Fry That Chicken! Fry That Chicken!

YES! Fried Chicken that is OKAY to eat as often as you want!

First off, let's get down to the basics..

Why is fried food so bad?

Fried food can contain trans fats, which puts you at higher risk of heart disease. Restaurants like trans fats since it raises the flash point and lets them use the same oil over and over again. I always recommend everything in moderation, however, I have zero tolerance for trans fats. Avoid this completely.

If you have fried food, make sure there are no trans fats in it!

It can make you obese. A Spanish study found that people who ate the most calories in fried food had a positive correlation with obesity. Okay, maybe you're not shocked by this finding, but fried food is loaded with calories and fat. The breading on fried food soaks up the grease. It's kinda like drinking oil straight from the vat. Which you would never do (or I hope you wouldn’t..).

Maybe this will help..  here's a quick comparison: 

Wendy's large French fries (420 calories, 20g fat) vs. large baked potato (278 calories, 0.4g fat) 

PF Chang's Kung Pao Chicken (1228 calories, 79g fat) vs. Ginger Chicken with Broccoli (656 calories, 26g fat) 

KFC Original thigh & drumstick (460 calories, 32g fat) vs. Boston Market thigh & drumstick (300 calories, 17g fat) 

Cut down on your fried food to cut down on calories and that heavy, greasy feeling. You'll feel lighter for it.

Now, usually Zach is the one who fry's and I bake- however, Zach worked late last night and I couldn't wait for him to start. At first I thought it would end up a huge mess - but I was wrong! Only a couple dirty dishes and EASY clean up! I threw in a salad as our side and we devoured what was on our plates. Definitely going to make these up again!

PREP: 10 – 15 minutes

Cook time: 22 – 27 minutes

Total: 32 – 42 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Dipped/coated and ready to be fried!

1 cup coconut oil (if it seems like a lot, it probably isn’t enough!)

2 large eggs

1 ½ cup almond meal

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp. chipotle powder (optional)

2 pounds chicken- thighs, drums, breasts work best (we used bone in)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a large frying pan to 350 degrees

While your pan is heating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Whisk eggs in medium sized bowl

Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl and mix well

Dip chicken in whisked eggs

Coat/cover chicken in dry mixture and place in hot oil

Allow both sides to brown (about 2 minutes each side)

Place drying rack on cookie sheet pan - assemble on the rack so there is space between all pieces

Put chicken in oven for 20-25 minutes (the original recipe only said 10-15 minutes but we needed longer)

ENJOY!