Every night I face a difficult challenge. That is how to make an easy chicken dinner recipe. One that can be made with fewer ingredients that fulfill the nutrition criteria and is so delicious that no one can say no to it.

Barbecue Chicken Salad is an option that fits the criteria, loaded with all good ingredients and a perfect high-protein meal. It is fresh, filling, creamy, tangy, and just downright delicious. It can be prepared, made ahead, and stored as long as the ingredients are stored separately.

Team Fabulous Body’s recipe for the week, Barbecue Chicken Salad, is elementary, healthy, and a wholesome meal in itself.

Watch Our Recipe Below:

-150 g / 1 cup chicken breast without bone

-1/4 cup barbecue sauce

-70 g / 1 small red onion

-140g /1 cup cucumber

-100g /half a cup cherry tomato

-50g /1 cup lettuce

-2 tsp egg mayonnaise

-1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

-1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

-1/4 tsp ground black pepper

-1/4 tsp oregano seasoning

-Marinate the chicken overnight with salt & BBQ sauce

-Grill or BBQ the next day

-Cut all vegetables in the desired shape

-Mix the olive oil with mayo and all seasonings

-Toss the chicken strips and veggies into the mix

-Toss oregano seasoning

Protein is the building block of the human body. It plays a crucial role in our growth and development. ¹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566799/ A protein source that provides all nine amino acids is called a complete protein, or high-quality protein.

Animal-based protein sources, such as meats, eggs, fish, etc., are complete protein sources. Protein in 100g chicken breast is more when you compare it with a whole chicken. A breast portion is mostly protein, whereas there is a lot of fat in other parts of the chicken, like thighs and wings.

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If we are eating salad as a meal, adding a source of lean protein, such as chicken, fish, or egg, it will take care of the daily requirements of all essential macronutrients. 

Vegetables and fruits are an essential part of a healthy diet, and variety is as important as quantity. We have good reason to include vegetables in our diet.

Vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that provide important health benefits to our bodies. Including them in the daily diet adds a variety of colors, flavors and textures. They’re low-calorie and low-fat and hence help in weight management.

They protect against the risk of cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes and may help improve skin and eye health. ²https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.22788, ³https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/99/2/328/4571480?login=true, ⁴https://www.nature.com/articles/1002212 They are nutritious in every form available, be it fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. Convenient, quick and easy to eat and cook.

Most fruits and vegetables are high in dietary fiber. Fiber that is soluble and insoluble is food for our gut bacteria and adds more bulk to our stool. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check. ⁵https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649719/

Related Article: What Is Fiber? Health Benefits, Food Sources And Daily Requirements

But I bet if you understand why it’s so important to increase the intake of vegetables, we all might make more of an effort.

Lettuce

Lettuce is the most common leafy vegetable. It is not only easily grown and an available green but also famous for giving salads its base. Most salad greens, including lettuce, contain essential dietary nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and even water.

Cucumber

Cucumber is very high in water content and essential electrolytes and very low in calories. It has potential anti-diabetic, lipid-lowering and antioxidant activity. Cucumbers may have a cleansing action within the body by removing accumulated old waste materials and chemical toxins. ⁶https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23098877/

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are considered an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin E and other antioxidants, including alpha-lipoic acid, lycopene, choline, folic acid, beta-carotene, and lutein. All these help in increasing our quality of health. ⁷https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/99/14/1074/937795?login=true

Related Article: Tomatoes Nutrition Facts | Health Benefits Of Tomatoes

The fiber, high water content and naringenin(a natural flavonoid) are the reason for the laxative behavior of tomatoes. We at Fabulous body academy recommend healthy salads packed with leafy greens, lean protein, healthy fats, fiber and nutrients to help you stay fit and full.

We hope this recipe for the week will help you in attaining your health and physical fitness goals.