Healthy Fried Chicken Recipe

Fried chicken has never been this healthy before. Were taking the most popular junk foods and trasnforming into a healthy go to mid week meal for the family. Ditch the fried chicken shops and create this at home. I call this healthy fried chicken but could be labelled as poporn coconut chicken.

I dont know about you, but I feel sick when I walk past a fried chicken shop. The smell alone is a risk factor for your health due to oxidation and the release of aldehydes. Rather a coconut twisted fried chicken recipe elevating your porcorn or fried chicken shop versions.

I dont think any fried food should be consumed excessively - even ones made with beef tallow or coocnut oil, but once in a while, the effort is worth it.

That's one of the main differences between junk food and eating healthy… TIME.

It takes 2 minutes to order on your phone via an app, and delivery takes 20-30 minutes. The other (better) option is to go to the shops to prepare, then cook, eat and then wash up. Maybe a 2.5-hour event. It is a no-brainer why junk food is appealing on many levels.

Healthy Popcorn Chicken Recipe

Making healthier food starts with healthier ingredients. Investing in better qualioty meat, cooking oils, seasoning but also thinking about cooking pans (avoiding toxic teflon)

The most important ingredients will be the chicken and the cooking oil. This recipe becomes pretty high in fat with the crust absorbing alot of the oil. Making sure you dont consume a boatload of oxidised seed or vegetables is important. At the same time opting for a pasture raised chicken would be ideal. I used chicken breast for this recipe but for a more budget friendly option - chicken thighs are great - just requires a little more time to cook through.

Porncorn Coconut Chicken: What you’ll need

Surprisignly the ingredient list is not long and the cooking time is appealing. The porncorn style chicken recipe serves 2 people but could easily be doubled for 4. I would serve this recipe alongside a side salad (like thinly sliced cabbage, grated carrot, avocado mayonaise and a touch of apple cider vinegar with homemade sweet potato wedges

Chicken breast or thighs - choose is yours but ideally boneless and skinless. If opting for chicken thighs it would take more time cooking but do so in the oven not in the cooking pan. Once the chicken thighs are golden - transfer to a baking dish and put in the oven at 180c to cook through completly.

Desciaated coconut but unsweetened otherwise the sugar would easily caramalise in the cooking oil. What cookign oil - I went for coconut oil but beef tallow would work great. A wide and deep cooking pan - to take the cooking oil but allow them to be submerged and not crowded. IT might require a few batches to avoid overcrowding which disrupts the cooking capacity and finished product.

Seasoning is optional but can elevated the finished products with the colours. Turmeric, saffron, smoked paprika are the options to think about. Add the salt to the gliuten free flour or to the desicated coconut - but best would be the floor.

What you will need to make:

3 large deep bowls to use as mixing stations. Oven tray if using chicken thighs. A wide and deep saucepan.

What to serve alongside healthy fried chicken

My favoruites include a raw carrot slaw salad with a yogurt tahini dressing and baked sweet potato wedges in ghee or coconut oil.

Other options - a chopped salad of baby gem or romaine lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, fresh herbs. and avocado.

Healthy Fried Chicken Nugget Ingredients

• 300 grams chicken breast or thighs - skinless and boneless

• 2 cups unsweetened desicatted coconut - in a seperate bowl

• 1.5 cups coconut oil or beef tallow

• 1.5 cups organic gluten free flour - in a seperate bowl

• 3-4 pasture raised eggs - beaten - in a seperate bowl

• 1 tsp sea salt - added to the gluten free flour

• Optional: ½ tsp turmeric or ½ tsp smoked paprika - added to the desicssted coconut

Healthy Fried Chicken Nugget Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 180c if using chicken thighs.

2. Prep the chicken breasts or thighs in even 1 inch pieces.

3. Have the bowls ready with each item to dip them in the right order.

4. Add the cooking oil to the wide deep saucepan. Heat on a medium heat.

5. Add the chicken pieces in the following order: Do as many as one go that fits the cooking pan without overcrowding.

   A. Flour with salt

   B. Whisked eggs

   C. Desiccated coconut with seasoning of choice.

6. After you have prepared each piece add directly to the cooking pan.

7. Cook without moving for 4 minutes until the sides turn golden.

8. Turn over the chicken when the sides are golden and cook for another 4 minutes.

9. Remove with a slotted spoon or fork. Add to a plate with parchement paper.

10. Add the remaining chicken pieces when a new space appears.

Notes:

If using chicken thighs - either cook longer at 6-8 minutes or transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven for an extra 10 minutes to cook through.

Serve with your chopped salad, baked sweet potato wedges and an avocado mayo or sugar free tomato ketchup.