Healthy dinner recipe but make it gourmet (but still easy AF!)
This macro-friendly dinner has TONS of micro-nutrients and tastes SO fresh even days later as a meal prep. It’s high in protein & has a perfect balance of healthy fats & carbs to help you reach your goals!
You’ll need a variety of fresh ingredients for the sauce:
- Green Grapes
- Red Cherry Tomatoes
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Tarragon
- Lime
- Lemon
It’s called sauce vierge because it doesn’t require ANY cooking (vierge = French for virgin)
And if you’re skeptical of raw tomatoes–don’t worry I’m not a fan either BUT they are fantastic in this recipe!
And you can also serve this sauce over ANY choice of protein.
It’s phenomenal with fresh cod–but I typically meal prep it with chicken.
You can also choose to make couscous instead of rice & you can skip the saffron to make it a bit more budget friendly.
Same thing with the veggie!
It’s the sauce that’s the STAR of this dish.
Finally, credit to my man Travis for teaching me this recipe ❤️
Such a healthy dinner recipe with so much flavor!
One thing I’ve learned since I’ve started hanging out with a chef is the TYPE of salt you use matters a lot!
He’s got me using thicker grained salt–here’s the one I use:
You can find this at your local grocery or on Amazon here
Macros with 100g saffron rice: 360 calories 26.3P 11.1F 41C
Add more chicken & more rice if you need more protein or carbs!
Chicken with Sauce Vierge, Saffron Couscous, & Asparagus
5
servings20
minutes20
minutes360
kcalIngredients
16 oz Chicken Breast (or more)
2 cups of dry white rice
Fresh Asparagus (I had 370g total)
1.5 cups chicken stock
Saffron (1-2 pinches)
- For the sauce
250g green grapes
250g cherry tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic crushed, then minced
1 small shallot, minced
3 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped fine
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped fine
3.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (a NICE kind)
salt & pepper to taste (at LEAST 1 tbsp salt)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp lime juice
Directions
- Bring the chicken stock to a simmer & add your saffron. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow it to bloom & release flavor.
- Add the chicken stock to the dry rice & add any additional water needed. Cook the rice as instructed.
- For the sauce, cut all of the grapes & tomatoes in half.
- Add the grapes & tomatoes to a bowl with all the other ingredients for the sauce, then toss to combine
- Taste & add more salt if needed (use GOOD salt here!)
- Cook your chicken however you prefer–I seasoned mine with Ras Al Hanout seasoning & salt (again you can season however you’d like, it’ll be delicious) & cooked it in a pan. I flipped it after 1 minute & then covered the pan & cooked on medium low for ~5 minutes until cooked through & it comes out SO JUICY!!
- For the asparagus, bring a large pan of water to a simmer & add the asparagus. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the asparagus has turned a deeper green color. Remove from heat & plunge in an ice path to stop it from cooking further. Easy peasy.
- To serve… put that sauce over everything!! (For macro purposes I divided the sauce evenly but do NOT put the sauce into your meal prep containers already. We don’t want the sauce to heat up in the microwave) This is a COLD sauce.
Notes
- Again this sauce does not require cooking, don’t put it in your meal prep containers until AFTER you’ve heated it up the day you will eat it.
- Use GOOD salt. I use sea salt flakes now or coarse sea salt.
- You can adjust the amounts of tomatoes & grapes, the recipe is very forgiving!
If you give this recipe a try be sure to tag me on instagram! I LOVE seeing your creations!
Other recipes you might like..
- Ground Chicken Sweet Potato Skillet
- Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Mediterranean Chicken Meal Prep
- Loaded Baked Potato Cream of Rice (breakfast meal prep!)
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