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.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made some for dinner tonight and got rave reviews from my (rather, ahem, picky eating) husband. He’s always a little leery of the healthier recipes I want to try because, well… they don’t always turn out so well. But, this one was a HIT and definitely a keeper! I used Uncle Sam whole grain cereal with flax seed in it for an even healthier boost. We like ours spicy too, so I kicked it up quite a bit like you do. Thank you again.
Kelly, that’s the biggest compliment I could’ve asked for — I’m SO happy you both enjoyed my “fried” chicken!! 🙂 I love your idea of using cereal with flax seed; that sounds like it’d be right up my alley. I definitely want to try that with my next batch!
Looks and sounds delicious. Love spicy chicken. Thanks for sharing.
simon
My pleasure Simon!
this is perfect. my guy asked if we could make fried chicken this weekend… and this sounds like a great alternative! thank you 😀
That’s wonderful! Sounds like it was meant to be. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your guy think of the chicken Mia!