Our Facebook Group Recipe Favourites
If you’re new to Pinch of Nom you might not have experienced the magic of our Facebook group yet. With almost a million members, the group is an online hub of support, inspiration and slimming motivation. Scrolling through everyone’s updates and photos brings us so much joy and, if you haven’t joined yet, we think you should head on over to join in the fun!
Don’t forget to read up on how to use the Facebook group and all the rules you need to know.
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The group’s favourite recipes
Why take our word that something’s delicious when you can listen to the amazing PON community? They’ve got excellent taste, and we love that they always let us know when a recipe is a hit! If you can’t decide where to start with Pinch of Nom recipes, or just don’t know what to have for dinner tonight, you can trust our Facebook group members to have the answer.
We’ve rounded up the top 10 most popular recipes from the group (in no particular order) and they’re all classic, easy yet satisfying, slimming friendly dishes that you NEED to try!
1. Creamy Garlic Chicken
Our ever popular Creamy Garlic Chicken is an easy, go-to midweek meal that tastes so good, you’ll want it on your menu every week. Try it once and you’ll soon see why!
Since it was featured in our first cookbook, it’s become one of the biggest success stories on our social media channels – and the lovely lot in our Facebook group are just as obsessed with these flavours as we are.
At 260 calories per portion, this indulgent tasting dish is perfect for serving alongside fluffy rice, fresh green veg or even crispy potato wedges. The sauce is so rich and flavourful, it’s hard to believe there’s no actual cream in it!
On the table in half an hour, this recipe is beginner friendly and a great place to start your PON journey.
2. Crispy Chilli Beef
We love a Fakeaway, and so does our Facebook group! All the flavour of your favourite takeaway dish, with far fewer calories – what’s not to love?
Time and time again we see our members making this Crispy Chilli Beef, and it never disappoints! The recipe was actually inspired by the group, after we saw that so many people had been disappointed by other similar recipes they’d tried. We’re always up for a challenge, so we created a recipe that tastes just as good as it looks!
The key to this recipe is getting the beef as crispy as possible. Make sure you let it crisp up really well in the oven, or pop it in the air fryer if you have one! You can find out how to convert recipes for your air fryer here.
Be careful not to add it to the sauce until you’re ready to serve – if the beef sits in the sauce too long it could start to get soggy. This recipe comes in under 350 calories, and you can make it faster than you can get it delivered too. A winner all round!
3. Chicken Kebab
If you’ve ever been disappointed by a dry, flavourless late night kebab, it’s time to take matters into your own hands. This Chicken Kebab recipe is tried, tested and trusted by our Facebook group, so you know it must be good!
The chicken needs around an hour and a half in the oven, but it’s worth every minute of effort, especially if you want to indulge your fast food craving without straying off-plan.
The chicken gets coated in a fragrant yoghurt and spices marinade and cooked low and slow for 90 minutes. Not only does this add loads of flavour, it locks in moisture too, so your chicken is juicy every single time.
We use wooden skewers with a potato or onion base to layer up the chicken before cooking in the oven. This can have a habit of toppling over, so some clever members of our Facebook group have suggested using a baked potato rack instead. You can find other handy hints and tips to deal with common recipe problems here.
A baked potato stand like this one is ideal for layering up your chicken to cook in the oven.
4. KFC Zinger Burger Fakeaway
Sometimes you just need some succulent chicken in a crispy, spicy coating. If you’d rather have a go at making your own, this slimming friendly recipe gives the KFC classic a run for its money.
Our KFC Zinger Burger Fakeaway is a firm favourite in our Facebook group, giving people a healthier alternative that still delivers on flavour. As it turns out, you don’t need a blend of 11 herbs and spices to get that delicious taste – some spicy tortilla chips will do the job just as well!
We’ve crushed up Chilli Heatwave Doritos and mixed in a few extra spices to give our chicken a crispy, crunchy coating. We love being in charge of the spices – if you can handle the heat, why not try being a little more heavy handed with the chilli?
To make sure your coating sticks, you’ll need to get it in a nice even layer, and thoroughly coat the whole fillet in low calorie cooking spray before popping it onto a baking tray.
This is another recipe that converts well for an air fryer. The spicy coating will get extra crispy, while the chicken inside stays nice and juicy.
If you don’t already have an air fryer, they’re a handy bit of kit that will come in useful time and time again. This Ninja air fryer is one of our favourites, with a range of functions including roast, bake, grill and reheat.
5. Campfire Stew
Hearty, filling and so easy, this slow cooker recipe has been popular in the Pinch of Nom Facebook group for quite some time now! It’s delicious all year round, but there’s something special about leaving it stewing in the slow cooker to come home to on chilly winter evenings.
Campfire Stew is a warming dish with juicy ham, filling beans and plenty of veggies. It gets a smoky flavour from paprika and cumin, with chilli flakes and hot sauce adding a little fire!
If you don’t have a slow cooker, we’ve included an oven method so you don’t have to miss out on a big bowl of comfort food. It’ll take 2-3 hours to bubble away in the oven, and it’s ready when the sauce has thickened and the ham just falls apart.
You can even cook this recipe in a pressure cooker! It takes a fraction of the time, giving the same results as hours in the oven, in under an hour.
This Instant Pot pressure cooker is multi-functional, and can also be used as a slow cooker and rice cooker. We love how much surface space this saves in your kitchen!
6. One Pot Mediterranean Chicken Orzo
A dish that tastes great AND leaves hardly any washing up? That’s our idea of the dream recipe. We think the PON community agrees, because this One Pot Mediterranean Chicken Orzo is another Facebook favourite.
If you’ve got a pan that can go from the hob straight into the oven, you can brown your chicken, fry off your veggies and add your orzo, before baking for 30 mins in the oven.
This is a whole meal, all on its own. We’re obsessed with orzo – it may look like rice but it’s tiny little pieces of pasta and so filling.
Ready in just over an hour, this is a staple midweek meal that we never get bored of!
It’s easiest to use an ovenproof, hob-friendly dish with a lid for this recipe, although you can cover the pot with aluminium foil if you don’t have a lid that fits.
This casserole dish is suitable for the hob and the oven, with a tight fitting lid to seal all those flavours inside.
7. Diet Coke/Pepsi Max Chicken
If you’ve never heard of this dish before, we won’t blame you for thinking it sounds a bit strange! Cooking your chicken in Diet Coke or Pepsi Max? We promise it turns out incredible, with a sticky sauce that’s a little like sweet and sour.
The PON community is a big fan of Diet Coke/Pepsi Max Chicken, embracing it as a quick meal to throw together in the middle of the week or when you’re not sure what you fancy.
We’ve packed the recipe full of vegetables to keep it slimming friendly and add a boost of goodness, but you don’t have to stick to the same veg we’ve used. Swap out anything you don’t like, or use up leftovers – the beauty of this dish is its versatility!
8. Caramelised Onion Quiche
A crustless quiche is always a good option for lunch, and this Caramelised Onion Quiche took the Facebook group by storm when we posted it online earlier this year.
Super easy to whip up, with complementary sharp and smooth flavours, we think it might just be our best quiche recipe yet! With just a handful of ingredients, you can feed your friends and family this tasty dish, and it’s just as delicious whether it’s hot or cold.
Serve with a side salad for a light lunch or bulk it out with a hearty side dish like Homemade Oven Chips for a filling dinner.
9. Chicken, Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie
Chicken pie meets cottage pie, this next recipe has been popular because everyone loves comfort food! Our Chicken, Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie is a welcome twist on classic, homely cooking, creating an instant family favourite dinner.
It’s hard to beat the creamy sauce and fluffy mashed potatoes, especially on a chilly evening. You’re going to be drooling when you smell this one bubbling away in the oven – all that cheese and bacon filling your kitchen with aromas!
We love that this dish is hearty enough to be served on its own, but there’s nothing better than a spoonful of extra veg and a good glug of Gravy to top it off.
10. Chicken Balti
A takeaway classic, your usual Chicken Balti from the Indian might not fit in with your diet plan, but our version is every bit as aromatic and delicious, without the calories.
One of the group’s favourite Fakeaways, this recipe uses a two step method to create those intense flavours. Making a curry paste in this way helps to bring out a deeper flavour, as does marinating the chicken for at least an hour before cooking.
The leftover paste can be packaged up and kept in the fridge for a few days, so you can make the recipe again if you want to batch cook for another day.
Served with rice or naan bread, this fragrant, tomatoey curry really packs a punch. It’s one of our favourite weekend dinners!
Join the Pinch of Nom Facebook Group!
Want to let us know what your favourite recipe is? Tell us over on our Facebook group. There are almost 1 million members in the group already, waiting to share inspiration, motivation and support for your slimming journey.