Creamy Garlic Chicken

After my car crash attempt at making Asian pork meatballs, I needed to bring my ‘A game’ back to the kitchen and Creamy Garlic Chicken from Pinch of Nom was just the tonic. This is so easy to make and tastes amazing with a few new potatoes and/or some veg to go with it.

Low-fat cream cheese is a dieter’s best friend and can give otherwise bland tasting dishes a more luxurious feel. For other ideas, check out chicken and leeks in blue cheese sauce, one-pot creamy leek & sausage bake, chicken & chorizo risnotto and poulet au vinaigre.

Recipe: Creamy Garlic Chicken

Calories: 260 per serving (with new potatoes / mash and/or veg)

Serves: 4

Book: Pinch of Nom – Everyday Light

Prep time: Approx 15 mins

Cooking time: Approx 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 400g chicken breast or thigh meat thinly sliced (skin and visible fat removed)
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 400ml meat stock (1 beef stock cube dissolved in 400ml boiling water and mixed with 1 chicken stock pot)
• 1 onion (thinly sliced)
• 250g button mushrooms (thinly sliced)
• 3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced or crushed)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 175g low-fat cream cheese

To serve:

• Fresh chives (chopped)
• Sweet smoked paprika (optional)

Cost per portion: Approx £1.41 (based on using chicken thighs)

Method:

Season the chicken slices with a little salt and pepper, then set aside.

Spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.

Add the chicken and quickly seal it on all sides, then remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to the medium heat. Add the white wine vinegar to the Worcestershire sauce and deglaze the pan with the mixture, scraping and stirring the browned bits from the bottom of the pan – use some of the stock if you need to. When most of the liquid has evaporated, spray the pan with some low-calorie cooking spray. Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until they start to brown, then add the Dijon mustard and cook for a minute or two, stirring. Add the stock to the pan and simmer until reduced by half, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, making sure there are no lumps of cheese.

Return the chicken to the pan, stir well and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked. If the sauce seems a little thick you can add some more water until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

Sprinkle with the chopped chives and paprika, if desired.