A Kid's Favorite: Oven-Baked Chicken Strips

I remember the first time I ate chicken nuggets. I was twelve. A friend's mom picked me up to bring me to a school event. She stopped by McDonald's to feed her kids dinner. I had never entered a fast-food restaurant and I couldn't believe my luck. When asked what I wanted, I quickly and conveniently forgot that I had been fed a healthy dinner by my mother . I settled on the chicken nuggets. I don't remember if I liked them. All that remains of that night is the memory of how elated I was at being able to add "eating at a fast-food restaurant" to my life-experiences.

Nowadays, I only eat chicken nuggets when they are homemade. My kids are the ones who do not like fast-food. Thank you SuperSize Me! Truth be told, they weren't fans even before they saw this documentary.

Here's a version of chicken strips that is both healthy and delicious. It is based on a recipe I found on eatingwell.com.



Oven-Baked Chicken Strips with Spices (serves 4)

olive oil cooking spray
1/2 cup of almond meal
1/4 cup of garbanzo bean flour, or other
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup of egg whites
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 375F.
Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Add a thin layer of oil (sprayed on) to paper.
In a bowl mix the almond meal, flour, and spices. Add the olive oil and work in with a spoon or your fingers until evenly distributed.
In another bowl, pour the egg whites.
Take the chicken strips and coat them in the egg whites. Then, one by one, dip them in the almond mixture pressing each side to coat. Place the crumb coated chicken strips onto the prepare cookie sheet. Spray some olive oil on top of the strips.
Place in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes. Chicken strips are cooked inner-temperature reaches 160F when checked with a meat thermometer. Keep an eye on it to avoid burning and to keep the chicken moist. Serve with your favorite dip.