Cooking Healthy: Give the kids lower-fat chicken fingers

Credit: Countryman Press Photo

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers use a combination of ground almonds and whole-wheat flour to make a coating that is lighter and more flavorful than their heavier, blander fried counterparts.

By: By Michael Hastings | JOURNAL FOOD EDITOR
Published: November 19, 2008

Parents know just how much kids love chicken fingers. Normally fried with a heavy coating, these are usually bland and high in fat.

But they don't have to be.

The recipe below uses a combination of ground almonds and whole-wheat flour to make a lighter but more flavorful coating.

And these chicken fingers are baked to keep the fat level low. Sure the nuts add some fat, but it's good fat and it's very little. In fact, one serving -- a quarter pound of meat -- has just 4 grams of fat.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Recipe from EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (The Countryman Press, 2006) by the editors of Eating Well magazine.

Canola oil cooking spray

½ cup sliced almonds

¼ cup whole-wheat flour

1½ teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 egg whites

1 pound chicken tenders (or skinless chicken breast) cut into long 1-inch-wide strips

1. Heat the oven to 475 degrees. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

2. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until almonds are finely chopped and paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil and process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.

3. Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture. Turn to coat evenly. (Discard any extra egg-white and almond mixture.)

4. Place the tenders on the prepared rack. Coat top of chicken with cooking spray. Turn and spray the other side.

5. Bake chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. (Check them early to avoid overcooking.)

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information for one serving: 147 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated). 49 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 21 g protein, 1 g fiber, 214 mg sodium.