Chicken recipes for vegetarians

[Lamazeroo]

Bear with me! DH and I are vegetarian and we have a seven month old DS. He is a voracious breastfeeder, an enormous baby and a non-sleeper. He also has severe reflux and is intolerant to any hint of cows milk protein in my milk. As such, I have spent the last seven months in a fog of exhaustion - and starvation! I am hungry all the time and am constantly thinking about cheese. Being a qualified nutritionist I recognise that this is a sign that I'm not taking in enough protein, and I can see that my diet is not providing enough for me at the moment.
I have made the decision to include one meal of free-range organic chicken into our diet per week. This is the animal protein I'm most comfortable with (I know some vegetarians eat fish, but I consider fish to be about the most unethical food you could consume!). I'm looking for recipes which are easy to prepare, flavoursome and which don't celebrate the flavour of the chicken, if you see what I mean. So far we've had success with a nice tagine type thing with lots of spices, olives etc. I really want the chicken to just be a protein vehicle for lots of lovely yummy flavour.
Anyone care to link to their favourite delicious not-too-chickeny chicken recipes?

Have you tried quorn or tvp?

I'd make curry, or chilli with chicken mince.

Hi bonzo77 - I have to confess I don't consider quorn to be a food! Anything that is technically a 'microbial biomass' and produced in a lab is not something I'd be happy to put into my body.
I hadn't considered chicken mince, actually. I am completely ignorant in all things meaty - do you ask the butcher to mince it for you? We've been buying organic free-range chicken breasts from a farm where, as my DH put it, you basically get the life story of each bird, and this is the only way I'm comfortable consuming meat. If we bought the breasts or bits of chicken would a butcher mince it?
And do you have a chicken curry recipe? I love cooking but have absolutely no clue what to do with animal flesh.

Curries or stews with the chicken cut up small? Chikpeas and beans are just as good for protein in this type of dish, though.

What about Quinoa?

I started eating chicken in my mid twenties having been a life-long vegetarian.

I found chicken stew made with a lot of root veg and green veg NO chicken stock - only veg stock/boullion and lots of herbs an ok start. I've found it gets easier to stomach the longer you eat it for.

Also coronation chicken in a sandwich

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/6080/instant-coronation-chicken

and wierdly a really 'chickeny' one that I liked first off but is very herby. (It's from Cooking Without Made Easy by Barbara Cousins)

Baked Chicken with Herby Rice

1 medium onion 1 Bay leaf
2 medium carrots 710/1 1/4 pints stock (veg)
1 medium parsnip 1 tsp olive oil
200g/7 oz Brown Basmati Rice 2 Chicken Leg joints (can easily get FR)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Oven 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
2. Chop onion carrots and parsnip into bite size chunks and place in deep casserole dish
3. Wash rice and ad to casserole with rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and stock. Mix to combine
4. Rub olive oil into skin of chicken and place legs on top of the rice and veg in the dish 5)Bake uncovered for 1 hour, by which time chicken should be cooked and the rice fluffy and have absorbed all of the stock. 6)Mix parsley into rice and, if necessary season with salt and pepper, serve chicken on top of rice and veg.

There is a recipe floating around for baked chicken risotto. Easy to make they say, and I am going to try it this week. I think it is on the BBC website. Or google for one?

these chicken kievs are really good.

Sorry to be picky but vegetarians don't eat fish or chicken.

If you are eating chicken then you are no longer vegetarian, it's helpful if you refer to yourself as a moderate meat eater or someone who only eats white meat instead of a vegetarian. If you call yourself vegetarian, whilst eating chicken, it makes more people think it's ok to offer chicken or fish to real vegetarians.

I'm quite surprised a qualified nutritionist can't think of any other way of getting protein.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10052/spring-chicken-in-a-pot

Im not good at links, but this is one of the nicest chicken recipes we've ever found. As its full of veg/potatoes and pesto I think it might fit the bill for you.

Plague I totally agree with you, and have written many similar posts myself and frequently say the same thing to people in real life. I guess I am relinquishing the right to call myself vegetarian. It just feels a bit funny as I have never in my life eaten meat and still identify as a vegetarian. You are right though.
I guess I see this as a temporary thing, just while I am so exhausted and so short of time. Of course I have an excellent nutritional understanding of proteins! We eat plenty of quinoa, amaranth, whole grains, legumes, eggs. While I am producing SO much breastmilk and giving away so many calories I feel I will benefit from good quality animal protein, and I am missing cheese so much that for the moment chicken will take its place.

And thanks for the links, I'll be sure to look at them once I have the chance. I do appreciate the help as I never ever thought I'd eat animals so it's all a bit hard.

Lamazeroo, could I hijack you a little and ask how you became a nutritionist?

also can't go wrong with fajitas

Grilled chicken breast with vegetable stir-fry might be worth trying? I've pre-grilled chicken breast, then tossed it in at the last minute with a good zesty stir-fry and found the flavour of the chicken is minimal compared to the flavours of lightly-fried fresh red pepper etc.

40notTrendy I studied overseas (am not from the UK). I do lots of lecturing within the industry here now though, and can talk to you about places to study if that's what you're interested in? PM me if you like.

Have PM'd you

1. Pesto chicken. Bash out a chicken breast to flatten it out a little. Spread a very thin layer of pesto ontop or brush over some olive oil. Mix 2tbsp breadcrumbs + 1tbsp red or green pesto and press ontop of chicken breast then bake in oven until cooked through (180deg 15-20 mins).

1. Chicken fingers/burgers. Finely chop or lightly whizz up cooked chicken in a food processor (stop before it turns to mush!). Add very finely chopped lightly sauteed onion - finely chopped mushroom, pepper and/or garlic can be sauteed along with the onion if liked. Season well, add a little thyme if liked and some lemon juice. Form into balls and squash into patty or cigar shapes. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Flour, egg and breadcrumb, using Panko crumbs if you can get them. Gently shallow fry until golden brown and properly heated through.

As a veggie of 20+ years I'm afraid that I know nothing about chicken, but I wondered if you have the latest River Cottage Veg cookery book? There are lots and lots of great recipies in it that might go some way to giving you a more nutritious diet.

neolara, I got that book for Christmas! It's lovely and we've made some yummy things out of it. I look forward to trying more when I have time. Time is not something I have at the moment. My reflux baby only sleeps in periods of forty minutes throughout the night and is up for the day by 4.40am. He has ONE nap during the day. He has to be held 100% of the time. Consequently, as much as I would like to be leafing through recipe books all day, my only interaction with food is to scoff handfuls of fruit, dip crackers in hommus, stick a fork in whatever's in the fridge etc. while I have a (usually crying) baby in my arms. My DH is home about 7pm and he takes over the baby while I throw something together in the kitchen. All three of us go to bed at 9 and I spend all night being sucked dry by a baby who, despite three types if prescription meds, is in constant pain and can only find relief through drinking breastmilk.
As you can see, there is an awful lot of demand on my body right now. It probably doesn't come across in my posts, but making the decision to add in some animal protein has not been one I have made lightly. I hope it will be temporary, and I do still consider myself vegetarian. But neolara, it's not about seeking a 'more nutritious diet', it's just about finding an easy way to take some high-density quality protein in the most ethical way I can while I make my way through this difficult period of caring for my son the best I can.

I fin

Woops stupid I phone! I find shredding it and stuffing it is the least offensive way try this recipe www.food.com/recipe/romanos-macaroni-grill-chicken-cannelloni-165345
Spinach cheese and sundried tomatoes will overpower the shredded chicken. Breast also has less flavour and boil it if u want to lose more flavour (do u lose protein that way??) otherwise bake & shred

To be honest, in your position, I'd be looking at protein shakes as a way of increasing calorie intake and protein, rather than eating chicken which as a vegetarian I can't imagine doing when there are alternatives.

this one is vegan so diary free.

The chicken is not going " to just be a protein vehicle for lots of lovely yummy flavour." because it is an actual chicken. That doesnt bother everyone, but if you are vegetarian for ethical reasons is it something that might bother you further down the line? You do sound like being vegetarian is important to you. Have you ruled out other ways of getting protein that dont need to involve cows milk - Tofu, nuts, seeds.

Could the chicken be a bit of a red-herring here (if you will excuse the terminology )
Something that comes over in very strongly in your posts is your exhaustion at bf your baby. If he is 7 months have you considered trying to increase his intake of solids? That might help more.

Just a thought - are you sure it's protein your body is missing and not fat?

Hope things get easier for you soon. Is goats cheese OK or does that cause problems too?

Poor OP, you sound like you got a lot going on, and poor baby too. I think you should try the chicken, like you said you may always go back to vegetarianism later on, just do what's best for your health and your family. Have you had your iron levels checked? Chicken livers can help a lot there. Take care x

I know this isn't what you asked but would you consider weaning your DS? At 7 months he could start on solids and dairy-free formula milk .... and you might not need to resort to eating animal protein, you would be less tired and drained .... Wouldn't the transition to solids help with DS' reflux? And IME babies sleep better when they're on solids.

Sorry if you're already weaning him - your OP sounds as though he's exclusively breastfed but i may have misunderstood.