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Monday, May 6, 2013

Easy Chicken Bits

Hey everyone! Today I made myself some chicken. I "steam-sear" it, which is probably the best way to cook food on a skillet. It's when you add just a little bit of oil to get it hot, then add a little water and cover it and allowing it to steam. I keep it really simple and basic to keep the calories, fat, carbs, etc. low. I never fry my foods. Here's why..Frying food in oil creates harmful free radicals, which are reactive chemicals that damage cells, increases cancer risks, aging, and destroys essential nutrients. The high temperatures oxidize the oil therefore creating free radicals. This is true for all fried foods: french fries (even homemade), potato chips, and crispbread. If you must fry food, use a little bit of olive oil. Avoid vegetable oil at all cost (explained more below). So here's my steam-seared chicken..

Ok so first you have to buy your chicken. I'm a fan of organic chicken from Trader Joe's, but use what floats your boat. Make sure it's boneless chicken breast. I wash it, cut out the fat, and cut it into cubes. 
I place it in a pan to make marinating much easier. I then throw in like 5 cloves of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, white vinegar, and black pepper in a food processor and run it for a minute. Then I pour the mixture over the chicken and add in cumin, onion powder, and Mrs. Dash garlic and herb. 
Once all that's mixed up, I heat up a skillet on medium heat. And I add coconut oil. Here's the thing with oil: it's better to use a saturated fat (coconut butter, coconut oil) or a monosaturated fat (olive oil) rather than polyunsaturated fat (vegetable oil, corn oil) because they produce harmful free radicals when put under high temperature. CO is better than EVOO because CO is much better at tolerating the high temps. EVOO is best used as a salad dressing (although I include it in my marinade). You can buy a jar of extra virgin coconut oil and store it at room temp in a dark place or buy it as a spray (mine is from Trader Joe's).
When the skillet is hot enough, add the chicken and cover. Remember how I said I add water so it can steam? I don't need to do that with chicken because it creates it's own water (vets of the cooking world know what I mean). When it is a little brown, flip over.
Now, you can cook until the water is gone to brown it just a tinge. You have to watch it or else it will burn (burnt food also contain free radicals). Or, you can broil it on both sides  very quickly. Literally about 4 mins on each side at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. This is optional  just to get it a little brown. Serve with a side, and you've got the perfect meal.
I didn't watch my chicken so some of it got a little burnt, so I just cut those parts out. I also had this with a little sauce on the side. It was a mixture of ketchup, mustard, and siracha. Low cal with a punch of flavor. 

That's how I cook my chicken a lot of the time. It's super easy and very healthy. Happy Monday!

xoxo





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