Not-So-Fried Chicken

Clean cook and host of FitTV's Healthy Decadence, Devin Alexander takes the fried out of a beloved chicken dish. It tastes so good you'll wonder why you've relied on the grease for so long!

Photo: Joanne Tsakos

By Devin Alexander

Serves: 4
You Save: 93 calories, 16 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 765 mg sodium, 24 mg cholesterol

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 7-oz bone-in chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• Extra-virgin olive oil cooking spray
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 cup whole-wheat panko

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Using a sharp knife, thoroughly remove skin and visible fat from chicken breasts.
2. Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic container that is slightly larger than the breasts. Pour buttermilk over breasts, then turn them so they are completely coated. Let marinate in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight, rotating them once or twice.
3. Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly mist a medium, nonstick baking sheet with spray.
4. In a small bowl, mix mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne.
5. Add panko to a medium, shallow bowl.
6. Remove 1 chicken breast from buttermilk, allowing any excess liquid to drip off. Sprinkle both sides of breast evenly with 1/4 of seasoning mixture. Then transfer it to bowl of panko, covering it completely with crumbs. Place breaded chicken breast face down (ribs up) on prepared pan. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
7. Lightly mist top of breasts with spray. Bake chicken for 10 minutes, then gently, being careful not to remove any breading, flip the breasts. Lightly mist them again with spray and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until breading is crispy and chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days to eat cold. (TIP: To make your breaded chicken a bit more golden in color, try toasting the panko in a skillet over medium heat before using it to cover the chicken. Just remember to consistently shake the skillet over the stove to ensure you don’t burn the panko.)

Nutrients Per Chicken Breast: Calories: 267, Total Fat: 5 g, Sat. Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 17 g, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 37 g, Sodium: 255 mg, Cholesterol: 91 mg

TIP:
To make your breaded chicken a bit more golden in color, try toasting the panko in a skillet over medium heat before using it to cover the chicken. Just remember to consistently shake the skillet over the stove to ensure you don’t burn the panko
.