BUFFALO AND BLUE CHICKEN TENDERS
Buffalo wings are, hands down, one of the greatest dishes ever created. The combo of hot sauce and butter on a crispy chicken wing is sublime. Here’s the downside of these tasty things: Wing sauce is high in fat, chicken wings are high in fat, and the accompanying blue cheese dressing is high in fat. It all adds up to an astonishing 1,188 calories per serving. Here, the wings have been replaced with low-fat chicken tenders, the buffalo sauce with a great low-fat store-bought product, and regular blue cheese dressing with reduced-fat blue cheese dressing. Serves 4
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2½ cups whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, such as Ian’s All-Natural
4 large egg whites
12 ounces chicken tenders
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
½ cup Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce
½ cup 3-Grams-of-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing or store-bought reduced-fat blue cheese dressing, such as Bolthouse Farms
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet, and set it aside.
2. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Put the panko in another shallow dish. In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks.
3. Working in batches, dredge the chicken tenders in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the chicken to the egg whites and toss to coat them completely. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, to the bowl of panko and coat completely.
4. Spread the chicken out on the wire rack. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper, and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Bake the tenders until the breading is golden and crispy and the chicken is cooked through, about 14 minutes.
5. Using a pastry brush, brush the chicken fingers with the Buffalo sauce. Arrange the chicken fingers on a platter, and serve with the blue cheese dressing for dipping.
