Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes & Kale on Mushroom Risotto!
I created this unbelievably delicious, healthy, high protein meal for a friend who was looking for gluten free meal ideas. He was asking about alternatives to pasta, and after thinking about it I really thought that the next best thing would be rice. I am not a fan of packaged protein pasta, and often times many products labelled gluten free don't impress me either. Other forms of starch, such as polenta and quinoa would be excellent too here, but the arborio rice was a better option for keeping the calories down.
...and, full disclosure, I might have finished my plate off with a gram or two of truffle oil. It added a few more calories and some fat, but my tracker wasn't mad at it.
Makes 4 servings of chicken & 2 servings of mushroom risotto:
53g Protein, 5g Fiber, 647 Calories for 1 serving of the whole dish assembled together
Delicious left over for lunch the next day too!
- 4 Bone-In Skin On Chicken Thighs (about 105g each)
- Salt & Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Herbes de Provence
- Smoked Paprika
- 240 g Kale, roughly chopped
- 300 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 8 oz Sliced Mushrooms
- Salt & Pepper
- Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 cup Arborio Rice
- 2 cups Beef Bone Broth
- 1 oz Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1
Season the chicken generously on both sides with all of the spices (it is okay to measure with your heart).
- 2
Add the olive oil to a a large oven-proof pan with a lid, then add the chicken thighs, skin side down.
- 3
Brown the chicken on both sides (about 3 minutes a side), then remove to a plate and set aside.
- 4
In the same pan, add the garlic, the kale, and the cherry tomatoes.
- 5
Cook and stir until the kale is slightly wilted, then season with salt & pepper.
- 6
Add the chicken back to the pan, on top of the vegetables, skin side up.
- 7
Cover the pot and place in a 375 degree oven.
- 8
Bake for 35-40 minutes.
For the mushroom risotto:- 9
Heat the bone broth in a small saucepan and continue to keep it warm, without boiling it.
- 10
In a separate pot, add the olive oil and cook the garlic just until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- 11
Add the mushrooms, and season with salt & pepper,
and the Herbes de Provence.- 12
After the mushrooms have roasted slightly, add the arborio rice.
- 13
Stir to coat the rice, then add 2 ladles of the warm broth.
- 14
Continue to cook and stir the rice over very low heat
until the broth has been absorbed.- 15
Add 1 ladle of broth and continue to cook and stir until the broth has been absorbed.
- 16
Continue this process until there is just over 1 ladle of broth left and the rice is nearly cooked.
- 17
Stir in the cheese and add the last ladle of broth.
- 18
Reserve any remaining broth to add to the risotto just before serving.
To serve:- 19
Place 1/2 of the risotto in a bowl, pile on a quarter of the vegetables, top with a chicken thigh, and enjoy!
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FitOver50FoodieI make delicious and satisfying high protein, high fiber, low calorie meals!When I hit my 50s and went into menopause, it felt like my body had been taken over by an alien! Despite cooking at home and eating whole, clean foods, I started gaining weight, felt exhausted all the time, and—let’s be honest—I was mad at everyone!
I found myself visiting doctors often, desperate to feel healthy again.
Everything changed when I discovered the power of prioritizing protein at every meal and lifting heavy weights to build muscle! I finally feel like myself again!
I make delicious and satisfying high protein, high fiber, low calorie meals that work if you are in a calorie deficit, looking for protein, trying to build and retain muscle or just want some inspiration in the kitchen for what to cook and eat!
I can’t wait for you to join me in my kitchen! - 2
