So last wednesday in Brisbane there was CRAZY storms... flash flooding, deafening thunder, gail force winds and the works! I dont think I'll ever get used to this crazy tropical weather! I have always complained about how cold and miserable Ireland is but by god did I miss it on Wednesday!
I do love looking at the lightnening and hearing the thunder (even thought it makes me want to jump!!). Luckily I got home before the storm really set in! I would not like to have been driving on the roads in the downpour!
So as a result Wednesday evening was one for hibernation and not venturing outside. Spurred on by a craving for chicken & chips, I decided to make a healthy version instead of reaching for the mainstream bucket of grease (I used to have a real soft spot for hot wings until I got food poisoning from them!).
And so my heatlhy version of grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free KFC was born!! This bad boy contains no processed crap or vegetable oils and are baked to give it that crispy coating. I have to share the recipe because I really think that this version is better than any processed junky version on the market! So without further ado here is the recipe, I hope ye enjoy it!
You will need:
For the chicken: (makes about 3 serves)
500grams of chicken thigh fillets (drumsticks or tenderloins would also work well depending on what you prefer)
1/2 cup of Almond flour
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika (either smoked or sweet works well too)
1 tbsp
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (I used himalayan pink)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg (optional)
(You could also add a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds for a bit of texture and extra crunch or some hot chilli powder for an extra kick)
Simply mix all dry ingredients in a bowl until combined
Then whisk the egg in a separate bowl and dip the chicken in the egg. This is optional and depends on how thick a batter coating you like on your chicken - I skipped this more accidentaly than anything because we had run out of eggs so I decided to chance it! I was nicely surprised as it produced a nice thin crispy coating.
Toss the chicken (either egg coated or plain) in the coating mix.
Shake off excess and place on a lined baking tray. You can spray the top of the chicken with some olive oil or coconut oil which adds some extra golden brown crunchiness.
Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 200 degress celsius.
For the homemade spicy wedges:
3 large washed potatoes with skin on (I made enough to serve 3 people but you can use as many as you want)
All you have to do is cut them into strips. I like to cut them fairly skinny for extra crispyness - but you can cut them into thicker chunks. Just allow extra over time!
Place the cut potatoes into a collander and rinse well under cold water (this gets rid of any extra starch and allows then to crisp up nicely in the oven so dont forget this step!!)
Once well rinsed and drained - throw them out onto a clean dry tea towel or some kitchen towel and pat dry (another really important step so the outside crisp up so dont skip this either!!)
Then coat the wedges in a small amount of olive oil. Dont over do this as they may turn soggy if you put too much on. If you dont have spray olive-oil - then dont be afraid to sprinle a half tablespoon of olive oil from the bottle on and get your hands in there to rub the oil thinly and evenly on the wedges.
Toss seasoning of your choice on them before baking in the oven for about 40 minutes at 200 degrees celcius.
It works well to make these first before the chicken and bake them for 10 minutes before putting the chicken in so they are done at the same time.
I like to toss mine in salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper (just a tiny bit!). But you could also try these combinations:
Garlic powder and dried rosemary
Parmesan cheese
Hot chilli powder
Peri peri seasoning
Mexican spice mix
Then take it all out the oven and inhale it! I had mine with a simple salad of avocado and fresh spinach. Yum yum! A healthy version of a cheat meal - guilt free goodness packed with healthy fats and protein.
The chicken holds pretty well in the fridge for a few days after and the flavour actually intensifies a little so they are a great quick and easy one for prep days! I would imagine you could freeze them but they would loose crispyness also. The wedges are best eaten fresh.
Enjoy!!
Mary
xxx
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