Jellied meat is an honored guest on the table in almost every Russian family. This is not only tasty, but also a very healthy dish. Eating jellied meat is recommended for people with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, because it contains natural gelatin, which is good for bones. The B vitamins contained in jellied meat will strengthen the nervous system, and vitamin A will have a positive effect on vision and immunity.
Despite the undeniable benefits of jellied meat, it is a rather heavy food due to the fatty meats used in cooking. It is not recommended for some people with health problems. But you shouldn’t give up your favorite dish, because you can prepare dietary jellied meat, which is in no way inferior in taste to the traditional version.
Below are several options for preparing dietary jellied meat.
The benefits of the dish for weight loss and dieting
Traditional jellied meat is not a dietary dish; it contains a lot of fat and calories. This applies to recipes with pork feet and rich meat broth. However, aspic can also be prepared in a dietary way, for example, with chicken breast and gelatin without excess fat. This dish is healthy and contains many valuable substances for the body - vitamins and microelements:
- group of vitamins B;
- carotene;
- vitamin K;
- magnesium;
- iron;
- sodium;
- iodine;
- phosphorus;
- cobalt (high content).
This combination of nutrients has a positive effect on metabolic processes in the body - it helps to quickly lose extra pounds without harm to health, increases vigor and overall activity even during low-calorie strict diets. Also, the listed substances have a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system and reduce stress on the body when losing weight.
Note! Collagen contained in gelatin is a key material for joints and skin, which experience increased stress during sports, active weight loss, etc.
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Reviews
Here are some reviews about the aspic diet:
Maria, 27 years old
The diet was satisfying, easy to maintain, and I never felt hungry. I lost 6 kg in a month and plans to repeat.
Anna, 32 years old
I was on this system 8 months ago, lost 7 kg and this weight has not returned, the diet really gives long-term results. Let's lose weight on aspic!
Irina, 35 years old
The diet is very effective, kilograms are lost quickly. However, sometimes you want something sweet.
Cook with a whole bird or just chicken breast
There are many recipes for dietary aspic with different ingredients. Culinary publications advise preparing such a dish from a rooster - the cut up carcass contains many gelling components that make the jellied meat more elastic and appetizing in appearance. However, if you add a sufficient portion of gelatin, a whole chicken, its individual parts or fillet of your choice will also work.
The main point is to cook a high-quality broth based on the selected meat according to all the rules. It should have a golden color and sufficient transparency without clouding, and a pleasant aroma.
How to cook
Making chicken jellied meat is not as easy as it seems. Primarily because chicken in the store comes in different qualities and is generally not suitable for making jellied meat. Or it requires additional components, for example, the addition of gelatin or gelling ingredients - pork leg, chicken feet, part of beef tail.
But, of course, it is better to buy home-farmed chicken. Moreover, it is now available not only in markets, but also in supermarkets. A little more expensive than factory chickens, but you can afford it. Homemade chicken jellied meat will have a beautiful yellow tint and a pleasant aroma. And of course there are more benefits from such jellied meat. In this case, you will not need to add anything additional except onions and carrots, and then optionally.
By choosing a high-quality main ingredient for jellied meat, you don’t have to worry that it won’t harden. All that remains is to observe all the nuances during cooking so that the jellied meat turns out transparent. See the step-by-step recipe below for details.
Important
The main and only rule in preparing jellied meat without gelatin is to never add water! That's how much you initially poured in - some of it will boil off of course and that's it, don't add more!
Recipes for the lowest calorie jellied meat: step-by-step cooking instructions
Classic version
A cold appetizer according to this recipe can be prepared as easily and quickly as possible (without taking into account the additional time for the final hardening of the jellied meat). The following products are needed for cooking:
- chicken breast – 1 kg;
- carrots – 1 pc.;
- broth - 1 l;
- gelatin – 30 g;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- eggs – 3 pcs.;
- greens - a small bunch.
First, rinse the fillet thoroughly and fill it with water. Place the container on the fire and cook the chicken broth. After boiling, watch for the accumulation of foam and remove it regularly with a slotted spoon. Then peel the onions and carrots, place them whole in the pan with the chicken and cook for about 1 hour. Pour the gelatin from the bag into a deep container and fill it with water, wait until it swells completely. Strain the broth from the fillet and vegetables thoroughly and remove excess fat with a spoon.
Add gelatin powder to it and mix thoroughly. Cut the boiled breast into small pieces or disassemble it directly with your hands. Peel the pre-boiled eggs and cut into neat slices, chop the carrots into slices. Place meat, chopped eggs, carrots, garlic and chopped herbs into a deep dish. Pour the gelatin mixture over the ingredients and place in the refrigerator to set (will take about 4-5 hours).
Note! A dish based on chicken breast goes well with spicy additives - mustard, horseradish, garlic sauce.
In a slow cooker
A delicious recipe for jellied meat with reduced calorie content, specially selected for preparation in a home slow cooker. The dish turns out to be as tasty and tender as possible. Required list of products:
- whole chicken – 1200 grams;
- gelatin – 20 grams;
- onion – 1 piece;
- carrots – 1 piece;
- water – 1.2 liters;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- lettuce leaves - 1 piece;
- corn in a jar - 3 tbsp. l.;
- allspice (peas) – 7 pieces;
- sea salt, ground pepper - add to taste.
Rinse the chicken carcass thoroughly with water and divide into 4 parts, then place them in the multicooker bowl. Add onions, whole carrots and peppercorns to them. Pour in purified water, salt and pepper thoroughly. Activate the “Broth” mode and cook the dish for 1.5 hours. Approximately 3-4 times during this time, skim off any foam that appears. Then turn on the “Soup” mode for 2 hours.
After this, remove the meat and boiled vegetables to a plate. Carefully separate the chicken meat from the bones, remove the skin and finely chop it. Cut the carrots into small cubes. Strain the prepared broth through cheesecloth. Pour out one glass of liquid and soak gelatin in it for 30 minutes. Next, part of the broth with gelatin should be placed in a water bath for several minutes, stirring occasionally.
Next, pour the mixture into the remaining broth, adding peeled and chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper. Then pour the mixture into the prepared pans and add chicken, corn and chopped carrots. Place the dish in the refrigerator to set for about 5 hours. Serve the aspic with horseradish and plenty of herbs to taste.
With bell pepper
A tasty version of the dish with the addition of sweet pepper. For cooking you will need the following products:
- boiled fillet – 160 grams;
- gelatin (powder) – 10 grams;
- chicken broth – 250 grams;
- sweet pepper – 1 piece;
- carrots – 1 piece;
- bay leaf – 2 pieces;
- sea salt, ground pepper - add to taste;
- greens - a small bunch.
Cook chicken breast broth with a little salt, bay leaf and spices (total time - 70 minutes). Don't forget to skim off the foam to make the liquid clear. Next, cool the broth and pour gelatin into it, mix the ingredients thoroughly and let it brew for 10 minutes. Heat the container with gelatin in a water bath until the small granules are completely dissolved, and then cool.
Rinse the bell pepper with water and cut into rings, then place on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chopped meat, chopped herbs and carrot slices on top. Carefully pour the broth over the ingredients and place in the refrigerator overnight to set. Serve jellied meat with additional fresh herbs.
With eggs
A fairly satisfying version of aspic that can be prepared on a diet. Required list of products:
- eggs – 5 pieces;
- chicken fillet – 1 piece;
- broth - 1 liter;
- gelatin – 20 grams;
- olives – 6 pieces;
- canned peas from a jar - 4 tbsp. l.;
- salt, spices - add to taste.
Boil the chicken meat in water along with salt and spices: after boiling, this broth should boil for about 40 minutes. Beat the eggs with a fork, add a small amount of salt and bake in the oven (you should get a thin baked omelette). Roll the cooled omelette into a tight roll and cut it into pieces about 1 cm thick. Also chop the olives, cut the fillet into small cubes.
Prepare small forms: place an omelette, peas from a jar, olives and boiled fillet pieces on the bottom. Dilute gelatin in 100 ml of water and wait until it swells (about 30-40 minutes). Next, mix it with the broth. Pour it into the molds and place the dish in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
Note! In an alternative version of the recipe, the aspic is poured into prepared egg shells for creative serving to guests. To make such a “container” stable, the shells are placed in an egg tray.
What's in the pan
Jellied meat is considered a very healthy dish.
It contains many micro- and macroelements, and in addition, it contains collagen - a substance very necessary for our joints, bones and ligaments.
Thanks to its composition, it also helps improve memory and vision, as well as blood circulation in the brain.
At the same time, eating this dish every day is, of course, harmful - due to the fat content of the product, calorie content, and cholesterol content.
If it is abused, it can result in problems in the functioning of the kidneys, liver, and stomach.
By the way, not everyone likes the presence of gelatin in the dish. Quite often there is the opinion of housewives that good jellied meat does not need gelatin - everything will harden just fine.
Because animal bones, which we boil for at least 6 hours, already contain it. How do you cook? With or without gelatin? Share in the comments!
If you are not sure that the contents will not harden on their own, then, in addition to gelatin, there is agar-agar - this is a product of plant origin with excellent gelling properties.
When using it, remember - agar-agar should be immediately poured with boiling water; there is no need to heat it gradually. And it freezes well even at room temperature.
In addition, and this was worth mentioning at the very beginning, this is a meat dish, and meat is still not the best choice for proper nutrition, which I already wrote about, in particular, in an article on how nutrition affects our health.
What meat to choose for jellied meat
An ordinary jellied meat, and indeed the dish is quite fatty.
In order for it to be dietary, you should carefully choose the meat from which it is prepared.
The leanest comes from turkey - 52 kcal per 100g, followed by lean beef (80 kcal), and chicken (120 kcal).
But pork, lamb, duck, goose and other fatty meats are not suitable for maintaining slimness - it contains 180 kcal per 100g, or even more.
Usually, to harden it, it is customary to put in it what is “fattier” - pork legs, heads, ears, tails. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to load the dish with so many calories - a variety of meats are well suited for cooking.
Moreover, the tastiest jellied meat is made from various varieties, for example, chicken feet, beef shanks, turkey wings and veal.
And so that the jellied meat can thicken well and quickly, and at the same time turn out tasty and transparent, water should be poured into it 2-3 cm above the level of the meat.
Are there any contraindications
There are a lot of useful properties of aspic, but not everything is so simple. It is worth limiting the use of this dish in the following conditions:
- high cholesterol levels, tendency to thrombosis;
- inflammatory diseases;
- gallbladder diseases;
- kidney failure and other problems with the excretory system.
Adding hot garlic and mustard sauces to the dish is contraindicated for liver diseases, gastritis and stomach ulcers. This rule also applies to hot spices that are added when cooking broth for jellied meat.
In the absence of contraindications, it is recommended to consume jellied meat no more than 1-2 times a week. At the same time, try to eat the dish in small portions in the first half of the day to actively process it.
Main conclusions
Jellied meat is a fairly popular and satisfying dish. To reduce its calorie content, you should use chicken and low-fat broth. At the same time, dietary jellied meat has a whole list of beneficial properties:
- vitamin supplements normalize metabolism in the body and promote safe weight loss;
- minerals reduce stress levels during a diet and have a positive effect on the nervous system;
- collagen promotes youth and elasticity of the skin, heals joints.
Recipes for aspic based on chicken and gelatin are simple to prepare and have a delicate taste. This jellied meat goes well with herbs, garlic and horseradish.
Do you like jellied meat? Share your favorite low-calorie recipe for this dish!
