Recipe of the Week — Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

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Recipe of the Week — Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

By the American Heart Association via heart.orgAlmond Crusted Chicken Fingers

Who doesn’t love chicken fingers? (Unless, of course, you don’t eat meat.) Chicken fingers are a special favorite of kids, and this great recipe from the American Heart Association tells you how to make the dish healthier for you and your little ones!

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Baking Time: 20 minutes

Description

Instead of batter-dipped, deep-fried nuggets, we coat chicken tenders in a seasoned almond and whole-wheat flour crust and then oven-fry them to perfection. With half the fat of standard breaded chicken tenders, you can enjoy to your (healthy) heart’s content.

Ingredients

Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders (see Cook’s Tip)

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.

Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.

Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cook’s Tip

Ingredient note: Chicken tenders, virtually fat-free, are a strip of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of the chicken breast, but they can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded “chicken fingers.”

Nutritional Analysis
Per serving
Calories Per Serving 184
Total Fat 7 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 63 mg
Sodium 147 mg
Carbohydrates 4 g
Fiber 1 g
Sugar 0 g
Protein 26 g
Calcium 0 g
Potassium 264 mg

Dietary Exchanges
3 very lean meat, 1/2 fat