Oregano chicken offers great taste and sensible nutrition

Your succulent chicken dinner cooks in a skillet along with its vegetables while you savor the herby aroma of oregano and garlic. It has only about 9 grams of fat per serving, so if you serve it with steamed rice, you can be doubly satisfied: great taste and sensible nutrition.

The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens' "The Smart Diet: The Right Approach to Weight Loss." Not a "diet" in sight here -- other recipes in the book include Tuscan ravioli stew, peach-filled phyllo bundles and lemon-mango pudding cake. They are presented in the context of advice about good food and exercise, based on thoughtful principles for a non-diet approach to life.

There are about 160 recipes in the book, with color photos and helpful cooking tips.

Oregano Chicken and Vegetables

1 1/2 to 2 pounds meaty chicken pieces, skinned

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 large tomato, peeled and chopped ( 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup pitted ripe olives

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into strips

1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into strips

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly coat a nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook chicken over medium heat about 15 minutes or until light brown, turning once. Reduce heat.

Place the garlic, half of the lemon slices, half of the tomato, the olives, onion, parsley and oregano over chicken pieces in the skillet. Sprinkle with ground red pepper. Add the wine and the 3/4 cup broth. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add the remaining tomato and the sweet peppers. Cook, uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes more or until sweet peppers are crisp-tender and chicken is tender and no longer pink. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter. If desired, garnish with remaining lemon slices.

Makes 4 servings.