TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham offers some of her favorite guiltless recipes for fried foods.
Unfried Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tsp. salt
hot sauce to taste (optional)
1 fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups bread crumbs
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. black pepper
Preparation:
Mix together buttermilk, mustard and salt in a large bowl or plastic bag. If you want a little more zing add a few dashes of hot sauce. Place chicken into the buttermilk mixture and marinate for up to two days.
When you're ready to make the chicken, mix together bread crumbs, flour, pepper, cayenne, sage and paprika. Drain each piece of chicken and dredge in the bread-crumb mixture. Lay on a baking sheet. Once you've dredged each piece of chicken, spray with cooking spray and place into a 500-degree oven for about 20 minutes. Turn each piece and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. If you want even less fat and calories, remove the skin before marinating.
French Fries
Ingredients:
2 to 3 baking potatoes, peeled
3 cups ice water
1 Tbs. canola oil
salt to taste
Optional seasonings: vinegar, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic/onion powder
Preparation:
Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, then cut lengthwise. Submerge the potatoes into water (add vinegar in water, if desired), for about 30 minutes. Drain with paper towels, then toss with oil and optional seasonings. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until crispy.
Onion Rings
Ingredients:
2 medium white onions
4 egg whites
1 tsp. canola oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
dash of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup cornmeal
Preparation:
Begin by cutting the onions into 1/4-inch rings. Whisk together egg whites, oil, flour, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix bread crumbs and cornmeal in a pie pan. Dredge onions through the egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Next place on a nonstick baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for seven to eight minutes on each side in a 450-degree oven.
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