Fried chicken outstrips all other fast-food sales combined. I decided to bake this chicken in the oven and give it a crunchy crust without frying it. Placing the baking tray in the oven to preheat will cook the bottom side of the chicken without having to turn it.
Helpful Hints:
— You can substitute breadcrumbs for cracker crumbs.
— You can use any type of chopped nuts.
Countdown:
— Marinate chicken.
— Prepare all ingredients.
— Coat chicken with cracker crumbs and place in oven.
— While chicken bakes, prepare creamed corn and lima beans.
— Make sure your bottle of dried herb is less than 6 months old.
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OVEN FRIED CHICKEN
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
1/2 cup skim milk*
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup cracker meal
1/4 cup finely chopped dry roasted, unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg white
Olive oil spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with foil and place in oven to warm.
Mix milk and cayenne pepper together. Place the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap or foil and flatten with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet to about 1/2-inch thick. Add chicken to the milk and marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Mix cracker meal, peanuts, paprika, thyme and salt and pepper together. Remove chicken from milk and roll in cracker meal mixture. Dip in egg white and roll again in cracker meal. Remove baking tray from oven and spray with olive oil spray. Place chicken on tray and spray with olive oil spray. Bake 10 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 415 calories, 16.4 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 7.1 g monounsaturated fat, 127 mg cholesterol, 47.1 g protein, 19.4 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g dietary fiber, 2.7 g sugars, 127 mg sodium, 831 mg potassium, 481 mg phosphorus
Exchanges: 1 starch, 6 lean protein, 1 1/2 fat
CREAMED CORN AND LIMA BEANS
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup frozen lima beans
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup skim milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, sliced
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high Heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add corn and lima beans. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are heated through. Draw vegetables to the sides of the pan and add oil and flour. Mix to form a paste. Slowly add the milk stirring to form a creamy sauce. Draw in the vegetables and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sliced tomatoes on the side. Makes two servings.
Per serving: 196 calories, 7.3 g fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 4.3 g monounsaturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 7.4 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 4.4 g dietary fiber, 6.8 g sugars, 56 mg sodium, 571 mg potassium, 154 mg phosphorus
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 1/2 fat
Shopping List:
To buy: 2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 box cracker meal, 1 bottle dry roasted, unsalted peanuts 1 bottle paprika, 1 bottle cayenne pepper, 1 bottle dried thyme, 1 bag frozen corn kernels, 1 bag frozen lima beans and 1 medium tomato.
Staples: Skim milk, egg, olive oil spray, canola oil, flour, salt and black peppercorns.
