Intellectually I know swimsuit season is just around the corner. Everyone in the food blog world seems to be cranking out really healthy smoothies and nifty green juices to get you ready…. But my world is cold, damp, with the season drizzling sleet and snow from the sky. Yuck… That sort of weather makes me want comfort food, BUT I also would like to be able to button my pants. Ya know, ’cause that’s important too, right? If you are like me and have a hankering for a little comfort food, yet still want it with a healthier twist, try Gluten Free Dairy Free Oven “Fried” Basil Chicken. I used cornflakes (my very favorite one to use it the gluten free Erewhon Corn Flakes Cereal from Atune Foods) to give me the crunchy coating I was looking for and dairy free plain yogurt (I used my homemade coconut yogurt, but use what you have on hand) to dip the chicken in, giving it a nice tang and moisture while eliminating the need for eggs for the egg sensitive. A bit of finely minced basil gives it a bit of the taste of summer.
Oven “Fried” Basil Chicken – Gluten Free-zer Friday
Ingredients
- one cup dairy free plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 4 cups cornflakes coarsely crushed
- 1/2 cup minced fresh basil
- 6 6 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts cut crosswise to make into 12 pieces
- ground black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil. Put an oven safe cooling rack onto pan and spray with oil. Set aside.
- In a shallow bowl mix together the dairy free yogurt and honey. In another shallow dish combine cornflakes and the basil. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, place chicken into a freezer bag, remove air and seal. Pound chicken lightly with a flat meat mallet through the plastic of the bag until it is a uniform thickness. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, dip into yogurt mixture, then into cornflake mixture pressing cornflakes into chicken as needed. Set coated chicken onto oil coated rack. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
- Bake chicken for 15 to 18 minutes in a 425 degree F oven until coating is crisp and chicken is cooked through.
- To freeze: Cook chicken 5 minutes less than normal and then cool. When chicken is cooled, place in freezer safe container separated by waxed paper. Remove as much air as possible, seal, label and freeze.
- To serve: Place frozen chicken onto a lightly oiled baking pan. Bake at 425 degrees R for 10 to 15 minutes until heated through and coating is crisp.