So I'm trying to drop some last minute pounds before I have to wear a bikini again and like most busy women, am a little late to the game. I've been praying for a deep freeze to strike Chicago but instead it's been 80 degrees and sunny every day. Damn it. Did I mention that eating healthy makes me want to kill myself? Oh have I not mentioned that? Never mind.
When cooking said healthy food, I try to bring the same culinary enthusiasm as if I was cooking with sausage and dough and cheese and butter and....yeah. You get the point.
Pardon me while I cry myself to sleep tonight.
My brother in law, Will, is staying with us this week. He isn't a picky eater, but he's fairly open to giving me candid feedback on his likes and dislikes. I've never seen anyone love chicken fingers with as much unadulterated gusto as Will. He dreams about different ways to incorporate them into my cooking. So, in an effort to keep it healthy, I thought I'd make low carb and paleo friendly chicken fingers for dinner. I was a little nervous, but they came out AWESOME.
Couple things to note here. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Whyyyyy thhiiigghhss do you ask? Dark meat is more moist and flavorful and has the same caloric content as white meat. Since we are "frying" in the oven, it's important to use a cut of meat with more moisture. If you want to use white, no problem. I'm sure it'll still come out delicious. For the breading, I used almond flour. Almond flour is my new BFF. It's nutty, buttery, and a low carb, fiber rich alternative to traditional flour. SCORE. See below for the full recipe.
Paleo Fried Chicken Recipe:
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Things
3 Eggs
1 Tsp Mustard
1 1/2 Cups of Almond Flour
1/4 Tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
1/4 Tsp of Jerk or Cajun Seasoning
Non Stick Cooking Spray
Whisk the eggs with the mustard. Then, in a different bowl mix the almond flour, salt and jerk seasoning. Check your seasoning - it might already have salt in it. If it does, go easy on the kosher salt. Dip each chicken thigh into the egg mixture and then dredge in the almond flour mixture. Once both sides are fully covered, add them to a cookie sheet (preferably non stick) that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook chicken thighs in a preheated, 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is at an internal temperature of 165 degrees. I could tell when they were done when I smelled the almond flour toasting. YUM. These were outrageous. Brother in law, husband, and hardly housewife approved. Stay hungry!
I made this last night with mashed cauliflower and roasted cabbage, it was the BEST!!! Thank you so much for the idea and for helping me trick my family to eat good heakthy foods =)
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