I used to make oven-fried chicken with dried bread crumbs mixed with seasonings and parsley. It was passable, but it didn’t have the crispy texture of real fried chicken. Thus I relegated it to my “healthy-but-not-as-good-as-the-original” list of recipes, of which I have many. I don’t make them often for obvious reasons. Why bother?
My favorite place to turn for the best way to cook anything is Cooks Illustrated. They experimented with all the usual oven-fried chicken toppings, including crushed corn flakes, Ritz crackers, even Japanese panko bread crumbs, and came up with an unlikely winner–plain Melba Toast.
It makes sense when you think about it. Melba Toast is very crunchy, has no fat and doesn’t have a distinct flavor that would mask the taste of the chicken. I was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
The original recipe calls for 4 bone-in, split and skinned chicken breasts, about 10 ounces each. I used chicken tenders because they can be eaten with the fingers, which makes them way more fun for both adults and kids. Use your favorite dipping sauce for them. I like barbeque sauce.
One more tip: this is a middle-of-the-road spice blend. If you really like spicy, add more cayenne. Be sure to liberally salt and pepper the chicken before coating it.
1 (5 oz.) box plain Melba Toast, broken into small pieces
2 T. vegetable oil
3 large egg whites
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. fresh thyme leaves, minced (or 1 t. dried)
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
2 lbs. skinless chicken tenders*
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil spray (Pam also works)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and adjust rack to upper-middle position. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
Process Melba Toast in a food processor into coarse crumbs. Spread the crumbs in a shallow dish and toss with the oil.
In a separate dish, whisk together the egg whites, mustard, thyme, garlic powder and cayenne.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Using tongs (you can use your hands but it’s messy), dip one piece of chicken at a time into the egg white mixture, then coat with the Melba crumbs. Press the crumbs onto the chicken to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack and spray the tops with olive oil spray.
Bake until the coating is golden and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 12 to 15 minutes.
(If you’re using bone-in split chicken breasts, bake as long as 40 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees.)
Serves: 8
WW Points per serving: 5
*I haven’t tried this yet, but you can also use this coating for fish, including catfish, tilapia and cod. If the pieces of fish have thin tapered ends, tuck them under before breading them to prevent them from overcooking. Bake at the same temperature, 450 degrees, until the coating is golden and the fish just flakes apart, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
