5. Simple Chicken Scaloppine
Scaloppine is most often made from a thin slice of chicken or beef and is served with some sort of reduction sauce. This chicken scaloppine recipe uses white wine and is great for those looking for a healthy weight-loss dinner for super busy evenings because it can be made in under 30 minutes.
Another Italian classic lost in translation. Too many cooks interpret this dish—traditionally chicken or pork, lightly floured and cooked with sage and prosciutto—as a huge helping of meat, breaded and fried, and covered in a murky, sodium-strewn gravy.
Our lighter, more authentic version wraps chicken and sage in a layer of prosciutto, which then becomes a crispy skin that keeps the chicken moist while it sautés. A splash of wine and chicken stock directly into the cooking pan becomes your 2-minute sauce. Just the latest proof of why simpler is so often better.
NUTRITION: 280 calories, 11 g fat (3.5 g saturated), 460 mg sodium
SERVES 4
YOU’LL NEED
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (about 6 oz each), pounded to uniform 1⁄4″ thickness
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 fresh sage leaves
4 thin slices prosciutto
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup white wine
1⁄2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 Tbsp butter
Fresh parsley (optional)
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Lay two sage leaves across each breast, then wrap each with a slice of prosciutto, using a toothpick or two to secure the wrap.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the prosciutto is browned and crispy and the chicken is firm to the touch and cooked through.
- Transfer to 4 plates.
- Add the wine and stock to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any cooked bits.
- Swirl in the butter and parsley (if using).
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Eat This Tip
Pounding Protein
A number of recipes call on you to pound a chicken breast into a thinner cutlet. The reason being that meat—chicken, steak, pork—that has a uniform thickness cooks quicker and more evenly.
The process is easy: Take out a large cutting board and lay the chicken on top. Cover with a few layers of plastic wrap, and use a meat mallet (or a heavy-bottomed pan) to thwack the meat into submission.
Of course, many supermarkets sell chicken and other meats in cutlet form, but, really, where’s the fun in that?
6. Spicy-Sweet Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Sandwich
When searching for a healthy meal for weight loss that you can make in a short amount of time, you’ll want to look for things high in protein, on the lower end calorie-wise, and ideally low in added sugars, too. This chicken and pineapple sandwich is ideal because it not only provides protein with very little fat and a moderate amount of calories, but it also provides a tangy sweetness with very little added sugar. The jalapeños also offer up a nice spice to balance out the sweetness.
Not even the relatively healthy genre of grilled chicken sandwiches is a safe bet when you seek sustenance away from home. That’s because places like Outback go long on the oil and the dressing, gobbling up (in this case) half of your day’s saturated fat and sodium. Our sandwich is a spicy-sweet combination of teriyaki-glazed chicken, juicy grilled pineapple, and fiery jalapeños—a chicken sandwich to end all fatty chicken sandwiches. Trust us: You won’t miss the fried versions at all once you sink your teeth into this sweet and savory combination.
NUTRITION: 400 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated), 640 mg sodium
SERVES 4
YOU’LL NEED
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4–6 oz each)
Teriyaki sauce
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 pineapple slices (1⁄2″ thick)
4 whole-wheat buns (Note: Whole-wheat buns are often made with a small percentage of whole grains and a surplus of sugar. Settle on a brand with 3 grams of fiber and fewer than 110 calories per bun. Nature’s Own Whitewheat buns are the best in show.)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Pickled Jalapeños
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Combine the chicken and enough teriyaki sauce to cover in a resealable plastic bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
- Heat a grill until hot (You shouldn’t be able to hold your hand above the grates for more than 5 seconds.)
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill; discard any remaining marinade.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side; flip and immediately add the cheese to each breast.
- Continue cooking until the cheese is melted and the chicken is lightly charred and firm to the touch. Remove and set aside.
- While the chicken rests, add the pineapple and the buns to the grill. Cook the buns until they’re lightly toasted and the pineapple until it’s soft and caramelized, about 2 minutes per side.
- Top each bun with chicken, red onion, jalapeño slices, and pineapple. If you like, drizzle the chicken with a bit more teriyaki sauce.
Eat This Tip
How to Shop for Cheaper Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts may be America’s most popular protein, but they’re not exactly its cheapest. Want to cut the tab for this sandwich nearly in half? Switch to frozen. An in-house taste test at Men’s Health found little to no discrepancy in flavor. The only real difference? Fresh chicken breast runs around $6 a pound, while a pound of frozen works out to be less than $4.