11. Rotisserie Chicken Tacos With Salsa Verde
This quick and easy weight loss dinner uses store-bought everything, so little to no prep is necessary (only if you’re heating the tortillas). A recipe so easy, and you’ll end up having rotisserie chicken leftovers that you can use for all sorts of things for days!
Everyone loves rotisserie chicken, and it’s a fast and easy go-to for a family dinner in a pinch with no prep needed. But once you’re ready to get back in the kitchen, we have this great chicken tacos recipe that you can use with leftover pieces of this delicious meat. Tossed with a good dose of bright, mildly spicy salsa verde, rotisserie chicken is the perfect filling for tacos, burritos, and even enchiladas. Indeed, there might not be a better use of a supermarket rotisserie chicken. Even freshly grilled chicken breasts won’t yield better results, because it’s hard to top the juiciness of a spit-roasted bird. These chicken tacos with salsa verde are not only delicious, but they are also a much healthier alternative to their chain restaurant counterpart. So get cooking and indulge!
NUTRITION: 345 calories, 12 g fat (4.5 g saturated), 800 mg sodium
SERVES 4
YOU’LL NEED
8 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (About three-fourths of a store-bought chicken. Be sure to remove the skin first. As delicious as it may be, its finer points will be lost in the salsa-strewn meat itself, so you may as well save the calories.)
1 1⁄2 cups bottled salsa verde
1⁄2 cup crumbled Cotija or feta cheese
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, quartered
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Heat the tortillas in a large skillet or sauté pan until lightly toasted. Combine the chicken with the salsa in a large mixing bowl, then divide evenly among the tortillas.
- Top with crumbled cheese, onion, and cilantro.
- Serve with lime wedges.
Eat This Tip
This two-ingredient mixture is simply too delicious to confine to tacos. Here are a few other ways to let it sing:
- Make enchiladas by rolling it into warm corn tortillas. Top with more salsa and Jack cheese, and bake in a 400 ̊F oven for 20 minutes.
- Grill romaine hearts until lightly wilted and top with the chicken mixture, toasted corn, and chopped tomatoes.
- Follow this recipe, but top with a fried egg and eat with a knife and fork.
12. Butter-Baked Salmon and Asparagus
This is one of the easiest weeknight meals you can make thanks to the minimal prep required. If you like a simple salmon, this will do the trick. Plus, it’s keto-friendly.
Salmon and asparagus are always great together grilled, but this baked salmon recipe is even more appropriate for keto diet followers because it adds more delicious fat to the omega-3 fatty acids found naturally in salmon. The hint of lemon in the mayo-based topping is delicious on the asparagus, too.
While olive oil is a natural pairing for salmon, this recipe adds fat and flavor from another source: butter. High-fat foods are an essential part of the keto diet, and butter adds plenty of fat (not to mention delicious flavor) to this meal. Combined with a mayonnaise-heavy topping, this meal is as rich and decadent as it is healthy.
Plus, this keto dinner only requires about 10 minutes of hands-on time. All you have to do is trim the ends off the asparagus, melt the butter, and let everything bake on a sheet pan as you put the dressing together. If you’re looking for a new go-to weeknight dinner, this baked salmon recipe has you covered.
NUTRITION: 586 calories, 52 g fat (16 g saturated), 721 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 26 g protein
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp butter
2 4-oz fresh salmon fillets, skin-on
1/2 lb fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp chopped green onion
2 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 tsp lemon juice
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Melt the butter. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium.
- Prep the salmon. Place salmon, skin side down, on one side of a baking sheet. Add asparagus to the other side of the baking sheet. Drizzle melted butter over salmon and asparagus; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, and asparagus is tender.
- Make the topping. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, green onion, parsley, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Serve with roasted salmon and asparagus. If desired, top with additional parsley.
Eat This Tip
Trim off the woody ends of the asparagus before adding spears to the pan. Cook until tender but not mushy.