Crispy Orange Chicken~The Kitchen Witch~ Baked Chicken Fingers in Almond and Flaxseed Coating

I love, love, love any kind of crispy, crunchy, fried chicken, or fried chicken nuggets. Better still, if they're slathered in some kind of a sweet, sticky sauce or come with a dip. So what's a gal to do, when hit with a CRAVING?

Come up with a healthier version of course!

My recipe results in tender on the inside chicken with the slightest hint of orange, enveloped in a wonderfully crunchy coating made with heart healthy flaxseed meal and almond flour. Served with a gorgeous dipping sauce, this is a dinner the entire family is going to love. It's nice to rest easy knowing you're serving people the best ingredients and the freshest taste.

Who knew healthy could be this delicious?

Visit the printable recipe here: http://bit.ly/1HSt4jy

Watch the step by step video.




Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken tenders
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1 1/2 cup flaxseed Meal
• 1 1/2 tbsps creole powder

Sauce/Marinade

• 1/2 cup orange Juice
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar, Splenda brown sugar, or honey
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil 
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 whole Green Onions, sliced
• 1 cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions

1. Mix the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and remove a half cup. 
2. Place the chicken tenders in a resealable  bag and pour the half cup of sauce over all. Mix well and refrigerate for 4 hours. 
3. Mix the almond meal, flax seed meal, and Creole seasoning and divide evenly into two shallow bowls.
4. Beat the eggs and pour into a 3rd shallow bowl. 
5. make an assembly line with one bowl of the almond meal mix, the egg, and the other bowl of almond meal mix.
6. Dredge each marinated chicken tender into the first bowl of almond meal etc, then dip in the egg, and dip again in the almond meal mixture.
7. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake in a 375 oven for 15 minutes (or until cooked through) turning every 7 minutes.
8. In the meantime, bring the reserved unused marinade to the boil in a small sauce pan and boil until thickened and reduced slightly. Serve the sauce in small dishes on the side to dip, or lightly drizzle over the chicken. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over all.

Nutritional Analysis

Serving Size: 189 g

Calories: 424
Calories from Fat: 217

% Daily Value
Total Fat: 24.1g, 37%
Saturated Fat: 3.0g,  15%
Trans Fat: 0.0g
Cholesterol: 123mg, 41%
Sodium: 387mg, 16%
Potassium: 504mg, 14%
Total Carbohydrates 19.7g, 7%
Dietary Fiber 10.9g, 44%
Sugars 6.3g
Protein 28.8g

Vitamin A 4%     •     Vitamin C 14%
Calcium 9%     •     Iron 54%

Nutrition Grade: A
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, a former website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada, the $20,000.00 winner of the online competition "The Real Women of Philadelphia" and a finalist on the Food Network Canada show Recipe to Riches. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.