Sacrifice little by baking chicken instead of frying
| • | Sniffing out fakes |
By Elaine Magee
| |||
 |
|
||
Q. I tasted a lovely appetizer at a restaurant that was deep-fried and wanted to make it at home without all the grease. Coconut chicken strips: Can it be done?
A. It can definitely be done in the oven instead of the fryer, but just know the coating will be a bit more moist and less crispy than the deep-fried restaurant dish. All the flavor and even the golden brown coating will still be there, though.
Our version of the "baked" chicken strips are coated with a seasoned cornstarch mixture then they are dipped in whipped egg whites. Each one is gently pressed into the flaked coconut and then coated with some canola cooking spray. They are place on a foil-lined baking sheet and baked in a hot oven (400-degrees) until the chicken is cooked throughout and the coating is golden brown.
The difference in calories and fat grams is amazing, with the baked version containing more than 200 fewer calories and 60 percent less fat per serving!
The original fried recipe contains 520 calories, 25 g fat, 11.5 g saturated fat, 4 g of omega-6 fatty acids, and 119 mg cholesterol per serving.
OVEN-BAKED COCONUT CHICKEN STRIPS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the chicken strip in cold water and drain well on paper towels until nice and dry. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat the foil with canola cooking spray.
In shallow bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt and cayenne pepper with whisk; set aside.
In mixing bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place the coconut in a shallow dish. Line up the bowls starting with the cornstarch, then the egg whites, then the coconut.
Take one of the chicken strips and dredge it in the cornstarch mixture. Dip the strip into the egg whites and then lightly dredge in the coconut (gently press the coconut onto the chicken strip). Coat both sides of the coated chicken strip with canola cooking spray and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Dredge the remaining chicken strips in the cornstarch, egg white and coconut. You should use up almost all of the dipping ingredients. If you need more cornstarch mixture, just mix up another batch.
Bake for about 25 minutes (until chicken is cooked throughout and the coconut coating is golden brown). If you feel the bottoms of the strips are cooking faster than the tops, then flip the strips over after about 15 minutes.
Serve the strips with what-ever dipping sauce or tropical salsa appeals to you.
Makes 4 servings.
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian and author of "Food Synergy" (Rodale Books). For more information, go to www.recipedoctor.com.
