This recipe is a true low cal gem…So zesty and refreshing! The chicken is super tender and flavorful. Marinating in fresh lime juice and seasonings really adds to its tenderness. In addition, I’m topping the cooked chicken with a flavorful honey-lime glaze. The salsa is so versatile and works as an amazing accompaniment to many chicken, beef, fish, or pork recipes. Each serving has 223 calories and 4 grams of fat. Make some yummy toasted garlic bread to serve on the side. Check out my simple recipe below.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Salsa:
- 2 cups watermelon, seeded and diced
- 1 small ear of fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob
- ½ cup cucumber, peeled and diced
- ½ cup yellow or orange sweet bell pepper, diced
- 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, see prep tips
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Chicken:
- 4 chicken breasts (about 4 ounces each) boneless, skinless
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, used to cook chicken
Ingredients for Honey Lime Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
- Olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- To Make Salsa: In a medium bowl, combine watermelon, cucumbers, bell peppers, corn, onions, and cilantro. In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons of lime juice, honey, red pepper flakes, and salt. Pour sauce over watermelon mixture and gently toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving, to blend flavors.
- To Make Chicken: In a shallow bowl, add chicken, 3 tablespoons lime juice and sprinkle with a little garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- To Cook Chicken: Coat a large nonstick pan or grill pan with olive oil spray. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and heat. Add chicken, cover, and sauté over medium heat until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- To Make Honey Lime Glaze: In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and Tabasco. Add honey lime glaze to same pan chicken was cooked in. Cook for about 30 seconds until heated. Return cooked chicken to pan, flipping chicken once to coat with glaze.
- Remove from pan and plate each piece. Spoon about ¾ cup watermelon salsa on top of each piece of chicken. Or add ⅓ cup on top of each piece of chicken and serve the remaining salsa on the side.
- Serve with my recipe for Simple Garlic Toast, if desired. Recipe follows.
Notes
Makes 4 servings (each serving, 1 chicken breast and about ¾ cup salsa)
Recipe for Simple Garlic Toast
Start with 2-4 slices of sourdough wheat bread, depending on how many pieces you want to serve. I bought it at Trader Joe’s but most markets sell sourdough wheat bread or use regular sourdough slices. Cut each slice in half and toast all of them. Spread each half with 1 teaspoon reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light. Sprinkle each with a little garlic powder. Place all halves on a plate and reheat in microwave for about 15 seconds.
My favorite garlic powder is Lawry’s with parsley. I’ve used it for years because it tastes much better than most garlic powders.
Healthy Benefits
Watermelon is a good source of pure water and an excellent diuretic. Because of its high water content, watermelon is lower in calories than many other fruits. It’s also packed with lycopene.
Grilling Tips
If you’d prefer to grill the chicken, first preheat the grill. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade to protect against cross-contamination. Coat grill with olive oil cooking spray. Place chicken on the grill and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Continue recipe by following steps 3 and 4 above.
Prep Tips
You need about 4-6 limes, depending on size, to make the ½ cup needed for this recipe. To get the maximum amount of juice from each lime, roll limes on a hard surface with the palm of your hand before slices and juiced. Or, buy a bottle of lime juice. I like Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice, sold in many supermarkets. If your chicken breasts are large cut each in half to be about 4 ounces each.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 3-Blue
WW SmartPoints 5–Green
WW POINTS PLUS 6
Recipe for Simple Garlic Toast
Start with 2-4 slices of sourdough wheat bread, depending on how many pieces you want to serve. I bought it at Trader Joe’s but most markets sell sourdough wheat bread or use regular sourdough slices. Cut each slice in half and toast all of them. Spread each half with 1 teaspoon reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light. Sprinkle each with a little garlic powder. Place all halves on a plate and reheat in microwave for about 15 seconds.
My favorite garlic powder is Lawry’s with parsley. I’ve used it for years because it tastes much better than most garlic powders.
Healthy Benefits
Watermelon is a good source of pure water and an excellent diuretic. Because of its high water content, watermelon is lower in calories than many other fruits. It’s also packed with lycopene.
Grilling Tips
If you’d prefer to grill the chicken, first preheat the grill. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade to protect against cross-contamination. Coat grill with olive oil cooking spray. Place chicken on the grill and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Continue recipe by following steps 3 and 4 above.
Prep Tips
You need about 4-6 limes, depending on size, to make the ½ cup needed for this recipe. To get the maximum amount of juice from each lime, roll limes on a hard surface with the palm of your hand before slices and juiced. Or, buy a bottle of lime juice. I like Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice, sold in many supermarkets. If your chicken breasts are large cut each in half to be about 4 ounces each.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 3-Blue
WW SmartPoints 5–Green
WW POINTS PLUS 6
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving (each serving, 1 chicken breast and about ¾ cup salsa) 223 calories, 4g fat, 0g sat. fat, 25g protein, 26g carbs, 2g fiber, 345mg sodium, 18g sugar |
| FACTS: for Freestyle SmartPoints 54 calories, 0g sat. fat, 0g protein, 12g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1servingCalories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 25gFat: 4gSodium: 345mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gBlue Smart Points: 3Green Smart Points: 5Plus Points: 6
