Garlic and Lime Chicken Thighs

I am always complaining about being fat, but I don't really do a ton about it. Yeah, I go hiking every two weeks, yoga once in a blue moon (I'm hoping to change that soon though), 1 hour of cardio 2 days a week...that's really not much exercise. And then there is food. I LOVE food. LOVE.IT.

I'll eat my feelings, your feelings, and that girl who I don't even know's feelings.

Yeah, that's not so great for my waistline. At all.

So rather than whipping up another pizza tonight (don't you just love pizza?), I finally cracked open my humongous copy of The Best of Cooking Light, flipped to "poultry", and promptly found this recipe for chicken thighs. Perfect, I already have two defrosted packages of chicken thighs in the fridge (we went out for sushi last night because I was too lazy to turn the oven on), and I love me some garlic and lime juice.

This recipe reads a little funky (I scratched my head and said "what?" a few times), but it is actually really easy to prepare. Make sure you have an oven-proof skillet...this goes from stovetop to oven in one pan.

Here's to eating healthy! I tripled the recipe to make sure we'd have leftovers, but the following is the original deal.

Note: The cumin is a really strong flavor in this dish, imparting an Indian taste to the chicken, which I felt overpowered the lime. I was looking for a more citrus-y taste. Next time I will either use less cumin, or omit it completely and use a different spice in its place. My husband said it reminded him of the Pakistani food his mom served for dinner when he was a kid.

Garlic and Lime Chicken Thighs
From The Best of Cooking Light
Printable recipe

Ingredients
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice, divided
4 (six-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons, fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (I was out of chicken broth, so I used vegetable bouillon)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons cilantro (for garnish)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350*. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray, and place the chicken in skillet in one layer.

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Add one tablespoon lime juice and stir to combine. Rub the mixture over chicken.



Combine the broth, vinegar, and remaining tablespoon of lime juice in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken.

Heat chicken in skillet over medium-high heat, just until the broth comes to a boil. Cover the skillet with foil and stick in the oven.



Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 180*. (I don't have a meat thermometer, so I just used the timer.)

Remove chicken from the skillet and keep warm. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup (approximately 3 minutes).

Plate the chicken and spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Serving size: 2 thighs and 2 tablespoons sauce
Nutritional Info (courtesy of The Best of Cooking Light)
Calories 326
Fat 10.4 grams
Saturated fat 2.6 grams
Monounsaturated fat 3.3 grams
Polyunsaturated fat 2.6 grams
Protein 51.1 grams
Carbs 4.8 grams
Fiber .5 grams (better eat some veggies with this!!)
Iron 4 mg
Sodium 517 mg
Calcium 59 mg