KFC: ORIGINAL RECIPE CHICKEN BREAST

SAVE: 107 CALORIES, 15 G FAT, 5 G SAT. FAT

When I was in my early twenties, I dated a guy whose mother didn’t like me. Every other boyfriend’s mother has loved me, because “if nothing else, he’ll be well fed.” But this particular mother was a proud Southern mother who grew up on fried everything. At the time, I weighed only about 125 pounds, and she, regardless of the fact that I’d just received professional chef certification, was convinced that her “poor son” was going to starve if he was “dating a twig” like me.

I hadn’t eaten fried foods in more than 7 years when I started dating him, and I felt good about myself and my body. So, when I’d need to eat at her house, I’d always offer to cook spaghetti to avoid her usual fried-food menu. Convinced that spaghetti was all I ever ate, which was the furthest thing from the truth, she asked one night before dinner, “If that’s not all you eat, what else do you eat?” I politely replied, “I eat mostly chicken and fish and lots of salads.” She inquired, “So if I order chicken, you’ll eat it?” I told her not to go out of her way for me, but she insisted. Less than an hour later, she returned from KFC with two buckets of fried chicken, some biscuits, and some potato wedges. I wanted to cry when she walked in the house. I couldn’t eat it. And I had to eat it.

I pulled the breading off an Original Recipe Chicken Breast and ate most of the meat, making it seem as if I’d eaten all of it. I also ate part of a biscuit. Fortunately, though, I was able to feed much of that to their dog when my boyfriend’s mother wasn’t looking. But I still can’t look at a KFC sign without thinking about that meal. At least now I have an alternative, and so do you.

1 bone-in chicken breast half (10–12 ounces)

½ tablespoon unbleached or all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon onion powder

1⁄8 teaspoon paprika

Olive oil spray

1 egg white

1 teaspoon fat-free milk

2 tablespoons panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs

PLACE the chicken on a cutting board. Remove and discard the skin and all visible fat. With a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut through the chicken and the bone, at the base of the ribs, to detach the bottom third of the breast. (Refrigerate or freeze for another recipe.) The larger piece should weigh about 6½ ounces after trimming.

In a small resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt, sugar, pepper, onion powder, and paprika. Shake to mix well. Add the chicken. Shake to completely coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly mist a small nonstick baking sheet with oil spray. Set aside.

In a small shallow bowl, combine the egg white and the milk. Beat with a fork until smooth. Place the panko and the bread crumbs on a small sheet of waxed paper set next to the egg-white mixture. Mix with a fork to blend.

Dip the chicken into the egg-white mixture, being sure to coat completely. Allow any excess egg-white mixture to drip off. Dip into the panko mixture to coat completely. Place, ribs facing up, on the reserved baking sheet. Lightly mist with oil spray.

Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken. Lightly mist again with oil spray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the breading is crisp and the chicken is no longer pink inside.

MAKES 1 SERVING

273 calories, 40 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, <1 g sat. fat, <1 g fiber

Original KFC Original Recipe Chicken Breast: 380 calories, 40 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 19 g fat, 6 g sat. fat, 0 g fiber

DRIVE-THRU The breast can be breaded up to a day in advance. Store it in an airtight plastic container in the refrigerator.

BEFORE YOU START Most butchers are happy to accommodate any special requests from customers. When you buy your chicken breast, ask the butcher to remove the skin and cut the breast to size. That way, you won’t have the mess or trouble of cutting through the bone yourself.