 tablespoons water in pot. Add olive oil. Return pasta to pot and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: 2 servings
Nutrition per serving: 251 calories (19 percent from fat), 5.4 grams fat (0.8 gram saturated, 3.4 grams monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 7.4 grams protein, 42.6 grams carbohydrates, 1.8 grams fiber, 3 milligrams sodium.