Posted on: Wednesday, April 20, 2005
RECIPE DOCTOR
Pecan chicken salad gets a lighter crust, lower fat
By Elaine Magee
Q. I found this recipe on the Internet and I would love to make it for company, but I want to know how to make a simplified and lightened version. Thought you would be just the person to do it.
A. Sounds like you want the same restaurant-style chicken salad with nuts and fruit but without all the extra fuss and fat.
Using a light bottled balsamic vinaigrette will trim some of the hassle and calories from the recipe, plus we can buy our blue cheese already crumbled and our romaine lettuce already chopped.
The only thing we have to prepare ourselves is the pecan-crusted chicken breast.
In the original recipe, the skin on the chicken breasts is coated with flour, then an egg mixture, then a corn-flake-and-pecan coating. The breasts are then submerged in 1/2 cup of boiling oil.
I made a lighter egg mixture, but kept the flour and the cornflake/pecan coating. At this juncture, we can either brown the breasts in a nonstick skillet with just 1 tablespoon of canola oil, or we can bake them in a 450-degree oven on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with a tablespoon of oil. Either way, we need to spray the tops of the coated chicken breasts with canola cooking spray.
The original recipe also calls for dried cranberries, mandarin oranges and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. We are going to skip the sugar and save 26 calories per serving. But that's nothing compared to the calories and fat we are saving overall. When all is said and done, we trim 440 calories and 40 grams of fat per serving. (The original recipe has 1,000 calories, 65 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, and 157 mg of cholesterol per serving.)
A serving of this salad is definitely a full meal! So don't worry about serving anything else with it.
LESS FUSS PECAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN SALAD
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pound each chicken breast to about 1/2-inch thick. Combine chopped pecans with the cornflake crumbs and salt in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk or fat-free half-and-half, egg and egg substitute. Add the cup of flour to another medium bowl.
Line a baking sheet with foil and coat the bottom with a tablespoon of oil.
Coat each chicken breast with the flour, then dip into the egg mixture, then coat well with the pecan mixture. Place each breast on the oiled baking sheet and coat the top with canola cooking spray.
Bake until chicken is cooked through and nicely browned (about 20-25 minutes). Let cool or cover and keep chicken in refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Toss lettuce and celery with the balsamic vinaigrette. Arrange the lettuce on four dinner plates, then arrange the cranberries and mandarin oranges on top. Sprinkle with blue cheese and arrange one sliced chicken breast on top.
Makes 4 large servings.
• Per serving: 560 calories, 38 g protein, 51 g carbohydrates, 22 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 112 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 1,000 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 35 percent. Weight Watchers Points:12.
Elaine Magee's new book is "Fry Light, Fry Right." Contact her at doctor@recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided. This column is distributed by Knight Ridder News Service.
