I first had Greek Chicken Saute at a cafe in Atlanta, and quickly became addicted to it. But at 11 dollars a plate, I had to learn to make it at home, or go broke!

What makes this Greek? Common ingredients in Greek food include:

• Olive Oil
• Lemon
• Oregano
• Tomatoes
• Kalamata Olives
• Feta Cheese

And you'll find all of those in Greek Chicken Saute!

For each plate of Greek Chicken Saute, use the following. Simply multiply to feed more people!

4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast(125 calories)

2 teaspoons olive oil (79 calories)

1 tsp dried oregano (negligible)

1 tsp dried lemon peel (optional) (negligible)

1 clove garlic, minced (negligible)

1/4 cup onion, chopped (17 calories)

1/2 cup mushrooms, fresh, cleaned and sliced (8 calories)

1/2 cup roma tomatoes, chopped (20 calories)

1 pepperoncini, sliced (5 calories)

4 kalamata olives, sliced (30 calories +/-)

1/2 cup chicken broth (5 calories)

Lemon juice to taste (negligible)

1 cup whole wheat penne or rotelle pasta, cooked (180 calories) Start with 2 ounces dry

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (99 calories)

Total calories: Under 500. 469 to be exact.

Instructions

Cut the chicken in bite sized chunks, sprinke liberally with oregano and lemon peel, and saute over medium high heat in a sizable sauceplan in the olive oil along with the garlic and onion.

When the chicken is mostly cooked, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, pepperoncini, sliced olives, chicken broth and lemon juice to the pan and "stir saute" until the mushrooms are cooked. 

Add the cooked pasta (if the pasta is cold, then add it when the mushrooms are halfway cooked) and continue to "stir saute" until the pasta is heated through and coated with the "sauce" which was formed when the tomatoes cooked down a little into the broth and lemon juice.

Plate, sprinkle with feta cheese and more oregano, and serve with a green salad and a tall glass of mint tea on the side.

Or, have a nip of ouzo, but that's going to add 103 calories!

You can even make it vegetarian!

Although it is always preferable to use the freshest, best ingredients, you can make the following modifications for either convenience or budgetary reasons without substantially changing the nature of the recipe.

Dried lemon peel is optional (but if you are juicing a lemon, make some lemon zest too)

Substitute 1/4 cup canned or frozen mushrooms for 1/2 cup fresh. Or if you really like mushrooms, keep the 1/2 cup. This is a very forgiving recipe.

Substitute 1/2 cup well drained petite diced tomatoes for the chopped Roma tomatoes

Substitute black olives for the kalamata olives

You can use frozen pure lemon juice in place of fresh, but I don't recommend using the lemon juice that comes in a plastic lemon. It tastes more chemically sour than fresh and lemony.

Some like it HOT. If you do, add another pepperoncini.

Or substitute white wine for the lemon juice. You will incur an additional 70 or so calories, a third of which you will lose in cooking.

Substitute multigrain pasta for whole wheat. But I will never recommend using regular pasta. Sorry regular pasta lovers!

You can save about 30 calories by using reduced fat feta.

And, our vegetarian friends can use tofu in place of chicken, and vegetable broth in place of chicken broth, for Greek Tofu Saute!