[Rockrz]

OK, so I don't be kickin the chicken...but I have a friend that is trying to lose weight but loves fried chicken and really misses it.

So, I thought I'd swing by and see... does anybody know of any good recipes for making fried chicken in a way that it is actually healthy?

Please post any recipes, or links to recipes that provide healthy ways of doing fried chicken. Thanks!

[LovelyAndLosing]

You could try Hungry Girl's method of Faux-frying with ground up Fiber one... sounds weird, but people swear it is good!

[Rockrz]

Anything else that can be used other than Fiber One?

Wouldn't too much fiber result in extended stays on the toilet?

[Charmed7]

We use panko breading and bake it. It's very good!

[mariposssa]

I like baked and rotisserrie chicken just as well. If you put just a little butter or spray butter on the skin it will get really crispy in the oven. I like to sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder and season salt on a whole chicken. Quarter an onion and put half inside along with a couple of cloves of garlic and a chicken bouillon and bake. If you eat the skin, it is perfectly crispy on top and the chicken is flavored all the way through.

[Rockrz]

I heard eating the skin was not healthy...

Anybody have an recipes for step by step instructions?

I'm a guy ya know, so I need instructions so I don't make a mess.

[mariposssa]

The skin definitely has more fat and calories. I do low carb myself, so I don't necessarily follow that whole fat is evil philosophy that some diet plans claim. If your friend is missing fried chicken; most likely it is the skin and breading. I don't add any breading and the skin is still crispy. You can also remove the skin and "bread" it with cornflakes, or a healthy cereal like another poster mentioned. It doesn't have to be a fiber cereal, but a lot of people need more fiber.

[junebug41]

Using skinless chicken breasts:
1. Season breasts with salt or chicken seasoning
2. Coat in flour
3. Coat in egg (beaten)
4. Coat in panko crumbs
5. Place in non stick baking dish and cook at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

ETA: I put the flour, egg, and panko in bowls so it's an assembly line of sorts. My husband is a buffalo chicken junky do sometimes I will add some Frank's buffalo sauce to the egg wash.

[mandalinn82]

My method and Junebug's are pretty much the same. I do usually put a little dijon into my eggwash for extra flavor, and make sure all of my breading components are seasoned with salt, pepper, and a generic garlic/onion seasoning blend (so the panko, the egg, and the flour all get a dose of seasoning). I also bake mine on a rack on a cookie sheet, so the heat can brown the breadcrumbs on all sides.

[Rockrz]

Can you use organic whole wheat flour?

Bleached flour is toxic considering all the pesticides and the manufacturing process they put flour through

Originally Posted by junebug41

My husband is a buffalo chicken junky

Wow... a cross between a chicken and a buffalo.
What does that animal look like???









.

[junebug41]

I don't see why not. Worth a shot, right?

[WebWoman]

I take the skin off the pieces,
Dip them in milk or water so they're moist,
Dredge them in Shake-N-Bake (or generic) seasoning,
Bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet at about 375-400 till they're done.

Pretty healthy except for the sodium in the shake-n-bake, but most will add salt anyway

[mandalinn82]

I use organic whole wheat flour, and it works just fine. I also found a brand of whole wheat panko bread crumbs (Ian's Natural Foods), and they're made with unbleached whole wheat flour. My local store carries them, or you can order them on Amazon or other online retailers

[mariposssa]

Interesting to me is that they all end up about the same calories wise. The skin on a chicken breast has 40 calories. Couple sprays of butter allegedly has none and most seasonings are calories free. If you use skinless and add egg, bread crumbs and flours you could end up with the same or even more calories added back plus added carb. Egg has fat and cholesterol, too. So...I think it's a wash. You may or may not agree depending on whether you believe fat from chicken is better than fat from eggs (chicken.) You could use liquid eggs...but that replaces an organic food with a chemical man made one.

[Alyj89]

I actually still fry my chicken.. I never could get the baked stuff to crisp up right

So, using either boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs, or chicken tenderloins, I do:
(this is for enough chicken for 4 people. typically 1 breast, 1 thigh each.)

1 beaten egg
1/2 cup flower
any seasonings you'd like
about 1/2 an inch of canola oil in the pan - hot!! it HAS to be REALLY hot so you need to use a high smoke temp oil. If it's not hot enough extra oil will soak in.

Beat egg well and pour over chicken/soak chicken in it. You'll need to use your hands to really get the egg everywhere.
Dredge in flour / spice mixture, just a thin dusting. You don't want to use too much because it will cause more oil to be soaked in.
Place in hot oil and fry 10-15 minutes per side or until desired done-ness level.

I personally go by these calorie totals..
115 calorie for 4oz chicken breast trimmed of ALL fat
50 calories for 1 TBSP of flour
50 calories for absorbed oil

which is roughly 215-220 cal for one 4oz fried chicken breast. It's not the best thing to eat for sure, but I have it every week. I also have a thigh with it, which is a little fattier, estimated at ~240 for 3oz, so when I have fried chicken for dinner I make sure I account for 550-600 calories and have light side dishes (salad with light dressing + green beans, a small potato with pam + green beans, etc)

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=9978146
Heres another recipe, for fast frying!