Review of Applebee’s Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello

Tired searching for healthier foods when you are planning to eat out? It is often difficult to eat healthy without compromising on taste, especially when you are planning to eat out. Applebee’s has some really tempting food items in its under 550 calories menu which satisfies your hunger for tasty food without compromising on your health. We would suggest you to try Applebee’s Dijon Chicken and Portobello, next time you plan to dine out.

The Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello at Applebee’s is Chicken breast marinated and topped with onions, red peppers, Portobello mushrooms, aged white cheddar and delicious flavorful Dijon mustard sauce. The Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello are usually served with tempting steamed herb potatoes and healthy seasonal vegetables. This dish falls in the under 550 calories menu and the nutritional facts are stated below.

Nutrition Facts – Applebee’s Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello

Calories: 470 kcal Continue Reading »
Applebee’s Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello – Review

Applebees Healthy Options

Today, an increasing number of people are becoming health and weight conscious.  Such people are concerned about the calorie content of the food they eat.  To cater to the demands of such diners, Applebee’s has included a number of low calorie, healthy options in its menu in a special section titled the Under 550 Calories Menu.

What makes these dishes even more appealing is that the serving sizes are substantial and filling despite the low calories.  Besides, Applebees makes smart substitutions, like grilling the fish or chicken instead of frying it; serving a salad, fruit or vegetables instead of the usual fried onion rings, or mashed or French fries; substituting whole-wheat buns for white bread; and offering dressings and sauces on the side.

Consider this.  At Applebee’s you can even enjoy a beef dish, generally considered fattening, with less guilt.  The Asiago Peppercorn Steak is high on flavor, not calories.  Here, the lean, 7-oz. sirloin steak is grilled and topped with melted Asiago cheese and cracked peppercorns.  The sides include seasonal vegetables and steamed potatoes and these are not drowned in butter or a cream sauce.  The entire dish adds up to just 390 calories and though it has 14g fat, this is a whole lot lesser than in most other steak options.

The Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobellos has marinated and grilled chicken breast that is topped with roasted onions, red peppers, Portobello mushrooms, aged cheddar cheese and Dijon sauce and served with seasonal vegetables and herb potatoes.  This meal has under 550 calories.  What makes this dish healthy, is: the grilled chicken, peppers, mushrooms, and onions, instead of them being creamed or fried; a Dijon sauce with a low-calorie mustard base; and the inclusion of herbed, boiled potatoes and assorted vegetables in place of creamed or buttery versions.  The dish has lower than one fourth of the fat in the Fiesta Lime Chicken.

Applebee’s Spicy Shrimp Diavolo features shrimp and chopped tomatoes mixed with a tomato-basil, diavolo sauce that is spiced up with chili-seasoning.  The shrimp mixture is spread over whole-wheat penne pasta, and then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.  This dish is full of flavor and since the hot diavolo sauce contains diced tomatoes cooked without any meat, it is also low in calories.  The use of whole wheat pasta and shrimp without any breading or frying makes this dish even healthier.

Then, the Asian Crunch Salad, an original Applebee’s creation, has grilled chicken breast and lots of crunchy salad greens accompanied with roasted red peppers, sugar snap peas, onions, and cucumbers.  A tangy Asian vinaigrette dressing, and a sprinkling of cilantro and sliced almonds completes this crunchy, 490 calories Asian dish.  Antioxidant-rich almonds and wholesome ingredients are the high points of this meal.

Applebee’s was incorporated in the early 1980s as a family-friendly, casual dining restaurant. Since then, it has expanded to almost 2,000 restaurants across the US and abroad.  Providing healthy and tasty low calorie meals has only added to its popularity.

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Applebee’s Low Calorie and Low Cholesterol Menu

One of the most effective ways of maintaining the right levels of blood cholesterol and keeping your heart healthy is following the right diet.  It is often difficult to do this if you eat at fast food outlets.  But, unlike such places that offer mostly processed, unhealthy foods, at Applebee’s it is not difficult to choose healthy meals.

If you glance through the menu at an Applebee’s restaurant, you’ll see the nutrition information listed for each item in terms of calories, sodium content and fat content, but not the cholesterol content.  While this is true, experts tell us that cholesterol in food is not as damaging as the bad fats, that is, saturated and trans fats.

The Harvard School of Public Health says controlling such fat content in our diet is more effective in maintaining desirable cholesterol levels in the body than controlling the levels of actual cholesterol present in our food.  So while ordering food at Applebee’s, to maintain your cholesterol levels, just look for menu items that have low saturated fat content and skip those containing trans fat altogether.

At Applebee’s they do have a lot of high calorie, high fat dishes, but they also offer a wide selection of items that are good for your heart.  So order the right foods and there’ll be no need to worry about harming your cholesterol levels.

Healthy Options at Applebee’s

For heart-healthy options just go straight to the “Under 550 calories Menu”.  The items marked with the Weight Watchers sign in this menu are even better.  Of all the listed items in the menu, the Asian crunch salad, and the grilled shrimp and island rice are the healthiest, containing just 1g saturated fat.  The next best is the Spicy Shrimp Diavolo with 3.5g saturated fat, whereas the Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobellos, and the Asiago Peppercorn Steak both have 6g saturated fat.  Those who are not calorie conscious can pick some other dishes on the menu that have lower quantities of saturated fat, such as a grilled chicken Caesar salad but without any dressing, or the veggie burger.

Items to Avoid

If you have to careful about your cholesterol levels watch out for those items on the Applebee’s menu that contain trans fats and have massive amounts of saturated fat.  Most of these are easily identifiable, such as cheese fries.  The healthiest options at Applebees would be the quesadilla burger containing an atrocious 43g saturated fat, the spinach artichoke dip containing about 30g saturated fat and the chicken fajita roll-up that has 29g saturated fat.  Then, all the pasta dishes, except the Spicy Shrimp Diavolo, contain a minimum of 2g trans fat, and over 40g saturated fat.  The chocolate chip cookie sundae in the dessert menu, containing 51g saturated fat, is the item most laden with saturated fat in the entire menu.

Smart Substitutions at Applebee’s

If you feel your favorite Applebee’s item contains more fat than you would prefer, just make some smart substitution requests.  For instance, you could request reduced-fat dressing or ask for all sauces and dressing to be served on the side.  On request, Applebee’s also substitutes steamed vegetables or salads in place of fattier sides like french fries or mashed potatoes. You could also request grilled meats instead of fried meats for certain items.

Dining out the healthy way and taking your diet seriously can be best done when eating at Applebee’s restaurant.  The choices offered on the menu are the healthiest and the menu itself is presented in sections that make it easy for you to make your selection easily.  Applebees in partnership with Weight Watchers have combined their synergies to offer the best in meal preferences along with Weight Watchers points for every item presented on the menu.

Many Americans today have been identified with an obesity problem.  It is hardly surprising with most of them indulging in fast foods takeouts like pizzas, pastries and cakes, mac n’cheese and burgers with French fries on the side and fizzy drinks and sauces.  Fresh fruits and veggies are not even considered part of their meal any more.  Applebee’s have brought in a fresh change to the American style of eating by introducing meals that are not only healthy but also tasty and filling.  Eating healthy is what you can do at Applebee’s.

Most of the items on the menu at Applebee’s come with a side of vegetables that are steamed but without the addition of oil, butter or salt.  The partnership with Weightwatchers ensures that the menu offers items for people that are conscious of wanting to eat healthy.

In the Applebee’s menu, the section Under 550 Calorie presents items that are served with a portion of steamed vegetables.  These are not only low in fat but also satisfying, filling and of course, healthy.

Here are some items from the Applebee’s Menu that are highly recommended if you are watching what you eat:

If you are really hungry, go for an appetizer like the Tortilla Chicken Melt.  It is made of chicken that is roasted with Chipotle and basted with low fat cheeses.  A portion of wheat tortilla with a topping of roasted vegetables and a ranch-dressed cilantro along with salsa make this dish complete.  Having a serving of Onion Soup Au Gratin alongside it will make this a complete meal.

If you want to go in for a salad instead, opt for the Grilled Shrimp Skewer Salad. Considered one of the least fattening dishes, this is shrimp on skewers served on a mixed greens bed and topped with vinaigrette of lemon herb.

The ideal choice takeout for a working lunch is the Italian Chicken and Portobello Sandwich.  If steak is what you crave Steak and Portobellos would be your choice.  This meal is sirloin grilled on flame and served with gravy containing Portobello mushrooms along steamed vegetables and herb potatoes on the side.  For dessert try the Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake which is a small wedge of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and a little powdered sugar topping.

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