Skinny "Fried" Chicken Nuggets

Crispy Chicken Nuggets 

This recipe is the perfect fix for those days when all you can think about is fried chicken. For me, I crave Chick-Fil-A nuggets several times a week and usually only indulge once a week on what Tristan coined "Chick-Fil-A Wednesday". These nuggets may not be fried in peanut oil, but they're coated in delicious seasonings that are so reminiscent of fast food fried chicken that you won't even dream of cheating on that diet you're on.  Don't waste a cheat day; have these amazing chicken nuggets on a regular calorie counting, point-counting, macro-counting day!

What's the difference?

Normally, this is where I would bash the real deal nuggets from Chick-Fil-A and compare them to mine. But let's be honest, Chick-Fil-A calories are The Lord's calories and I will not defile them today. Instead, let's compare them to Wendy's.  I love Wendy's, but I'd rather throw them under the bus ya know?

One 10 piece serving of Wendy's Crispy Chicken Nuggets is 450 calories, 32 grams of fat (7 grams saturated fat), 23 grams of protein, and 13 Weight Watchers SmartPoints.

My 11 piece serving of Skinny Crispy "Fried" Chicken Nuggets is 350 calories, 7 grams of fat (1.4 grams saturated fat), 50 grams of protein, and 6 Weight Watchers SmartPoints.

Whoah okay. I just halved Wendy's SmartPoints. And the Protein? That's a bit concerning considering it's almost the same amount of chicken! Chicken is meant to be very full of protein and this recipe definitely gets you the protein that your body needs without loading up on fatty oils at the same time.  So let's get down to business.

 What you'll need:

For 5 servings (10-11 nuggets per serving):

• 1.5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Egg Beaters (or 2 regular eggs, beaten)
• 4 oz (in weight) of regular Panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tsp (more or less) of Paprika
• 3 tsp (more or less) of Cajun Seasoning
• 3 tsp (more or less) of Ranch Seasoning
• 2 tsp (more or less) of Garlic Salt

 

The Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Cut chicken breasts into nugget sized pieces - I was able to get about 55 nuggets, but this can vary depending on nugget size.
3. Prepare two bowls: one with the liquid egg, and another with the mixture of Panko and all seasonings. Please feel free to adjust the suggested servings of seasonings! It's all about your taste buds.
4. Transfer the raw chicken pieces into the egg batter (best if done in small groups, I did 5 at a time) to soak. Then, transfer the egg coated pieces into the Panko and seasoning bowl and toss to fully coat each piece in crumbs.
5.  Using a large cookie sheet or baking pan, align the coated nuggets so that none overlap. However, they can be very close to one another.
6. Once your pan is full of the soon-to-be-delicious chicken nuggets, set in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. When done, sprinkle any additional seasonings and serve with your choice of side and sauce!(I chose mashed potatoes and a light honey mustard dipping sauce) 

And there you have it - almost Chick-Fil-A crispy chicken nuggets that are delicious and half the guilt of regular fast food chicken nuggets!

 

ENJOY!

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Skinny Crispy Buffalo Wings

Guilt-Free Chicken Wings

A new personal favorite, these crispy hot buffalo chicken wings have all of the perks of fried wings without the fatty oils and calories.  I actually stumbled upon this recipe on Facebook, and will post the original source since I can't take all the credit! (Note: I changed a few things for this recipe)

Let's Compare...

One serving of traditional fried buffalo wings (6 piece, Buffalo Wild Wings) clocks in at 1,090 Calories, 56 grams of Fat (22 Saturated Fat), 90 grams of Carbs, and 32 Weight Watchers SmartPoints. Um...that's over an entire day of points in one meal with no sides and no dressing...

What about these Skinny Crispy Buffalo Wings??? One serving of these wings (6 piece, about 12 oz of chicken with bone in), is 384 Calories, 30 grams of Fat (6 Saturated Fat), 0 grams of Carbs, and 14 Weight Watchers SmartPoints. That's cutting over half the points and almost a third of the calories.

So let's get down to the question everyone wants to know...

What's the crust???

Believe it or not, the crust is a simple mix of baking power with various seasonings and salt. When combined with the raw chicken wingettes and drumettes, it soaks into the skin and when baked, becomes a crispy and thick seasoned crust. I know, I know, doesn't make a whole lot of sense does it? I thought the same thing when I watched the video below:

Click to watch video!

However, the trick is baking them at a low temperature and lower rack at first, and later moving them to the top rack at a much higher temperature to really crisp them up. 

Here's what you'll need:

For two servings...

• 1.5 lbs raw chicken wingettes (or other variety)
• 2 tsp table salt
• any amount of ground pepper
• 5 tbs baking powder (more for crispier chicken)
• Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce
• Aluminum Foil (or parchment paper)
• Large zip lock bag (alternative: large bowl)
  
  
  

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. Remove thawed raw wings from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. This is very important so that the crust sets correctly!
3.  Using either a large zip-lock bag or large bowl, combine the raw wings with the baking powder, salt, and desired seasonings. Shake to coat all wings. You may find it necessary to add additional baking powder to evenly coat the wings.
4. Align wings on a greased aluminum foil or parchment paper covered baking pan. Set on lower shelf of oven and let bake for about 20 minutes.  
5. Crank the oven up to 450 degrees and move baking pan to top shelf. Let bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. 
6. Remove from oven and coat with sauce as you please!

 

Note: Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce has negligible calories, fat, and sugar, and therefore is 0 points even when used in larger amounts. If you choose to use another sauce, nutrition info will vary! Also, many people choose to mix Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce with other ingredients such as butter and brown sugar which will also affect the nutrition and points information. However, I think its delicious entirely on its own!!

ENJOY