Making Crispy Chicken The Healthy Way

If you are like many, you may be a big fan of KFC. Unfortunately, you've also already likely come to realize that KFC does not fit so well on any healthy eating plan. Unless you are ordering the grilled chicken breast, you are going to be in for a lot of calories and a lot of saturated fat in this meal.

Any breaded foods are usually ones you want to avoid because not only do they add a lot of excess carbohydrates to your diet, they are also deep fried. Luckily though, if you are willing to change your cooking method slightly, you can come up with an alternative to fried chicken that will still taste great and will fit much more nicely on your diet plan.

Give the below recipe a try and if you are looking for a way to complete the meal, add in the oven baked sweet potato French fries as your side dish. Serve with a salad and some olive oil dressing and you've got a complete, well rounded meal.

Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

¼ cup flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp salt

2 egg whites

½ cup low fat buttermilk

4.5 cups crushed bran flakes (or corn flakes)

4 tbsp sesame seeds

2-3 pounds chicken breast meat

First preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Next line a large baking pan with some aluminium foil to prevent the chicken from sticking.

Place both types of flour, garlic powder, pepper and salt in a bowl and mix well. Beat together the egg whites and buttermilk in a separate bowl and then set aside. In a third bowl, crush the cereal and then add in the sesame seeds. After trimming any visible fat from the chicken breasts dip them first into the flour mixture, then into the egg mixture and lastly coat them with the cereal mixture. Lay flat on the pan and then bake for 50-60 minutes. Serve with mustard sweetened with Splenda (healthy version of 'honey mustard').

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 sweet potatoes

3 egg whites

2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise

garlic powder

seasoning salt

First wash and cut the sweet potatoes into desired thickness 'French fries'. You could also do potato wedges or cubes if you preferred. Next, in a bowl whisk the egg whites. Dip your potatoes into the egg whites and then lay on a pre-greased (or sprayed with non-stick spray) pan. Brush a light coating of mayonnaise over top and then sprinkle with garlic powder and seasoning salt. Bake in a 450 degree preheated oven for about 30 minutes, flipping over at half time. Serve with low sugar ketchup or with more low fat mayonnaise.

So if you are looking for a much healthier alternative to your crispy fried chicken and French fries, give this a try. You will have a terrific source of protein and the sweet potatoes tend to have less of an effect on your blood sugar levels than regular potatoes do, making them a much safer choice for those who do not handle carbohydrate foods all that well.