Baked chicken strips lighter

By Becky Varner

Published: October 14, 2008

Any version of fried chicken is a favorite for many people. Chicken-fried chicken fingers have become particularly popular in recent years because they are easy to eat, available in many fast-food restaurants and sure to appear on many children’s list of favorites. But since they are fried, they are high in fat and calories. They also are often high in sodium.

Our chicken-fried chicken fingers are much lower in both fat and calories because they are not really fried. And we also have reduced the sodium content. But they still have that great taste and crust. I only made two changes in this recipe, but this made a significant difference in the calorie, fat and sodium content. Here’s what I did:

→Changed the cooking method to baking instead of frying the chicken fingers.

→Reduced the salt in the coating mix from 1 teaspoon to ½ teaspoon

The modified recipe has 120 fewer calories, 14 fewer grams of fat and 288 fewer milligrams of sodium per serving.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound skinned, deboned chicken breasts

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon paprika

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons skim milk

1 cup dried prepared bread crumbs (4 slices wheat bread)

¼ cup vegetable oil

Makes 4 servings

1 pound skinned, deboned chicken breasts

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon paprika

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons skim milk

1 cup dried bread crumbs (4 slices wheat bread)

→Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a nonstick spray. Cut chicken breasts into 20 strips.

→Combine flour, salt, sugar, pepper, onion powder and paprika in a small bowl.

→In another small bowl, combine egg whites and skim milk. Beat with a fork until smooth.

→Add chicken strips to flour mixture, a few at a time, to coat thoroughly using all of the mixture. Dip strips, a few at a time, in the egg white mixture, then roll in bread crumbs, pressing crumbs into the chicken to use all of the crumbs.

→Arrange chicken strips on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until they begin to brown and are crispy. Cut into a chicken strip in the middle of the baking sheet to be sure the chicken is completely done and there is no pink remaining.

→ Variation: Using dried bread crumbs or commercially prepared bread crumbs makes a crispier crust. Using soft bread crumbs makes a thicker, crunchier crust.

→Serving suggestions: Mashed potatoes and a cooked vegetable such as green beans, broccoli or carrots and a fruit cup or melon slices make a great combination.

→Nutrition facts per serving: 267 calories, 3 g fat, 34 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 70 mg cholesterol, 570 mg sodium and 3 g dietary fiber.

→Cost per serving: $1 . 18.

If you have a recipe you’d like to see made more healthful, e-mail the complete recipe along with your full name, city or town, daytime telephone number and details about the recipe to Becky Varner, R.D., L.D, at beckyvarner@cox.net.

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