Jan 14, 2015 3 min read

Another new year, and we all know what that means: time to shed those naughty eating habits and get back on the road to healthy eating.

I found an easy and flavorful hummus-coated chicken recipe that will help you get back on track and shed a few pounds along the way.

For the base of this one-dish recipe, I opted for zucchini and yellow squash. Zucchini is low in calories and contains folate, potassium and vitamin A.

Summer squash is low in calories, too, and a half-cup of sliced or chopped squash counts for a half-cup cup in the MyPlate vegetable group. It also provides 15 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C.

Hummus – made from protein and fiber-rich chickpeas – isn’t just for dipping veggies. Made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic, hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has a significant amount of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas are a good source of protein and dietary fiber.

And, of course, chicken is very high in protein and low in fat. It also is one of the leaner meats.

Enjoy!

Hummus-Crusted Chicken

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup hummus, homemade or prepared

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 lemons

1 teaspoon smoked paprika or sumac

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish or two smaller backing dishes with cooking spray.

Pat chicken dry. Season chicken breasts with generous pinches of salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss zucchini, yellow squash and onion with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

Place vegetables on the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Place the four chicken breasts evenly on top, and cover each breast with hummus so that the entire breast is covered.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Then sprinkle the pan with sumac or smoked paprika.

Thinly slice the remaining lemons and place them in between the chicken and vegetables.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

Nutritional information:

• Serving size: 1 (337g)

• Calories: 302; fat: 12g; cholesterol: 75 mg; sodium: 379mg; carbohydrates: 17g; dietary fiber: 6g; protein: 32g.

Catie Rogers is a health professional with the Women, Infants and Children program at Community Action Southwest.