Today's recipe was created to satisfy the desire to eat American-style crispy fried chicken without frying the chicken. It makes sense, doesn't it?
Before going into the process and making the crunchy (not) fried chicken nuggets, let's find out more about this food source!
Chicken
Chicken meat is perhaps the most widely used white meat by all omnivorous consumers. It is a source of noble proteins, characterized by the almost total absence of fats and a light and delicate flavor that makes it suitable for everyone and very versatile in the kitchen.
Being low in fat and calories, it is one of the most used foods in low-calorie diets and to maintain a healthy weight. It is an inevitable ingredient in the classic diet of bodybuilding athletes and amateurs, who combine it with boiled rice and vegetables such as steamed broccoli. Beyond the reasons related to the line, this combination is also excellent because it is highly digestible!
Like all meats, the chicken must also be consumed in moderation in the context of a varied and balanced diet, accompanied by an abundant portion of vegetables.
Nutritional values of chicken meat
The values of the chicken meat vary according to the part of the animal being examined.
Today's recipe calls for the use of chicken breast, which per 100g contains about:
- Protein: 23g
- Fat: 0.8g
- Carbohydrates: 0g
Why isn't frying chicken healthy?
From a nutritional point of view, frying food is not a good idea. Let's see why:
- A part of the oil is inevitably absorbed by the fried food, therefore the fat and calorie content increases considerably, especially if you use a batter.
- The frying temperatures are among the highest, the thermolabile nutrients and many vitamins fade away, the polyunsaturated fatty acids oxidize, the risk of formation of toxic compounds increases.
- The smoke point is the criterion with which to choose the oil for frying. The more an oil is rich in polyunsaturated fats, the lower its smoke point; therefore, it is less suitable for frying. Among the oils not suitable for frying we find seed oils. Even extra virgin olive oil is not recommended (definitely better to eat it raw!). If you need to fry, use peanut oil.
Not fried, fried chicken recipe
So here we are with our recipe for an American-style non-fried fried chicken that preserves the crispness and taste of the classic fried chicken nuggets, while not using this cooking method. A low-calorie but very good recipe also recommended for those who follow a low-calorie diet.
Watch the video with all the steps!
Ingredients
- 400g chicken breast (morsels)
- 40g Corn flakes
- 40g Instant polenta
- 100ml egg white
- Salt to taste
- Pepper as needed
- Smoked paprika to taste
- Garlic powder to taste
- Chives to taste
- 5g EVO oil
Method
- First cut the chicken into small morsels.
- Separately, in a bowl crumble corn flakes and add the instant polenta, as well as salt, pepper and all the other spices.
- Pass the morsels first one by one in the egg white and then in the mix of flakes and spices.
- Repeat for a more crunchy breading.
- Grease a nice large non-stick pan with 5g of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil and let it burn red on the heat.
- When it is hot enough, start cooking the chicken! The flame is medium, do not lower it and do not turn them continuously. You have to give it time to form a nice crunchy crust.
- Chicken nuggets will be ready to be enjoyed in about 10 minutes. Enjoy your meal!
Macros (for the whole recipe)
C 60g, G 10.6g, P 104g
Conclusion
Chicken has tender meat with a delicate flavor that lends itself well to being used to make many tasty recipes. Fried chicken is certainly a tasty but certainly unhealthy dish, with this recipe it is possible, however, to taste crunchy chicken nuggets avoiding the problems related to frying and saving us a lot of fat and a lot of salt.
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