The Skinny On Chicken

 by: News Canada

Tips on Healthy Eating are Served

(NC)-Eating well isn't always easy let alone finding the time to cook. But if your secret ingredient is chicken, maintaining a healthy diet is much less work. Dishing up a high-protein, low-fat meal, chicken is one of the leanest meats on grocery store shelves.

In fact, a skinless chicken breast contains less than 1.5 grams of fat per 100 gram serving, according to Bryan Hughes, New Product Development Manager, Maple Lodge Farms. An essential ingredient to every meal, low-fat protein in chicken boosts your energy level by transporting oxygen and nutrients in your blood and cells while replacing and forming new tissue.

More Canadians are weighing in on the benefits of chicken than ever before. "Chicken consumption has almost doubled over the past 20 years in a country where over 75 per cent of households eat at least one chicken meal each week," says Hughes. "The trend in comfort foods has hit home and consumers are turning to chicken as essential to a well-balanced meal."

And it's simple to be creative when serving chicken, adds Hughes. From picnic salads to garden party entrees, Maple Lodge Farm's Premium Oven Roasted and Seasoned Chicken Breasts are quick suggestions to spice up any meal…and you can save the leftovers for sandwiches the next day.

Both products are easy to find at your neighbourhood Sobey's, IGA or Knechtel's.

But when it comes to food safety, refrigerate cooked chicken promptly after serving to protect yourself from harmful bacteria. Spread out large quantities of leftovers in a shallow container to chill faster. But leave the dishes for later.