Saturday, February 14, 2015

Roasted Chicken Breast with Zucchini Noodles and Garlic Asparagus

Last night, I had 20 minutes, zero desire to cook, and stuff (12 ounce chicken breast, 1/3 jar of tomato sauces, two zucchinis, and a bundle of asparagus) that needed to be cooked or tossed. 

This was also my second chance to play with my Spiral Slicer ($15 - $30, depending on where you buy), which was an opportunity to learn from the total failure earlier in the week - where I boiled the zucchini 'noodles' - trust Uncle Tim, this will not work, unless you really wanted a paste-like substance).  In addition to the above, here is what else you will need on your cutting board;

While you preheating your oven to 400 degrees, go ahead and mince the garlic and set aside. Spiral slice the zucchini into noodles, making sure to cut the pile in half after completing each one (makes the end product much more manageable for you to enjoy) and place in a large bowl. Season the noodles with the 'Garlic Lovers' season, tossing to evenly coat. Cut asparagus down to tips that will fit into the small pan.

Add 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium heat. Place chicken on a new cutting board (cross contamination is not fun) and pat the breast dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with 'Everything Seasoning', pepper and paprika to taste. Place seasoned meat in skillet and sear each side roughly two minutes. Once seared, transfer the meat to the racked sheet pan and place in the oven and cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Lightly wipe the skillet out.

While the chicken cooks, 1 tablespoon of oil to medium heat. Once heated add the minced garlic and saute until they start to brown. Add the asparagus tips and continue to saute, tossing frequently until the garlic is golden brown and the tips are bright green (heated through), plate the asparagus. In the larger pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil to medium and then add the zucchini and saute for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, tossing frequently. Plate the zucchini and turn your heat to low. Add the sauce to your large pan to heat, making sure to stir regularly. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest until the internal temperature rises to 165 degrees. Once rested, slice into medallions and plate on top of the noodles. Add the heated sauce and enjoy.

At just 13 Weight Watchers points, there was zero concern about impacting our Saturday morning weigh-in (yes, we both posted losses this week) by eating a carb-laced, heavy dinner. I am not saying that this replaces pasta but, it was a damn good substitute and is going to be one of my go to meals for times that I don't really feel like cooking. The fact that we split a chicken breast (where we previously would have had one this size on our own) and felt totally full was just plain bonus.

Eat well my friends...

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