Hunters chicken

This is an indulgent BBQ chicken dish that has all the taste of the restaurant staple but a healthier option with less fat and calories. I did a rough calculation that each portion works out at around 380 calories and if you leave out the cheese, you can save a further 60 calories.

I have to point out this is not diet food, this is a healthier option than going out to a restaurant. For me getting fit and losing weight is trying to find a better way of eating and living. I could go on a very strict diet and cut out all fat, sugar and reduce my carbohydrate intake, but in the the long run I fall back into my old eating habits as the eating plans for most diets are not easily sustainable. This dish along with others I will post are to help me learn to eat better, less processed food.

Ingredients:

4 small boneless chicken breasts
4 rashers of lean bacon with all the fat removed
4 slices of strong cheddar, 3mm thick (optional)

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
100g malt vinegar
100g tomato puree
75g honey or golden syrup
100ml beef stock

How to:

1. Sweat the onions and garlic in a small pan until just transparent. You don't need oil, just a non stick pan and frequent stirring.
2. Add the vinegar, tomato puree, honey or syrup and stock to the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes till the sauce thickens.
3. Place the chicken in an oven proof dish, place a slice of cheese on the chicken and then cover with a rasher of bacon. Place in the middle of your oven and set it to 190°C (I don't like wasting electricity waiting for the oven to heat up, so I have added an extra 5-10 minutes to allow for this)
4. After the chicken has been cooking for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and spoon the BBQ sauce over the chicken and return it to the oven for 20 - 25 minutes depending on your own oven
5. Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, serve with either rice and some green veggies.

Serves 4

I usually make this for two people and make the sauce up as above and freeze half for next time. To save more calories you could swap the honey or syrup with some low calorie sweetener, but personally I think the calories in this dish are worth it for the taste, and I just forgo a dessert.