Oven-Fried, Italian-Style Chicken Tenders with Roasted Parsnip and Potato Fries and Balsamic Ketchup
Rach updates kid-friendly classics with more flavor and more nutrition.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 12 chicken tenders or 2-3-inch wide strips of breast meat
- Dried Italian seasoning blend or combine 1 teaspoon each dried oregano, granulated onion and garlic, dried thyme and rosemary
- Salt and pepper
- Flour, for dredging
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- All-natural olive oil spray
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
For the fries:
- 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 4-inch fries
- 1 pound starchy potatoes, cut into 10 wedges per potato
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling, about 3 tablespoons
- A few sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup organic ketchup
- 3 tablespoons store-bought or homemade balsamic drizzle
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF.
Season the chicken with the Italian seasoning blend, salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; beat the eggs in a second shallow dish. Combine the cornmeal, panko, cheese, parsley and lemon zest. Coat the chicken in the flour, egg, then the breading. Arrange the coated chicken on a wire baking rack set over a baking sheet and spray the tenders evenly with olive oil spray.
For the fries, toss the parsnips and potatoes with EVOO, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip the fries and add the chicken to the oven. Roast for about 12-15 minutes more, until the chicken is golden and cooked through and the fries are golden and crisp at the edges.
Serve the chicken with the lemon wedges and fries with ketchup combined with balsamic drizzle. Serve with a small green salad tossed with lemon juice, EVOO, salt and pepper.
This is one of many "Yum-o!" recipes – it's good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael's nonprofit organization, visit
www.yum-o.org.
