At least twice a week, my guy heads out to get his fried chicken fix. He alternates between Burger King, Wendy’s, and occasionally McDonald’s, but he always orders the white meat tenders, battered and cooked in bubbling oil until crisp and crunchy, with a side of hot sauce and Ranch for dipping.
I usually stay home, happy with a huge salad or my beloved Brussels sprouts, unless he decides to drive downtown to Wing Stop. He quickly learned he always needed to invite me along… Although I still abstain from the fried chicken, they serve the best Cajun-style fries—and my guy generously gives me over half of the basket!
On one of our last trips, in between watching baseball highlights on their flat screen TVs and sneaking extra fries when my guy turned his attention to dipping his chicken in the hot sauce and Ranch, a brilliant idea barreled into my head at light speed. What if I combined the spicy Cajun seasoning with the crunchy fried chicken—and baked it at home so I’d eat it too?
(I generally draw the line of fried foods at French fries, donuts, and the occasional chips… No regular fried chicken for me!)
Although overwhelmed with excitement, I kept my genius plan a secret from my guy. As much as I really wanted to cook a meal that we’d both enjoy, I didn’t want to completely forgo my French fries!
Four tries later, I finally perfected my recipe for Spicy Baked “Fried” Chicken. Slightly sweet with a subtle kick, the crunchy coating on the tender meat earned me a big smile and a huge thumbs-up from my guy. Low in carbs and packed with protein, this guilt-free comfort food is the perfect meal for junk food addicts, picky eaters, and healthy foodies too!
On the table in less than 30 minutes, this is one of the easiest dinner recipes you’ll ever make. You only need 4 ingredients! Chicken breasts, an egg, Cajun seasoning, and multi-grain cereal. The light honey undertones of the cereal paired with the heat of the Cajun seasoning creates an irresistible sweet-and-spicy flavor combo.
In this recipe, I toned down the heat compared to my favorite fries. For a milder taste, stick with just 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning. My guy prefers a huge kick—one that leaves fire on your tongue and tiny beads of sweat on your brow—so we really bump it up! We often add 4 teaspoons, if not more, and we sometimes swap out some of the Cajun seasoning for pure cayenne pepper. But keep a frosty glass of milk handy if you try that!
You want to grind the cereal rather finely: still leave a few coarse crumbs, but you mostly want tiny nuggets. Use a food processor or blender to make it easier! The smaller the cereal bits, the more that will cover the chicken and the crunchier it’ll be. The texture turns out much closer to regular fried chicken with smaller crumbs that if you use larger cereal flakes!
Just like with typical oven-baked fried chicken recipes, dip the poultry strips in the egg, shake off the excess, and dredge in the seasoned cereal. Use one hand for each bowl. This prevents big clumps of soggy cereal from sticking to your fingers! Turn over the chicken multiple times in the bowl, firmly pressing the cereal into every side for maximum crunch.
And now for my secret to super crispy oven-fried chicken… Bake the chicken on a wire rack! Your regular cooling racks for cookies and cupcakes work perfectly; just set that on top of a baking sheet to catch any stray cereal crumbs.
If you placed the chicken strips directly on the baking sheet, the bottoms would stay slightly soggy and wouldn’t crisp up as nicely as the top. And if my guy, the pickiest fried chicken connoisseur, reported that the texture was spot-on… Wire racks are definitely the way to go!
Cozy, comforting, and with a slight sweet-and-spicy twist, my low-fat Spicy Baked “Fried” Chicken is a complete lifesaver for quick and easy healthy weeknight meals. Served with a side of barbeque sauce, ketchup, or my guy’s favorite hot sauce and Ranch, these crispy strips totally satisfy your fried chicken cravings—without the grease or the guilt!
My guy much prefers fast food to most of the healthy food I cook, but when I caught him sneaking two extra chicken strips from the kitchen when he thought I wasn’t looking… Well, you know this recipe is a real winner!
Next on my list? Those Cajun-style fries!
This is our newest favorite easy weeknight meal! It’s the crispiest baked “fried” chicken you’ll ever eat, and its subtle sweet-and-spicy flavor combo is absolutely addictive. Adjust the amount of spice to suit your tastes! The chicken is best if served the same day it’s made; the cereal coating on the leftovers tends to get soggy after sitting in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, and lightly coat a wire rack with nonstick spray. Place on top of a baking sheet, and set aside.
- Add the cereal to a food processor, and pulse until it results in small coarse crumbs. Pour into a shallow bowl, and mix in the Cajun seasoning. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg.
- Slice the chicken into strips. Working with one strip at a time, dip into the egg with one hand, shake off any excess, and drop into the seasoned cereal. With the other hand, gently pat the cereal onto the chicken to coat. Place onto the prepared wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Bake the chicken at 400°F for 15-18 minutes (closer to 15 minutes for thinner strips, and closer to 18 minutes for thicker strips). Cool on the wire rack for at least 3 minutes before serving.
Notes: Adjust the Cajun seasoning to fit your tastes! Using 2 teaspoons results in a milder flavor, whereas 4 teaspoons (or even more!) yields a much spicier flavor. We love spicy food, so we always use at least 4 teaspoons!
The finer the crumbs, the better they adhere to the chicken, and the crispier it tastes! You don’t need to completely pulverize the cereal; a little bit of texture is okay.
The wire rack allows all sides of the chicken to crisp evenly. If you simply placed the chicken on a baking pan, the bottoms would turn out slightly soggier. I just used a wire cooling rack (the same one I use for cooling cookies, cupcakes, muffins, etc.).
You will have some cereal mixture and egg left over, which was taken into account for the Nutrition Information.
I love this recipe idea! My boyfriend is also a fried chicken fanatic. It kills me….as someone who eats healthy regularly and hardly ever likes to eat anything fried in batter (unless it’s hush puppies…those things are my weakness) it’s hard to go out with him sometimes and all he wants to eat is fried chicken. 🙁 I must try this recipe sometime! Thank you! Pinned. 🙂
Thanks Kaylin, for both your sweet comment and the pin! It sounds like we’re in the same boat. I’ve been a mostly healthy eater for over a decade, and my guy absolutely adores fast food. Date nights can be really hard, but we discovered Buffalo Wild Wings, which has both fried chicken for him and “naked” (aka grilled) chicken tenders for me. It’s been the best compromise!
I feel ya! I have enjoyed a Buffalo Wild Wings date night or two with my boyfriend before. We also go to another local wing place here that serves grilled chicken and has over 50 different sauces to choose from. It’s incredible. If you’ve never tried a blueberry BBQ sauce on a grilled chicken breast, you should! It’s incredible.
Ohhh my goodness, 50 different sauces?? That sounds like an indecisive person’s paradise — or biggest nightmare! 😉 Do you mind me asking what state you’re in? That sounds absolutely fabulous and perfect for us; if only we had one nearby too! (And note to self: Make homemade blueberry BBQ sauce pronto!!)
I love this restaurant for that reason exactly! Haha. And of course, I live in Northwest Arkansas. The restaurant is Foghorn’s. If you want to look them up and see what other sauces they have on the menu. It’s incredible. Definitely find a blueberry BBQ sauce recipe to try! 🙂
Oh my goodness, I just check their sauce menu — totally bookmarking for the future! So many incredible and interesting flavor combinations! Is it sad I want to copycat everything??
Haha, I agree! I’m so glad you found the menu with the list of sauces. It can be a great inspiration to you for creating some recipes! I have fallen in love with your blog because I also like to “healthify” recipes on my own blog. 🙂 Always look forward to the sweets you come up with especially because I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. 😉
I only found the sauce menu because you mentioned it — so thank YOU! And you’re incredibly sweet to say you’ve fallen in love with my blog. I still picture my mom as my only reader, and I’m surprised every time someone makes one of my recipes. It’s a surreal feeling to hear that my humble recipes have made their way into people’s hearts and kitchens! And just keep doing what you do; healthifying recipes is the absolute best!
Of course! Not a problem at all, I’m happy to help! I will definitely continue my passion to “healthifying” recipes. Thank YOU for being one of my inspirations as an excellent blogger and recipe developer. Always love chatting with fellow bloggers, so do message me anytime and keep in touch! 🙂 Have a fabulous weekend!
Aww you’re so sweet!! 🙂 Have a lovely weekend too, and good luck with your health and wellness coach business! It sounds like it’s the perfect fit for you!
hi recipe sounds lovely n i cant wait to try it but here in uk i dont think we have Total so what cld subsitute .thanks Fran
Thanks Fran! Any sort of multi-grain or bran cereal would work. I hope you enjoy the chicken!
Looks delicious, Amy! Love the idea of using a multi-grain cereal for the crunchy coating. So much healthier! Pinned!
Thank you so much Gayle! The Total was definitely a fun twist on the usual corn flakes or breadcrumbs. I like it much better! 😉
Mmmmmm … Amy, this is going to be such a TOTAL (haha … cereal pun) hit at our house! My daughter looooves chicken fingers, and my husband and son are huge spicy wing lovers. Well, and you know I’m just into healthifying our meals wherever I can! So this is the perfect cross section of all of our preferences … in one yummy, easy meal! Yay! TOTALLY (gahhh … cereal pun again …) pinning this! Oh – and love the tip about the wire rack! You always have the best tips! 😀
Oh Shelley, you are SO cute with your puns!! If you try out the recipe on your family, I’d love to hear what they think. It’s so hard to please multiple palates with a single meal, even if they aren’t as picky as my brother and I used to be! 😉
Those fries sound so good! I am with you, I much prefer Brussels sprouts to McDonalds … even though their sweet chili chicken wraps are really good!
Oh my goodness, these look so crispy and delicious! That is a sneaky, yet easy, secret – thank you for sharing with us!
Thanks Mary Frances! I’ve actually debated going to Wing Stop alone and just ordering a side of fries… I’ve come SO close too! 😉 And sometimes, especially on road trips, you just can’t avoid fast food. So happy for you that they have slightly healthier options now!
So excited to try this! We are big chicken eaters…I will definitely have to add this to our menu!
Thanks Ashley; I really hope you two enjoy it! 🙂
This chicken sounds delish Amy!! I’m so glad you perfected the recipe, so that we can all enjoy baked “fried” chicken at home!! 🙂
Thanks Jocelyn! Heavens knows we need healthier savory dishes with all of the cookies and cupcakes we have to taste test… 😉