Healthy But Delicious: Recipe 1 – Apricot Chicken

Well it’s been almost 3 weeks since I posted (oops), so I figured the only way to get back into your hearts would be through your stomachs. And since I can’t send every one a pizza, I’ll have to settle for sharing this deliiiicious but also balanced and nutritious recipe with you.

Now that I’m doing my best to make good choices when it comes to food, my most favorite thing is finding ways to make food that is both healthy but also super yummy (because let’s face it…when you’re a foodie, even one boring meal feels like a lost opportunity.) Whoever said meals should only be fuel has clearly never loved food and/or cooking passionately! Which is why I consider it a total win when I make a meal that makes both my body and my foodie heart happy. So with that in mind, I am going to start posting recipes that I find that are both healthy AND tasty so I can share the goodness!

So today, I present to you recipe number 1, guaranteed to delight both your body and your taste buds . The whole recipe is about 550 calories, with only 20 grams of fat. Perfect for a light (but delicious) dinner!

Apricot Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans

What You’ll Need (to serve 4):

• 24 oz (1.5 lbs) of fingerling potatoes
• 12 oz green beans
• 1/8 cup of sliced almonds (optional)
• 1/3 of a yellow onion (you can also use a shallot if you’d prefer)
• 30 oz of chicken breast (chicken loses about 25% of its weight after cooking, so this should leave each person with about 6 oz of meat)
• ¼ oz of fresh thyme
• 1 oz apricot preserves/jam
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 pouch of chicken stock concentrate (Trader Joe’s has these, and Swanson makes them as well)
• 8 teaspoons (give or take) of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and dry all produce. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve potatoes lengthwise. Toss on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper (feel free to add rosemary, thyme, whatever you like to fancy up your potatoes). Roast in oven until tender and lightly browned, 20-25 minutes total (we’re going to save you some dish cleaning time by adding more to the sheet after 10 minutes – so make sure it’s a big enough baking sheet!)
2. Once potatoes have roasted 10 minutes, remove sheet from oven and give them a toss, pushing toward one side of sheet. Toss green beans with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper on other side of sheet. Return sheet to oven and roast until potatoes are done and green beans are lightly crisped, about 10 minutes. (If you want to add those almonds for a little bit of crunch, add to green beans and toss when there are about 3-4 minutes left baking time.)
3. Finely mince 1/3 of an onion (or half a shallot if you used one.)
4. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, then season all over with salt and pepper. Add to pan and cook until no longer pink in center (or a thermometer reads 165° F), 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside to rest.
5. Add shallot, thyme, and a drizzle of olive oil to same pan over medium heat. Cook, tossing, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in apricot preserves and 1 tbsp vinegar. Let simmer until syrupy, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 TBSP water and stock concentrate. Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat, add 1 TBSP butter, and stir until melted. PRO TIP: Stir in a splash of water if sauce is thick.
6. Discard thyme from pan. Give sauce a taste and add more vinegar if you prefer a tangier flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice chicken. Divide chicken, green beans, and potatoes between plates. Drizzle sauce over chicken and serve.

ENJOY! (And let me know what you think below. )

(recipe adapted from HelloFresh)