HG's Sweet and Sour Chicken 1 2 3

I haven't met many people who would say no to Sweet and Sour Chicken from a Chinese restaurant. I have tried to stop myself because that dish is full of sugar and calories. Here is Hungry Girl's version of this delicious Chinese food staple that won't weigh you down.

HG's Sweet & Sour Chicken 1-2-3

Serving Size: 1/3rd of recipe, about 2 cups
Calories: 295
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 730mg
Carbs: 37g
Fiber: 5.25g
Sugars: 27g
Protein: 30g

PointsPlus® value 7*

Ingredients:
12 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
16 oz. canned pineapple chunks packed in juice (not drained)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
2 cups bean sprouts

Directions:
Bring a large skillet or wok sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the skillet/wok.

Stirring occasionally, cook until chicken is no longer pink on the outside, about 3 minutes. Add broccoli florets, bell pepper, celery, and 2 tbsp. of water to the skillet/wok. Cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, drain the juice from the canned pineapple into a small nonstick pot. Add cornstarch and stir to dissolve. Add vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, crushed red pepper, and ginger. Mix thoroughly. Bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Stirring frequently, cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.

To the skillet/wok, add pineapple chunks, bean sprouts, and sauce. Mix well. Continue to cook and stir until sprouts have softened and chicken is fully cooked, about 4 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

MAKES 3 SERVINGS

Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad

From Eating Well, here is another Asian style chicken noodle salad for us to try; a little different than the Vietnamese version but still delicious and easy to make.

Chinese Chicken & Noodle Salad

This delicious Chinese-inspired salad is crisp, crunchy and cool with shredded cabbage, carrots and chicken breast tossed with toasted ramen noodles and slivered almonds. The dressing is an addictive orange, sesame, ginger and soy combination—you may want to double the dressing and save some for a salad the next day.

4 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 3-ounce package low-fat ramen-noodle soup mix , (see Note)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
3 1/4-inch-thick slices fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
5 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
5 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 medium carrot, shredded
3 scallions, chopped

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Crumble ramen noodles onto a large rimmed baking sheet (discard seasoning packet). Add almonds, sesame seeds and canola oil; toss to coat. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir, then bake until the noodles are golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Let cool on the pan on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, place chicken in a medium skillet or saucepan with water to cover. Add ginger and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until no longer pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165°F, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board to cool. Using forks, shred into bite-size pieces. (Discard the poaching liquid.)
Meanwhile, combine orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid. Whisk or shake until the sugar has dissolved.
Just before serving, combine the shredded chicken, cabbage, carrot and scallions in a large bowl. Add the toasted noodle mixture and the dressing; mix well.

TIPS & NOTES
Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate the vegetables, toasted noodle mixture, chicken and dressing in separate containers for up to 1 day. Toss together just before serving.

Tip: Ramen noodles, usually packaged with a seasoning mix to make instant soup, are a convenient—and seemingly healthful—product. But what you may not realize is that the noodles have been deep-fried. A serving of the soup contains 8 grams of fat. Look for baked ramen, with only 1 gram of fat per serving. Be sure to check the label so you know what you're buying.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 399 calories; 12 g fat ( 2 g sat , 5 g mono ); 96 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrates; 41 g protein; 4 g fiber; 558 mg sodium; 581 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (50% daily value), Vitamin C (35% dv), Folate (26% dv), Magnesium (21% dv), Potassium (17% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 2

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat

Chinese Take Out used to be a Sunday night thing with my family. We still go out for Chinese often, but I usually cook for myself now. I don't know how long it's been since I've had take out, but I know that it'd be fun to have some Chinese food without all of the oil and calories. From Eating Well, here are some "Better than Chinese Take Out" recipes for you to try out. I'm excited to do the same.

Pork Chop Suey

From EatingWell: March/April 2010

Chop suey is often made with bamboo shoots and water chestnuts—add them to this recipe if you wish. Serve with: Udon noodles.

4 servings, about 1 cup each

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons molasses, preferably blackstrap
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1 medium onion, slivered
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 cups mung bean sprouts (see Note)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger


PREPARATION
Combine broth, soy sauce, molasses and pepper in a medium bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the mixture to a small bowl; stir in cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the pink is gone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, bell pepper, sprouts and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth mixture and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add the reserved cornstarch mixture and pork (and any accumulated juice) and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

TIPS & NOTES
Note: Mung bean sprouts (germinated mung beans), often simply labeled “bean sprouts,” are white with a light yellow tip and are thicker than more common alfalfa sprouts.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 280 calories; 10 g fat ( 1 g sat , 5 g mono ); 74 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 7 g added sugars; 28 g protein; 3 g fiber; 504 mg sodium; 957 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (87% daily value), Potassium (27% dv), Iron (20% dv), Vitamin A (19% dv), Zinc (17% dv), Folate (16% dv)

Carbohydrate Servings: 1 1/2

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 other carbohydrate, 3 lean meat, 1 fat

From Self's November 2008 feature of Eat Healthy All Week, here is a slimmed down version of General Tso's Chicken.

Skinny General Tso's Chicken

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 6 oz), thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
• 1/2 cup low-sodium nonfat chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 cup chopped romaine
• 1 small carrot, chopped
• 3 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon Carrot-Ginger Dressing
• 1/4 cup cooked brown rice (left over from Tuesday's dinner)

PREPARATION

1. Mix chicken, garlic, ginger, vinegar and 1 tsp cornstarch in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate about 20 minutes. Whisk broth, soy sauce, sugar, pepper flakes and remaining 1 tsp cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Coat a small skillet with cooking spray. Add oil and heat skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion until it browns lightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken browns, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth mixture and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Toss romaine, carrot and tomatoes for a side salad; sprinkle with dressing. Microwave rice 20 to 30 seconds. Serve chicken with salad and rice.

THE SKINNY

493 calories per serving, 10.5 g fat (1.8 g saturated), 50.5 g carbs, 5.4 g fiber, 46.3 g protein

This is from Eating Well. Chinese food is one of my main cravings, but the food that I get from the restaurants is always so overfilled with calories and I end up eating way more than I should have. Here is an easy recipe for a Chinese style chicken dish that won't fill you with excess oil and calories from their series of 25 Chicken Recipes under 350 Calories.

Sichuan-Style Chicken with Peanuts

The piquant Sichuan Sauce (which doubles easily) works well with almost any stir-fry but particularly enhances dishes with meat, fish and poultry. When stir-frying chicken, always spread the pieces in the wok and let them cook undisturbed for 1 minute before stirring. This allows the chicken to sear and prevents sticking. To smash the ginger, use the side of a cleaver or chef's knife.

4 servings, 1 cup each

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

SICHUAN SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Chinkiang rice vinegar, (see Note) or balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste

CHICKEN

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, or thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon Shao Hsing rice wine, (see Note) or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 1/2-inch-thick slices ginger, smashed
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, (8 ounces)
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 scallion, minced

PREPARATION

1. To prepare Sichuan sauce: Whisk broth, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and crushed red pepper to taste in a small bowl.
2. To prepare chicken: Combine chicken, rice wine (or sherry), soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly.
3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl oil into the pan, add ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Carefully add the chicken mixture, spreading it out. Cook until the chicken begins to brown, about 1 minute. Using a spatula, stir-fry for 30 seconds. Spread the chicken out again and cook for 30 seconds. Continue stir-frying until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Add snap peas and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir the Sichuan Sauce, swirl it into the pan and stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened and glossy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a platter (discard the ginger) and sprinkle with peanuts and scallions. Serve immediately.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare Sichuan Sauce (Step 1); cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

• Notes: Chinkiang is a dark, slightly sweet vinegar with a smoky flavor. It is available in many Asian specialty markets. If unavailable, balsamic vinegar is an acceptable substitute.
• Shao Hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine. It is available in most Asian specialty markets and some larger supermarkets in the Asian section. An acceptable substitute is dry sherry, sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store. (We prefer it to the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets, which can be surprisingly high in sodium.)

NUTRITION

Per serving: 273 calories; 12 g fat (2 g sat, 6 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 3 g fiber; 177 mg sodium; 427 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (30% daily value), Iron (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat