Easy Chicken–Pumpkin Seed Mole

Serves 4 • Gluten Free

• 3 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 4 (¼-pound) thin-sliced chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 (14½-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups hot cooked brown rice

1 Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until toasted, about 1 minute. Transfer seeds to plate; let cool.

2 Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon of chili powder and the salt. Heat oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter; keep warm.

3 Add tomatoes with their juice, cocoa, cumin, cinnamon, and remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder to skillet; bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Serve over rice.

Per serving (1 piece chicken, ¼ cup sauce, scant 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, and ½ cup rice): 379 Cal, 11 g Total Fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 96 mg Chol, 671 mg Sod, 30 g Total Carb, 4 g Sugar, 5 g Fib, 40 g Prot, 55 mg Calc. PointsPlus value: 9

Chicken in Lemon-Caper Sauce

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 (¼-pound) thin-sliced chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Mix together flour and salt in pie plate. Dip chicken in seasoned flour, shaking off excess.

2 Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, in batches, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side; transfer to plate.

3 Add broth, lemon juice, and capers to skillet; bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and cook, turning to coat, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Remove skillet from heat; add butter and parsley. Pour over chicken.

Per serving (1 piece chicken and 2 tablespoons sauce): 170 Cal, 6 g Total Fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 65 mg Chol, 488 mg Sod, 4 g Total Carb, 1 g Sugar, 0 g Fib, 24 g Prot, 17 mg Calc. PointsPlus value: 4

Cook’s Note

Serve the chicken with a whole grain rice blend (½ cup cooked whole grain rice blend with each serving will increase the PointsPlus value by 3).