As someone who struggles with allergies to gluten, nuts and lactose, I’ve found finding healthy meal recipes that fit my unique situation to be very challenging. Recently, I set out to adapt some of my favorite recipes to fit my dietary restrictions. I love to share these adaptations with other people who have some of the same dietary restrictions as I do and with people who just enjoy eating healthy.
These days cooking at home is a given. We’re not all trained chefs. And while we’re not yet ready to go back to dining out, we’re still craving our restaurant’s favorite dishes; taquitos from a local Mexican restaurant, chicken fingers from a favorite bar, or even Thai chili bowls from the place around the corner. Here, you can find these easy meals with six ingredients or less that can help curb your cravings and easily make them at home in just 30 minutes.
BBQ Chicken Taquitos
Serving size: 2
Ingredients:
- 8 corn tortillas
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup bbq sauce
Directions:
- Mix shredded chicken and bbq sauce in a bowl.
- Cover the corn tortillas and microwave for 60 seconds to make them soft and easy to work with.
- Fill each tortilla with bbq chicken (approx 2 tablespoons) and carefully roll.
- In the air fryer, place the rolled taquitos close together to help them not unroll.
- Spray with avocado oil spray.
- Air fry on 390 for about 10-15 minutes.
- I topped mine with avocado, tomato, chives.
Simple Chicken Taco Bowls
Serving size: 2
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ packet of taco seasoning.
- 1 avocado
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups white rice
- 1/2 cup corn
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375. Cover chicken with taco seasoning. Press seasoning into the chicken for maximum flavor. In a cast iron skillet, bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
- Grill the corn. When the chicken is complete, set aside to rest before being sliced. Rinse and clean the cast iron skillet and add the corn. Bake at 375 until corn is crispy around the edges and charred. Approx 10 minutes.
- Cook the rice. You can use any kind of rice you have available. Instant rice is the easiest and cooks the fastest. That’s what I used here.
- Begin to plate the bowl. Add the rice on one side, and the spinach on the opposite side. Top with charred corn.
- Slice the chicken into 1/2″ slices and place on top of bowl.
- Slice the avocado in half. Set the non-pit side down onto the cutting board with the black side up. Begin to peel the skin off the avocado until it is bare. Then, cut the avocado into thin slices and add on top of bowl.
Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
Serving size: 2
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp paprika
Directions
- Whisk an egg in a bowl and set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl.
- Dip chicken tenders into egg, then into dry mix, and set into air fry basket.
- Repeat until all tenders are breaded.
- Air fry on 390 for approx 15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and breading is crispy!
Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Bowl
Serving size: 2
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Thai chili sauce
- 2 cups of broccoli florets
- 4 large carrots
- 1 package of instant white rice
Directions
- Start by dicing up chicken breasts into small cubes about ½” wide, add to bowl.
- Toss chicken with some oil or cooking spray and then add to frying pan. Sautee on medium heat for approx 7-10 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
- Next, cut the carrots into 4 slices each and add to air fryer basket. Add Broccoli flourets to add fryer and cook together for approx 10 minutes on 375.
- Once chicken is fully cooked, add Thai chili sauce and warm chicken and sauce together on low heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Once vegetables are almost complete, cook instant rice in the microwave.
- Add rice to bowl, top with veggies, chicken and add sesame seeds and red pepper flakes on top of chicken as desired.
About the Author/s
Pairing together her passion for writing and her love for cooking, Kayla Cappiello is a healthy food blogger based here in Hoboken, NJ. She enjoys creating easy, 30 minute meals with a focus on health and dietary restrictions. She loves sharing her recipes on her blog through bright photos. In her spare time, she enjoys a good cocktail, running outdoors and traveling.
