by Leann Zotis

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: February 08, 2009

Great meals can be prepared with as few as five ingredients and be on the table in minimal time. When it comes to being lean and mean in the kitchen, few main ingredients surpass chicken for its versatility and ease of preparation. So, when time is of the essence and the cupboard is a little on the bare side, consider one of these easy chicken recipes that can be delivered from kitchen to dinner table quickly, inexpensively and with five ingredients or less from start to finish.

Nothing beats a great chicken salad for ease of preparation and high appeal for the diet conscious. It's always a good idea to have those prepackaged bags of cooked chicken strips in the freezer, ready to thaw after a hard day at work. Dinner for four is just minutes away when you start with a bag of mixed salad greens divided into four salad bowls. Slice one red or green bell pepper and one cucumber to top the salad greens. Equally divide 12 ounces of the thawed chicken strips and top with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

If you have a little more time and don't mind turning on the oven, there are many variations to turn a chicken breast into a first class dinner entre, again using a total of five or less ingredients.

Start with four chicken breasts, 1/3 cup of Italian dressing, 1 cup of sliced peaches, and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Coat the chicken breasts with the dressing, sprinkle the ginger over the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. About ten minutes before the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and top it with the cup of sliced peaches. Return the chicken to the oven to complete the cooking process and warm the peach glaze. This peach glazed chicken will be a much requested favorite in the future, guaranteed.

Chicken packets are another tasty, quick meal idea. Place one chicken breast in each of four aluminum foil packets. Slice one green bell pepper, one red bell pepper, and 12 new potatoes and divide them into the four packets. Add a quarter cup of barbecue sauce to each packets. Fold over the aluminum foil on top and fold over the sides to completely encapsulate the chicken breast. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Garnishes can really bring life to an otherwise ordinary chicken breast, as well. Thaw one package of frozen spinach. Combine it with a roasted red bell pepper, sliced into strips and heat with the spinach in a saucepan. Top a broiled chicken breast with the spinach/pepper mixture. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese over the top and return to the broiler for about a minute to slightly melt the cheese. Serve with brown rice for a healthy, tasty meal.

Entire cookbooks have been written on the various ways to use chicken for quick, economical and healthy meal planning. Use your imagination to combine many of your favorite ingredients and toppings to create a unique chicken dish of your own. If there is such a thing as a universal basic ingredient for meal planning, chicken would certainly for a front runner for the position.

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