Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Chicken with Fennel, Zucchini and Mushrooms
PIN IT!
Do you see the resemblance?? I do!
The reason I’ve never used a fennel bulb in my cooking is because of my weird hangups with certain types of food. For one, look at the actual bulbs. They look A LOT like Wilson from Castaway. Really! Compare them above! However, I overcame my uneasiness towards the peculiar vegetable because I’m trying, really hard, to broaden my palette. Along with that, fennel is also a great fall vegetable and perfect alongside the squash, zucchini and tomato. [Which is exactly what I used it with!] I was looking for a fresh, light and veggie packed dinner and was ecstatic when I found a recipe involving all of my favorite autumn vegetables at My Recipes. I swapped out some ingredients for others to make it more suited to our tastes. Enjoy!
Chicken with Fennel, Zucchini and Mushrooms
What You’ll Need:
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 2 1/2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 2 cups finely chopped zucchini
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds [the leafy part of the bulb]
- 1 table spoons goat cheese
How to Make It:
- Mix the breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning together. Roll the chicken breasts into the crumbs until they are heavily breaded.
- Heat 3 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan.
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium heat. Add fennel, zucchini, and mushroom; cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add broth, tomato paste, salt, fennel seeds, ground black pepper and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally so the veggies don’t stick to the pan.
- Return the chicken to pan; cover and cook 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is done. Sprinkle with fennel fronds and goat cheese.
My favorite thing about this meal? Even with a serving that large [about 85 percent of this was veggies] you are still eating less than 450 calories and about 10 grams of fat!
Nutritional Information per serving [1/2 chicken breast and 2 cups of veggies]: 300 calories, 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 29 grams of protein.
Claire
Tags:autumn dinner, easy chicken dish, easy recipe, fennel, fennel and zucchini, low fat dish
