I have gotten on the healthy eating kick, as many
people have. I mean, look at all the
benefits that healthy eating does for our bodies. Who can deny all those studies that prove
that a well-balanced diet can extend our lifespans and lessen the chance of
acquiring a serious illness? Nobody! I
was really looking to lose some weight that I had gained after having my three
girls. I formulated some really
unhealthy eating habits when they were younger because I was tired, really
tired. And rather than cook for myself,
I would reach for the snacks, especially at night after the girls were
asleep. Ahhhh, rest, relaxation and
Ruffles! Sour Cream and Onion chips and
I were having an `after-hours` affair on my loveseat! (Must have been pretty
intense judging from the amount of crumbs under the loveseat!)
So I have been eating healthier all around and joined
the Ideal Protein diet. I have lost 20
pounds so far and am thrilled with the success that I have had. However, I have had a tumultuous relationship
with a particular grind of meat…ground chicken!
Oh. My. Goodness! Has there ever
been a successful ground chicken recipe that really tastes great and your
family will not complain about?
My first run in with ground chicken was a DISASTER of
epic proportions. I substituted ground
chicken for the ground beef in a recipe and my taste testers (AKA my family) put
their snobby noses up in the air. I
could not get over the absolute BLAH factor of the dish. The ground chicken absolutely killed it!
Not to be undone by a lump of chicken, I was determined
to find a ground chicken recipe that fascinated my family and met my
requirements for ‘healthy’.
I decided to replace my gorgeous ground beef with the chicken
version in a chili that I was making. I didn’t mind the slop after it sat in the pot overnight,
but it was not a slam dunk with the fam.
It
was healthy and had a variety of veggies, which was great. BUT I had to feather some shredded cheddar on
top to make it outstanding! (And thereby making it a less healthy meal!) Strike Two!
Egads! The price
of ground chicken is just crazy, so I really hate to waste anything. I
attempted this weekend to create some delish chicken meatballs from a recipe I
found online. I read the list of
ingredients, which included garlic (yum), onions (yum), fresh parsley (okay)
and my personal fave, Frank’s Red Hot. I
mixed, patted and rolled my balls into little lumps of perfection. I lovingly placed them onto the broiler,
whispered some sweet little nothings and popped them into the oven with a silent
prayer of hope. Crossed my fingers and
hoped to die…
I prepared some asparagus, cauliflower and broccoli to
roast in the oven and sautéed some mushrooms for the sides. These meatballs were going to be my ground
chicken success, I was sure of it.
I brought them out of the oven and popped them in the
frying pan to coat them with hot sauce.
Everything was ready for this moment, this epitome of ground chicken…
My daughter passed on the meatballs and went right for
the veggies. (Yes, she is weird that
way.) I knew I was in trouble the minute
I tried to use my fork to cut the meatball into two. Ohmyfriggin’God…drier than a popcorn fart!
I managed to get two down and that was it. The meatballs tasted terrible…dry, hot, just
no good. I wish I would’ve taken a picture…of
my face!
So I put some on a plate for the Mister when he got
home that night. Bahaha! It didn’t go over that great when he reheated
them in the microwave. Double dry
popcorn farts!
Our family canine enjoyed almost two pounds of
chicken-popcorn fart meatballs, so it wasn`t a complete bomb.
I am squawking in defeat with this healthy ground beef
alternative. I am throwing the towel in
the chicken coop. And really, really
wanting to choke a few chickens in the process.
I decided on a whim to see how other people make ground
chicken work for them in various recipes because quite frankly, it sucks as a
substitute. No lying! How did they do it? One chef adds ½ cup to 1 cup of olive oil or
heavy cream to her ground chicken before cooking it to prevent dryness. Well, that defeats the whole purpose of using
ground chicken as a lean, low-fat alternative to ground beef.
Stick to ground beef!
Drain it and rinse it and most of the fat will be gone, especially if
you buy extra-lean ground beef.
Now…where are those chicken breasts? And my mallet!
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