Grilled chicken for weight loss
Grilled chicken is a delicious option for fast and easy dinners. Planning ahead can make even some of the more complicated dishes simple and perfect for a healthy bbq.
Why not have grilled chicken with air fryer chips? A simple healthy and tasty meal that just needs salad or vegetables.
Basic Grilling Guidelines
If you are cooking boneless chicken, as a general rule of thumb, allow 10-12 minutes for the meat to cook over medium direct heat. This time shouldn’t change if you add a chicken rub and the time remains the same.
Always cook until it is no longer pink in the centre and the juices run clear. Flip halfway through cooking to ensure it is cooked thoroughly.
Chicken with bones in should cook for approximately 30-40 minutes until it has clear juices, and no pink when you cut it open.
Grill skin-side down on the grill during the last five minutes for crispier skin.
Don’t pierce the meat, as it will dry out and lose its flavour.
Rub the right way
Using a rub can give instant flavour and a nice crust to the boneless or bone-in chicken. Save money and make your own by combining the following ingredients:
For the rub:
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp. salt (sea, kosher, whichever you prefer)
½ tsp garlic granules
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp paprika
- In a small bowl or plastic bag, combine the rub ingredients. Rubs are very forgiving; you can play with various dried herbs and spices to find your own signature mixture.
- To use the rub, spray, or coat chicken lightly with vegetable oil or a low-calorie cooking spray. Coat with rub and grill for the recommended time for thickness and type of chicken. Rubbed meat will char, so watch carefully that the outside of the meat doesn’t get overcooked.
Grilled Sweet and Sour Chicken with Baby Spinach
Boneless chicken thighs are great for grilling; they’re inexpensive, taste great, absorb seasonings, and cook fast. Using chicken and around 340g baby spinach, you can make this delicious dish.
Marinade 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in :
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp. sugar or honey
- Place all ingredients in a re-sealable plastic bag and marinade all day, or even prepare the night before. Turn every so often to coat thoroughly.
- Use chicken right from the bag, reserve marinade, and place in a skillet on the stove. Heat over medium-to-high heat to boiling for one minute, stirring, while chicken grills.
- Add around 340g fresh baby spinach to wilt, this will take approximately 2-3 minutes. Remove with tongs and place spinach on serving plate.
- When chicken is thoroughly cooked, serve over spinach.
For alternatives why not sprinkle with toasted seeds or cook other vegetables like mangetout with the baby spinach?
Great ways to use grilled chicken
Serve sliced over tossed salad with a light dressing.
Use sliced, grilled chicken breast to make deli sandwiches, garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and your favourite dressings.
Make delicious roll-ups using sliced grilled chicken, fresh basil leaves, garlic, and a dressing. Why not add some dips?
Healthy, quick, and delicious chicken salad can be made with any leftover grilled chicken. Cut up meat and add mayonnaise, chopped apple, walnut, raisins, minced broccoli, or any combination that suits your palate.
Using frozen chicken
Chicken for this or any other chicken recipes should never be cooked from frozen, there are so many issues with this that risk food poisoning. If you have just realised you only have frozen chicken there I have lots of tips to safely defrost chicken check them out in my defrosting chicken guide.
Perfect recipes with grilled chicken
Have you had raclette? It is a popular roasted cheese recipe from Germany. Whilst it is traditionally cooked over an open fire it can be made with the grill too and is a great option for a dinner party. Why don’t you look for raclette ideas and see if it would work for you?
