Chicken Skillet with Green Enchilada Sauce

Bariatric surgery friendly weeknight dinner on the stove top. 

Here’s a great bariatric friendly recipe that provides an estimated 30 grams of protein for one quarter of the meal.

You might be thinking “no way I can eat 1/4 of that recipe!”

No problem! Listen to your pouch..always. Take two small bites of the chicken breast for every one small bite of tomato or bean. This keeps you filled up on the solid protein (beans are protein but do have carbs and are softer which means it leaves your pouch faster and hence hungry faster).

I love fast this recipe is to make and that it doesn’t dirty up my kitchen and requires just one pan. The crumbled cheese on top adds a tasty element but skipping it removes the dairy (if you are avoiding dairy) as well as decreases the fat and calorie content. No shame if you have a little! But if it’s not a big deal to you, may as well skip it.

I love fresh cilantro to keep my meals flavorful and exciting. Below I share several other weight loss surgery friendly recipes that use fresh cilantro. Tip: make this recipe AND a recipe below in the same week to keep groceries down and limit food waste. If you don’t tire of cilantro might as well make a few recipes that will use up your bunch!

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Chicken with Cilantro Lime Relish

Cilantro Chipotle Creamy Steak Topping

Chicken Skillet with Green Enchilada Sauce

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mexican, Stove Top

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 273kcal

Author: Steph Wagner

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 cup rinsed black beans
• ▢ 1 (15 oz) can green enchilada sauce
• ▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ▢ 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• ▢ 4 tsp crumbled queso fresco for topping optional

Instructions

• ▢
  Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Spray with olive oil.
• ▢
  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and brown about 2 minutes per side.
• ▢
  Add black beans and heat for 1-2 minutes. Add green enchilada sauce and stir to distribute into pan evenly. Cover and cook approximately 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature of chicken reaches 160F.
• ▢
  Add cherry tomatoes and cilantro. Remove to plates for serving. Crumble 1 tsp queso fresco per serving if desired.

Notes

Without queso fresco each serving provides 26 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrate and 7 grams fat.

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 633mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg