Family Recipe – Corn Flake Oven-Fried Chicken

Awesome pic of Corn Flake Overn Baked Chicken

Corn Flake Oven-Baked Chicken - photo courtesy of HubPages.com

This is a classic recipe that has been around for years, but it’s a really good one and it’s healthier (way lower fat) than your standard fried chicken recipe, and with great crunch.   I tweaked the recipe a bit (took it beyond salt and pepper for seasoning and it is a definite winner.  I also tweaked the original recipe by not drizzling the top of the chicken with melted butter or margarine as that would screw up the whole “reduced fat” angle.

If your family loves fried chicken, but you’d like to cut down the fat, give this one a shot.

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved length-wise (to make a thin cutlet)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup non-fat or low-fat milk
1 egg
3 cups crushed corn flakes
1 TBL Seasoned salt of your choice
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (to taste)

The Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare chicken breasts by removing visible fat and slicing length-wise to form a thin cutlet

Prepare batter by mixing milk and egg together and beating until combined, then stir in flour to form a thick batter.
Add Frank’s Red Hot sauce and 1/2 TBL seasoned salt to batter and mix to integrate

Prepare corn flakes by placing in a ziplock bag and crushing with a rolling pin.  You want some texture here so don’t crush too fine.
Add 1/2 TBL of seasoned salt and mix with a fork

Place batter and crushed corn flakes in shallow bowls

Spray a cookie sheet with pan spray

Dip chicken pieces first in the batter, allowing the excess batter to drip off into the batter bowl, then place the battered  chicken piece into the crushed corn flakes.   I then shake the bowl a bit to get best coverage and press the chicken pieces in lightly to make sure they are coated.  Flip and repeat.

Place the crusted chicken pieces on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes until the chicken reached the proper internal temperature.   NOTE: if you don’t split the chicken breasts, your cooking time will be longer.

The resulting chicken will resemble KFC’s “Extra Crispy” chicken with a really awesome crunchy crust with some serious flake to it.   I serve it with reduced fat “Grand’s” biscuits, mashed potatoes with carrots and gravy (optional)

Family Recipe – BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes

I am always looking for healthy recipes for my family. My kids (and my wife) can be picky sometimes, so when I find a recipe that everyone likes, that the kids can help with, and that is actually good for them, I know I have a winner on my hands. Enter BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes from the Rachel Ray Yum-O Family Cookbook .

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe you will find at the link above that worked for me and my family in using a bagged Cole Slaw mix from the store and in substituting apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar called for in the recipe.    I also added some oven fries to round out the meal.   I’ll leave substitutions and sides up to your discretion.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1/2 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick brand Montreal Chicken Seasoning
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar  (I used apple cider vinegar )
  • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 can tomato sauce (14 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  • 4 crusty rolls, split and toasted (I used Kaiser Rolls)

The Technique:

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the EVOO. Add the ground chicken to the pan and, using the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, break it up into crumbles so that it can brown evenly. Season the chicken with grill seasoning blend.

Once the chicken begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes, add the onion and peppers and cook 5-6 minutes more to soften.

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and hot sauce. Stir the BBQ Joe sauce into the chicken and combine. Reduce heat to simmer, let mixture bubble and then combine for 5 minutes more.

Prepare the bagged Cole Slaw

Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile the sloppy chicken onto toasted bun bottoms, then top with Slaw  and bun tops.  Serve with oven fries, more slaw or potato chips.