Kimberly: Five-Spice Chicken and Orange Salad

This very low calorie meal can serve as a lunch or even late dinner, and is very easy to put together as a light meal. Comprising 300 calories and 10 grams of fat, this meal is very simple to prepare and a different type of salad to experiment with. Additionally, it presents a healthy alternative to a late lunch or dinner, and you do not have to feel bad about yourself for eating it after the fact.

The ingredients required:

• 6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil,
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder (originally considered a miracle blend of the five elements – sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty),
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt,
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper,
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
• 3 oranges,
• 12 cups mixed Asian or salad greens,
• 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips,
• ½ cup slivered red onion,
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, and
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

To prepare this salad, preheat your oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, then combine the 1 teaspoon oil, five-spice powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1-2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. After this, rub the mixture into both sides of the chicken breasts. You then want to heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat and then add the chicken breasts to cook. After that, you need to peel two of the oranges, and collect the segments and juice in a bowl, then zest and juice the remaining oranges. Add the greens, bell pepper, and onion to the orange bowl, then whisk in vinegar, mustard, the rest of the oil and salt, and freshly ground pepper. Then, pour the dressing over the salad, and toss everything together, adding the chicken at the end on top of the salad.

There are many days in the week where salads would be a lovely alternative to eating out or picking up something fast, and salads such as this one are so easy and beneficial to your health, that it is a wonder more people do not actively make this type of meal daily. So if you are looking for a quick way in which to save money as well as lower your daily calorie intake, consider a quick, easy lunch meal such as this one.

This post was contributed by Kimberly Peterson, who writes about the health care administration.

by Kath on May 28, 2009

in Guest Posts