Quinoa Crusted Chicken Fingers

I recently mentioned on my Instagram that I am on a mission to healthify (I know it’s not a real word, but let’s get on with it) some of my favorite foods. Chicken fingers are definitely something that I not only love for their taste, but also love for their versatility and convenience. As in, they can be eaten on their own, stuffed in a lunch wrap, or chopped for a hearty salad. In whichever form I choose to eat them, they remain fuss free—for instance no leaking out of the lunchbox into my pampered work bags.

And so, like every new mission, this mission of healthifying chicken fingers started with research (read: typing “healthy chicken fingers” into Google). I was baffled to learn that breading chicken fingers with quinoa was a thing in the healthy eating world.

The novelty of using quinoa instead of breadcrumbs was enough to inspire me to create a recipe of my own instead of using someone else’s recipe. I like my chicken fingers to have a subtle spice kick (you’d know what I mean if you’ve eaten fried chicken at Pakistan’s KFCs), so this recipe has that + it is oil-free. Basically what I am giving you with this recipe is an opportunity to glorify the most boring of proteins, chicken breast, without adding unnecessary fats (oil) or carbs (breadcrumbs). I call that a miracle and it is being passed on to you.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Organic Chicken breast (1)
• Chickpea flour (1 tbsp)
• Chili powder (1/2 tsp)
• Cumin powder (1/4 tsp)
• Chili flakes (1/4 tsp)
• Egg (1/2)
• Cooked quinoa (1/4 cup)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375F/200C.
• Slice the chicken breast into thin strips.
• Mix the flour and spices.
• Coat chicken strips in the flour.
• Beat an egg (you will use only half of it).
• Coat strips into the egg.
• Press cooked quinoa into strips coated with flour and egg.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the chicken strips on the tray, and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Enjoy on its own or in salads and wraps! 🙂 And to view the full nutritional profile of this recipe, see the end of the post.

Tips:

• Chicken breasts can vary in weight. Organic chicken breasts tend to be smaller. The one I used was around 100 grams.
• You may use any flour. I had chickpea flour on hand that’s why I used that one.
• If you do not have individual spices as listed in the ingredients, you could also just use a spice mix like cajun/jamaican.
• If you line the baking sheet with foil instead of parchment paper, I would grease the foil to avoid having quinoa stick to the foil.
• To ensure chicken fingers crisp on both sides, flip them over halfway through the baking time.

This is the first time that I have calculated the full nutrition profile of my recipe. I am adding it to this post. Please let me know if that is something that you find helpful. And have a wonderful weekend!!