Find healthy chicken recipes, from low-calorie chicken tikka to light to lighter chicken Kievs. They are recipes the whole family loves, but with a healthy makeover
These healthy chicken recipes will be enjoyed by your whole family. Each classic recipe has been given a healthy makeover.
Find healthy chicken recipes, from low-calorie chicken tikka to light to lighter chicken Kievs. To make it even easier for you, we've told you exactly why they are healthy, how many calories a portion contains and and how long it takes to make each recipe. It couldn't be simpler!
Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to miss out on your favourites or miss out on flavour either. It's all about portion size, ingredients and most importantly, protein. Chicken is one of the best sources of protein and will keep you feeling fuller for longer, so if you're counting the calories, on a healthy eating diet or want to shift a few pounds, these simple and delicious recipes will help keep you on track.
First up, this Greek-style stuffed chicken and salad pictured above.
Why so healthy? The Greeks are renowned for their healthy cuisine and this Greek-style chicken recipe stuffed with spinach, feta and fresh herbs and served with a fresh salad is light and delicious, but a great way to eat more veg. Calories: 313 per portion Time it takes to make: 35 mins Top tip: Use basil instead of mint next time. Get the recipe: Greek-style stuffed chicken and salad
Chicken taco bowls
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? Chicken taco bowls are an easy way to eat healthier as the recipe uses leftover cooked chicken mixed with plenty of veg to make a quick and easy light meal.
Calories: 288 per portion
Time it takes to make: 10 mins
Top tip: Swap the chicken for shredded beef or pork next time.
Get the recipe: Chicken taco bowls
Low-calorie chicken tikka masala
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? This recipe
teaches you how to make your own tikka masala sauce which is much
healthier than using a jar. Using 0% fat yogurt instead of full fat in
the homemade sauce makes it even better for you.
Calories: 392 cals per portion
Fat: 18.0g
Time it takes to make: 2hr 55 mins
Top tip: If want to be even healthier, use brown rice instead of white.
Get the recipe: Low-calorie chicken tikka masala
Hairy Bikers’ Spanish-style chicken bake
Why so healthy? The Hairy Bikers made this recipe on their diet show so you know it's good for you! The easy dish bakes all the ingredients in the natural fat from the chorizo rather than adding extra fats.
Calories: 370 cals per portion
Time it takes to make: 1hr 15mins
Top tip: The flavours are so strong in this dish you can hide a few extra veggies for the kids to eat. Aubergine and courgette would work well.
Get the recipe: Hairy Bikers' Spanish-style chicken bake
Chicken noodle broth
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? This light-tasting soup is actually pretty
filling thanks to the addition of noodles. It also includes carrots,
celery and leeks so counts as 3 towards your 5-a-day.
Calories: 287 per portion
Fat: 3.5g
Time it takes to make: 1hr 30mins
Top tip: Add light rice noodles to your other soups to make them more filling too.
Get the recipe: Chicken noodle broth
Hairy Bikers’ Thai chicken and coconut curry
Why so healthy? This recipe was part of the Hairy Bikers' dieting phase and is a classic recipe turned good. Half-fat coconut milk is the base of the sauce and plenty of veg bulk this dish up.
Calories: 283 cals per portion
Time it takes to make: 25 mins
Top tip: Serve this dish with Jasmine rice but remember to cook no more than 50g per person so you don't over-indulge.
Get the recipe: Hairy Bikers' Thai chicken and coconut curry
Chicken stir-fry
Why so healthy? This recipe dry fries veg and chicken and drizzles it with light soy sauce - which is all pretty healthy. Packed with chicken, this protein-based dish will keep you fuller for longer meaning less snacking in between meals!
Time it takes to make: 20 mins
Top tip: If you're using dried sh*take mushrooms in this recipe soak them before using so they're soft when cooked.
Get the recipe: Chicken stir-fry
Rosemary Conley’s chicken Kiev and chips
Why so healthy? Making your own chips from scratch is much healthier than shop bought. The chicken is coated in low-fat spread and granary breadcrumbs to turn it into healthy Kievs.
Calories: 339 cals per portion
Fat: 3.7g
Time it takes to make: 40 mins
Top tip: When making the chips, leave the skin on the potatoes for extra fibre.
Get the recipe: Rosemary Conley's chicken Kiev and chips
Lemongrass and lime herby chicken kebabs
Why so healthy? The lemongrass and lime is this dish is packed full of Vitamin C which is good for keeping your skin, joints and bones healthy. This recipe also uses skinless chicken which removes a lot of fat from the dish.
Calories: 393 cals per portion
Time it takes to make: 20 mins
Top tip: When buying lemongrass, look out for tubes or small jars of it alongside the fresh herbs and spices in a supermarket.
Get the recipe: Lemongrass and lime herby chicken kebabs
Warm chicken and barley salad
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? This recipe is made with barley, a good source of protein, and is finished with a light, mint dressing made from a drizzle of oil and a handful of fresh mint leaves blended together - much healthier than shop-bought vinaigrette.
Calories: 383 cals per portion
Fat: 17.0g
Time it takes to make: 1hr
Top tip: Make this salad even quicker to make by using ready-cooked chicken.
Get the recipe: Warm chicken and barley salad
Slimming World’s lemon and garlic chicken with a warm potato salad
Why so healthy? Cherry tomatoes, new potatoes and green beans packs this dish with veg. A light, fat-free vinaigrette dressing is ideal for keeping the fat count down.
Slimming World syns: Extra easy: free, Original: 4, Green: 8.
Time it takes to make: 25 mins
Top tip: Make sure you remove the skin on your chicken or use skinless chicken breasts as this is where most of the fat is kept.
Get the recipe: Slimming World's lemon and garlic chicken with a warm potato salad
Chicken and mushroom pot pies
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Why so healthy? This recipe replaces the fatty cream filling of a
chicken and mushroom pie with mushroom soup to bring down the calorie
count. It also only has a thin layer of pastry on top of the pie, rather
than the filling being surrounded by it.
Calories: 465 cals per portion
Fat: 25g
Time it takes to make: 40mins
Top tip: Replace the pastry topping with a vegetable mash made with sweet potato or carrot to make this pie even healthier.
Get the recipe: Chicken and mushroom pot pies
Thai chicken rice salad
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? This recipe uses
peanut oil, which is full of good fats and is a great base for frying
vegetables in. Lemongrass, mint and coriander makes this dish so
flavoursome - so there's no need for a fatty sauce.
Calories: 310 cals per portion
Fat: 7.0g
Time it takes to make: 35 mins
Top tip: Use brown rice for an even healthier option.
Get the recipe: Thai chicken rice salad
Italian-style chicken with olives
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? The chicken in
this recipe is fried in a light olive oil and is served in a homemade
sauce instead of using a jar - there's often more salt in ready made
sauces.
Calories: 353 cals per portion
Fat: 12.0g
Time it takes to make: 1hr
Top tip: If the sauce gets too thick when you're making it, just add a splash of water to loosen it.
Get the recipe: Italian-style chicken with olives
Chicken, pea and noodle salad
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? This chicken noodle salad uses fresh pea shoots,
chicken (which is packed full of protein!) and is drizzled in a light
soy sauce. It's an easy dish and filling too.
Calories: 408 cals per portion
Fat: 10g
Time it takes to make: 1hr 15 mins
Top tip: To make this dish even healthier use brown rice noodles
Get the recipe: Chicken noodle salad
Ainsley Harriott’s chicken pasta with peas
Why so healthy? 3tbsps of frozen peas are counted as one of your 5-a-day and this recipe is full of them meaning you'll be getting plenty of good nutrients. The sauce is made up of two main ingredients - horseradish and low-fat crème fraîche, simple and low-fat!
Calories: 426 cals per portion.
Fat: 5.0g
Time it takes to make: 20 mins
Top tip: Pack with other veg such a broccoli for an even healthier dish.
Get the recipe: Ainsley Harriott's chicken pasta with peas
Moroccan chicken salad
(Image credit: Chris Alack)
Why so healthy? You may think salads are just for lunch but this dish is so packed with lovely, flavoursome ingredients that it will be just as satisfying for dinner. Healthy veg courgettes and artichokes are given lots of flavour with the Moroccan-style dressing.
Calories: 337 cals per portion
Fat: 20g fat
Time it takes to make: 30mins
Top tip: Add a handful of rocket to the salad to up the 5-a-day count and give it a lovely peppery taste.
Get the recipe: Moroccan chicken salad
Lemon chicken stir-fry with noodles
Why so healthy? Soy sauce and apple juice (yes, really) are used to flavour this stir-fry instead of a sauce so you save on calories there.
Calories: 436 cals per portion
Fat: 14.0g
Time it takes to make: 31 mins
Top tip: Serve the stir-fry with fresh veggies too for an extra health boost.
Get the recipe: Lemon chicken stir-fry with noodles
Mellow spiced chicken and chickpeas
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? This recipe uses low-fat Greek yogurt and skinless chicken thighs to make a low-calorie meal. The chicken and chickpeas in the dish will keep you fuller for longer.
Calories: 309 cals per portion
Fat: 12.0g
Time it takes to make: 1hr 15 mins
Top tip: Make a lighter, thinner sauce for the chicken by using more yogurt.
Get the recipe: Mellow-spiced chicken and chickpeas
James Tanner’s sesame chicken
Why so healthy? This recipe combines skinless chicken breast, light vegetable oil and light soya sauce. Coating the chicken in sesame seeds, which contain good fats, is much better than breadcrumbs.
Calories: 449 cals per portion
Fat: 12.7g
Time it takes to make: 13 mins
Top tip: When cooking the chicken, lay it in the pan away from you so the hot oil doesn't spit at you.
Get the recipe: James Tanner's sesame chicken
Healthy chicken casserole
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? Great if you're
on a diet and hate missing out on your faves, this recipe uses skinless
chicken thigh fillets and plenty of veg too - not forgetting the butter
beans, which count towards your daily intake of iron and calcium.
Calories: 390 cals per portion
Fat: 9.0g
Time it takes to make: 1hr 45 mins
Top tip: Feel free to use other vegetables such as broccoli and sweet potato to bulk out the dish.
Get the recipe: Healthy chicken casserole
Chicken, tomato and peach couscous salad
Why so healthy? This light and delicious salad is packed full of fruit and veg. The peach and the tomatoes make a delicious combination along with the protein packed chicken. This recipe definitely counts towards one of your 5-a-day.
Calories: 277 cals per portion
Time it takes to make: 15 mins
Top tip: For a vegetarian option, you could use the same weight of cooked Quorn pieces instead of the chicken.
Get the recipe: Chicken, tomato and peach couscous salad
Roast lemon chicken with potato wedges
Why so healthy? This roast
chicken is dressed in a sliver of oil and so are the potatoes. Baking
your chicken and wedges is much healthier than frying - and you can give
your potatoes a lovely meaty flavour.
Calories: 370 cals per portion
Fat: 7.0g
Time it takes to make: 1hr 10 mins
Top tip: Add extra flavour by adding garlic cloves or shallots.
Get the recipe: Roast chicken with potato wedges
Creamy stuffed chicken breast
Why so healthy? Swapping your cheese for a lower-fat version, like the light cream cheese in this recipe is an easy way to reduce the calories.
Calories: 324 cals per portion
Fat: 17.5g
Time it takes to make: 29 mins
Top tip: Cut the calories even more by using low-fat cream for the sauce instead of double cream.
Get the recipe: Creamy stuffed chicken
Sesame and honey chicken salad
Why so healthy? This recipe proves that you don't need to coat your chicken with a fatty batter or breadcrumbs. Honey and lemon provide more than enough flavour and the sesame seeds give it a lovely nutty finish.
Calories: 308 cals per portion
Time it takes to make: 25mins
Top tip: Add couscous or bulgar wheat to this salad to bulk it out.
Get the recipe: Sesame and honey chicken salad
Yangzhou fried rice
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? This rich dish includes chicken, pork, prawns and pancetta. With all that flavour, you won't believe it's so low in calories!
Calories: 300 cals per portion
Fat: 4g
Time it takes to make: 30mins
Top tip: This recipe is a great one for using up leftover meat.
Get the recipe: Yangzhou fried rice
Baked spiced chicken with couscous
Why so Why so healthy? This recipe uses
no oil to cook the chicken and combines handfuls of fresh veg like
spinach with the couscous - which is a lighter side option.
Calories: 488 cals per portion
Fat: 10.0g
Time it takes to make: 55 mins
Top tip: Use chicken thighs instead of breasts for more flavour.
Get the recipe: Baked spiced chicken with couscoushealthy? This recipe uses
no oil to cook the chicken and combines handfuls of fresh veg like
spinach with the couscous - which is a lighter side option.
Calories: 488 cals per portion
Fat: 10.0g
Time it takes to make: 55 mins
Top tip: Use chicken thighs instead of breasts for more flavour.
Get the recipe: Baked spiced chicken with couscous
Roasted chicken and pepper salad
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
Why so healthy? Spinach and green beans are packed with nutrients and minerals that are great for keeping the body healthy. This salad is filling too meaning no snacking before dinner time.
Calories: 434 cals per portion
Fat: 21.2g
Time it takes to make: 48 mins
Top tip: If you've had a roast the day before, use up your leftover chicken in this recipe.
Get the recipe: Roasted chicken and pepper salad
Chicken tagine with couscous
Why so healthy? Couscous is a lighter alternative to pasta and rice and is the perfect accompaniment to the rich flavours of a Moroccan-style tagine.
Calories: 340 calories per portion
Fat: 15g
Time it takes to make: 25 mins
Top tip: Couscous expands quite a lot once it has absorbed the water so be careful to get your portions right.
Get the recipe: Chicken tagine with couscous
