Healthy cooking does not have to be complicated. In fact, what’s the truth? In fact, the simpler the recipe is, the better the taste. In Good for You Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser offers nourishing recipes that can be made with 10 ingredients or less. In 1980s America, fats were out. Labels on packaged food, from yogurts to snacks to microwaveable dinners, proudly announced that the items were “low-fat,” or “nonfat.” Congress backed an official recommendation to their constituents urging them to “avoid excessive” amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. Americans listened and adjusted their grocery shopping accordingly. They found their shining knight: the boneless, non-skinless chicken breast. Perhaps a whole chicken was served, or the meat was folded into a gooey dish with carrots and peas. The Americans wanted to switch from the heavy red meat to lighter poultry. With fat’s popularity waning, they were eager to open a plant that produced deboned chicken breast meat. This was the first domino in a series of events that led to an explosion of its availability and popularity. McDonald’s boasted that their chicken nuggets were made (and are still made) with only white meat. The boneless skinless breast is the most popular chicken cut in the US. Sales by volume increased nearly three percent last season. It’s a popular choice among bodybuilders, as it is one of the highest-protein foods (and low-fat and carb-free) per calorie, with 3.5-ounce servings offering approximately 30 grams. To put this in context, one large egg has just over six grams. The low-fat content of the cut is usually doubled by the cooking method. Most often, the chicken breasts are grilled, baked, sauteed, or air-fried with as little butter or oil as possible. TikTok is not doing much to improve the end result, which is usually stringy, dry and tough. I’ve averted my eyes from creative monstrosities like “chicken bread,” a low-carb meatloaf-meets-actual-loaf of pureed chicken breast, eggs, and sometimes grated vegetables, that gets baked and sliced like sandwich bread. Even more terrifying was when a Love Is Blind contestant decided to drink a cooked breast of chicken as a smoothie. The chicken breast was blended with water and Crystal Light Powder. He was eager to share with his fiancee how low in calories it was and how high in protein. (They have since split up). I’m here to tell you that one shouldn’t blend chicken breasts. Moisture is key. In fact, that’s usually the reason so-called-healthy recipes often turn out so underwhelming–because the chicken isn’t cooked with enough fat, liquid, and/or seasoning. Poaching is, in my opinion, the best way to cook plain chicken breast. When simmered in just hot enough water to bring it up to a safe temperature the meat will become juicy and tender. This was my method when I made these Miso Chicken Soba Bowls. The miso-fortified boiled water is used to poach the meat, which then becomes the base of the chilled broth. It’s savory, and refreshing. To the delight of meal-prep lovers, the chicken can also be poached several days in advance. (It’s easy to make some extras for lunches with chicken salad). When you return from your happy hour or softball match, simply shingle the sliced meat on top of a tangle soba noodle and blanched snappeas. (Both keep well in the refrigerator for a few more days). Even the busiest of gym bros could fit it in.Miso chicken soba bowlsOn a hot summer day, nothing is more satisfying than cold noodles in an iced broth.View recipe
