Has anyone "fake" fried foods with crushed Fiber One?
I bought this new cookbook called "Hungry Girl Recipes" by Lisa Lillien, and there's a ton of recipes that use crushed Fiber One cereal to "fake fry" things, like chicken strips, onion rings, etc.
I was just wondering if anyone has actually tried this, I'm curious to find out if it tastes...well... gross. It sounds like a fabulous idea, in theory, since I'm a sucker for fried foods, I'm just not sure I wanna run out and buy box only to have it taste like a chicken or onion ring coated in dog food.
A lot of members here have that cookbook and have talked about the fiber one crust. They seem to like it I haven't tried it, but I personally would reach for a whole wheat panko crumb first.
i've tried it with chicken strips. it's not bad, but not fabulous either...i found it tasted a little sweet. i also prefer panko, but i have never found the whole wheat ones! i'll have to look!
I've "fake fried," a lot, and love it, but I've never used Fiber One. I've used other cereals, breadcrumbs (whole wheat when I can), dry potato flakes (instant mashed potato flakes), crushed whole wheat crackers (I crush in the food processor), almond meal (when doing low-carb), and when I wasn't dieting, crushed potato chips - (bbq potato chips or sour cream and onion).
I've experimented with so many crusts, and most worked pretty well. I'd season them with salt and pepper, garlic powder...
I usually marinate the chicken overnight in low fat mayo or ranch dressing to which I've stirred in about a teaspoon of salt or chicken soup base powder or other salty seasoning, and sometimes garlic.
Then I roll in whatever coating I'm using and bake at 350 until done.
I personally would reach for a whole wheat panko crumb first.
I'm not really sure what panko is. Where would I find it? And is it about the same amount of calories or more?
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it's not bad, but not fabulous either...i found it tasted a little sweet.
I was wondering if it would be sweet too. I'm not too big on sweet and non-sweet things being mixed together, I'm kind of bland like that. The recipes all seem to have you coat it in egg substitute to help it stick, so I wonder if you could just mix in a spice or two to take the sweetness off.
kaplods, what's been the best compromise between low-cal and yummy that you've tried so far?
I love Fiber One and have used it to coat both chicken and fish. It tastes great to me, but it definitely has a sweeter taste to it than a more traditional coating like Panko.
kaplods, what's been the best compromise between low-cal and yummy that you've tried so far?
I think the secret to yummy isn't so much in the crumb choice, but in the seasoning of the crumbs, and the meat (I've used chicken, pork, and fish and would like to try turkey).
The original recipe I had was to marinate the chicken for 15 minutes in low fat mayo, dip in seasoned bread crumbs (already seasoned in the can)... the chicken turned out ok, but BLAND.
Experimenting, I found that marinating the chicken longer, especially if there's a little salt in the marinade really improves the flavor and moistness of the meat. That's why I usually marinate at least 8 hours.
The crumbs need to be seasoned too, and the pre-seasoned bread crumbs may not be seasoned enough for your tastebuds. Taste the crumb mix before getting the chicken out of the fridge. It may not have a yummy texture, because it's not a crust yet, but the flavor should be good.
Likewise, before you marinate your chicken (before you've touched the raw chicken) mix up your marinade and taste it. The taste should actually be a bit (not humongously, but noticeably) more strongly seasoned than it would be if you were using it for a salad dressing. Add seasonings you like, and a bit of salt.
For example, I may add some barbecue sauce to the ranch dressing or mayo - maybe even spike it with a little hot pepper.
I think my favorite coating mix is potato flakes. It's easy to measure and calculate calories/exchanges. For example I looked on my instant potato box and saw that 1/4 cup (23 g) has 80 calories which equals one bread/starch exchange).
Some instant potato brands have added salt, and some are dried in granules rather than flakes. Both will work (and because of the salt, another reason why you need to taste before coating the chicken), and you may have a preference of one over the other. I like the flakes because they have a texture similar to panko. If you've ever seen fried shrimp, that have a flakey fried coating, it's probably panko - (though sometimes it's coconut).
I also like wheat germ, but that I usually mix with potato flakes or other crumbs, because it can be a little "too" crunchy.
A light spray of cooking spray helps the crust become crunchy. With potato flakes and almond meal, the crust browns very nicely on it's own (Panko probably would too). But sometimes the texture of cereal and bread crumbs will be a bit soft and dry without a very light spray of oil.
I also found with fish, because it cooks so fast, and because some types of fish release a lot of moisture, you have to start with a crumb that is already fairly crispy on it's own (rice crispies, chex cereal, chips, potato flakes, seasoned crackers crushed, or panko...). Often bread crumbs or saltine crackers end up a bit too dry, or if the fish is very moist, the crust will end up getting gummy.
Wheat melba toast crushed up is my personal favorite, and panko works great too. I tried the Fiber One and can honestly say that the book relies on that for the soul purpose of its fake low calorie count, which keeps the calories down overall.
I use a combination of oats, sliced almonds and whole wheat bread crumbs on chicken strips. I dip the strips in egg whites, then in the combo I just mentioned which I season with parsley, garlic and onion powder, a little salt and a little cayenne pepper. I bake it in the oven with cooking spray. It's VERY good.
My daughter recently made a good coating too. She crushed up some corn flake crumbs and spiced em up.
I used about a cup of progresso crumbs and a cup of sliced almonds whirled them in my food processer, added more itlian seasoning and baked white fish filets and my family loved it.
Thanks for all your info and advice everyone!
For the life of me, I could not find Panko crumbs at my local grocery store, but then I went to Whole Foods and there they were! I used them with "zucchini fries" and they were fabulous!
Did you check by the Asian foods at your grocery store for the panko. That's where I find it, usually in a box, but sometimes in a canister, and every grocery store I have been too has it on one of the top 2 shelves. I also find it at the Asian market.
Yes, I made the best sweet and sour chicken this past week. So good. I soaked chicken peices in the sweet and sour for 3 days then rolled them in the fiber one, baked until cooked, served with rice.