Fried chicken is a prime candidate for a healthy makeover. We decreased the calories and fat by almost half with the following changes:
The first step was to remove the skin, since that contains the most fat.
Second was to bake the pieces. We knew we would be halfway home simply by changing the cooking technique, but then had to create a faux fried texture.
We sampled many different coatings, from bread crumbs (even Japanese panko) to cereals of all types, falafel mix, crackers and crushed corn chips. We liked the flavor that a corn and rice cereal added and the crispiness a dry bread-cracker (like bagel chips or Melba toasts) gave the chicken, so we combined the two for a tasty, crispy coating.
Getting the coating to stick was another matter — we tried buttermilk, egg white, plain milk and yogurt coatings. A light brushing of low fat mayonnaise finally did the trick. Not only did the mayonnaise make the coating stick, it mirrored the texture of the removed skin. The combination coating, with a hint of mustard in the mayonnaise, garnered rave reviews from all tasters. (Check out the entry on developing this recipe in the Food Network Blog.)
![]("/food/images/spacers/spacer.gif"){kind=spacer}
