Today's recipes are rich and delicious and surprisingly quick and simple to create. They are perfect weeknight skillet dinners. (Fast clean-up and inexpensive too!) Plan one chicken breast half for each person and adjust the ingredients to serve more people or to have more leftovers. From start to finish these recipes are ready in 30 minutes. Add a quick bagged salad or quick cooked green vegetables for a balanced and nutritious meal.

Today we present a new feature in Cooking with Kaye called Weeknight Cheater. Even though most of our traditional recipes are uncomplicated to prepare there are times we need to have a go-to meal that goes from preparation to table in a flash. In this issue we share Prego® Quick Chicken Parmigiana, a recipe that rated many happy pouches with our testers and their families. We will include a WLS-tested "Weeknight Cheater" recipe in each issue of Cooking with Kaye so that you may build a catalog of ready-recipes to have in your toolbox. Studies suggest that we are less likely to snack or graze when we know a yummy meal is minutes away.

To prepare a chicken cutlet take one clean thawed chicken breast half and cut in two lengthwise. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on a wooden cutting board. Lay one chicken piece on the plastic and top with another layer of plastic wrap. Firmly pound the cutlet with the smooth side of a mallet to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Repeat with all chicken pieces. This is necessary to break down the tougher connective tissues and prepare the meat for quick even cooking. (Shortcut: you can also find ready-prepared chicken cutlets in the meat department of many supermarkets.).

Piccata and Pomadora -  Both of these preparations come together quickly for a delicious weeknight meal, but they are elegant enough to serve guests. I enjoy leftovers of the chicken with a tossed green salad. Experiment with different meats (you can use veal, pork, or turkey cutlets) and enjoy a variety of "Protein First" meals.

Chicken Piccata
This is a rich dish that should satisfy even the worst good-food cravings. Try it using pork cutlets or turkey cutlets. (The ingredients here are for two servings: please increase accordingly to serve more people).

Ingredients:
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 chicken breast halves, cut and pounded to cutlets (see above)
2 Tablespoons canola oil (do not substitute cooking spray)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon capers, drained
2 Tablespoons butter
1 lemon, sliced
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:
Season the cutlets with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil, swirling to coat pan.

Sauté cutlets for 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip the cutlets over and sauté the other side for 1-2 minutes, covering the pan. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate; pour off and discard fat from pan.

Deglaze the pan with wine and add the minced garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly gone, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, lemon juice and capers. Return the cutlets to the pan and cook on each side 1 minute. Transfer back to the warm plate. Finish the sauce by adding the lemon slices and butter to the pan, shaking to help the butter melt. Once the butter melts pour the sauce over the cutlets. Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.

One 4-ounce serving of chicken with 2-tablespoons of sauce contains 353 calories, fat 20.6 grams (10 grams saturated), 36 grams protein and 6 grams carbohydrate.
Great Sidedish: Green Beans with Herbs & Garlic

This is a wonderful variation of the recipe above using vodka to deglaze the skillet and tomatoes and heavy cream to finish the sauce. I think you'll enjoy it! (The ingredients here are for two servings: please increase accordingly to serve more people).

Ingredients:
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 chicken breast halves, cut and pounded to cutlets (see above)
2 Tablespoons canola oil (do not substitute cooking spray)
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Fresh chopped green onions for garnish

Directions:
Season the cutlets with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil, swirling to coat pan.

Sauté cutlets for 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip the cutlets over and sauté the other side for 1-2 minutes, covering the pan. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate; pour off and discard fat from pan.

Deglaze the pan with vodka. Cook until liquid is nearly gone, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, lemon juice and cutlets to the pan. Cook on each side 1 minute. Transfer back to the warm plate. Finish the sauce by adding the tomatoes and heavy cream to the pan. Heat through and pour the sauce over the cutlets. Garnish with the fresh chopped green onions and serve immediately.

Per 4-ounce serving of chicken with 2-tablespoons sauce: 293 calories, 14 grams fat (7.1 saturated), 36 grams protein and 2 grams carbohydrate.

It was only after weight loss surgery that I truly began to enjoy and include citrus as an ingredient in savory protein dishes. Have you included citrus in your post-WLS menu? I find that when I enjoy a main dish that includes citrus the sweet-tart flavors help prevent post-meal cravings. This Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca, adapted from Cooking Light January 2011, is a great poultry-citrus recipe. Give it a try! Serve orange slices on the side for added vitamins, fiber and healthy complex carbohydrate.

Ingredients:
4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips (use thin-sliced bacon if prosciutto is unavailable)
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions:
Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3 sage leaves on each cutlet; wrap 2 prosciutto slices around each cutlet, securing sage leaves in place.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Serves 4. Per serving: 202 calories, 30g protein, 8g fat (1.5g saturated fat), 3g carbohydrate. Based on normal serving size, it is expected a weight loss surgery patient will eat a smaller portion.


Orange marmalade and freshly grated orange zest make a deliciously tangy sauce for quick-cooking chicken cutlets or chicken tenders. Try to use no-sugar added marmalade which is sweetened by naturally occuring sugars. Because the sugar content is very low per serving it is unlikely to cause dumping syndrome for gastric bypass patients. Sweet and savory main dishes help prevent hunger pangs and cravings. Avoid using sugar-free marmalade that contains artificial sweetner which may develop an unpleasant taste when cooked.

Ingredients:
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons no-sugar added orange marmalade
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pound chicken cutlets or chicken tenders
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large shallots, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

Directions:
Whisk broth, vinegar, marmalade, mustard and cornstarch in a medium bowl.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 4 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and shallots to the pan and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 30 seconds. Whisk the broth mixture and add it to the pan. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cook until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Add the chicken; return to a simmer. Cook, turning once, until the chicken is heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in orange zest.

Serves 4. Per serving: 213 Calories; 27g Protein; 8g Fat (1g Saturated); 10g Carbohydrate. Adapted from Eating Well.

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The health content provided by LivingAfterWLS, LLC is intended to inform, not prescribe, and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice and care of a qualified health-care professional.

 

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