Crispy Baked Chicken

When I'm meal planning for the week ahead I always try to incorporate as much variety as I can. Chicken is usually on the menu, vegetables are always front and centre, and sometimes we take a break from meat altogether... meatless Mondays anyone?

Food can get boring pretty easily with repetition, especially when lean chicken breast is a mainstay in our house. Unless you know how to spice things up from time to time. Know what I mean?

Enter the world of spices & herbs and a little out of the box thinking. 

That's where this recipe for healthy faux-fried/ chicken comes in. If you recall that lunch salad I made a while ago topped with baked chicken; this is the recipe for the chicken.

Crisped to perfection in the oven using homemade whole grain breadcrumbs and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. A hint of fresh thyme also adds flavour that's reminiscent of Spring.

My go to lunch is almost always a leafy green salad with protein (chicken, hard-boiled egg, lean pork tenderloin, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts etc.). When it comes to salad dressing I will either make my own or opt for lemon juice or balsamic vinegar (sometimes with a bit of olive oil). I've recently discovered how amazing fresh minced ginger root is added to my salads. It practically acts like a salad dressing. It adds a nice zing and it's super good for you too.

The leftovers are really good too. So far I've tried it in my lunch salads and in a wrap all nice and toasty with spinach, mustard, leaf lettuce, and shredded carrots.

Crispy Baked Chicken (serves 4)

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Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tsp Sriracha
• 1 cup whole grain bread crumbs *(I like to make my own)* See Note
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• a pinch of smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Place an ovenproof wire-rack on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and Sriracha. In a separate medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, thyme, cheese, and paprika.
3. Dip each piece of chicken in egg mixture, shake off excess liquid, then roll in breadcrumb mixture to coat. Arrange on prepared pan/ wire rack.
4. Bake without turning for 50 minutes to 1 hour until internal temperature registers 180*F on an instant read thermometer.

 *Note* 

To make your own breadcrumbs, take a few slices of day old whole grain bread and chop into small (1 inch) cubes. Place them on a baking sheet in the oven on 350*F for 5-10 minutes or until they are nice and toasty. Watch they don't burn! Transfer them to your food processor and give them a quick whir until they resemble breadcrumbs. You can give them a drizzle of olive oil before toasting, but it isn't necessary. 

Soft Buckwheat Granola Bars

It's time for a recipe using buckwheat. If you missed last weeks post on buckwheat, you can check it out here: Great Grains: Buckwheat

There are tons of great granola recipes out there that use buckwheat. And why not? It makes a crunchy delicious addition and it's healthy. Granola was definitely on my mind, but I thought it would be fun to try something a little different and create a recipe for a good soft, chewy granola bar instead. I'm not very fond of certain store bought bars that are so called 'healthy' when they have something like a bucket of sugar in them. Yik!

These buckwheat granola bars are thick and soft, unlike some bars that are hard and hurt your teeth to chew. I much prefer soft bars that are fabulously dense. Think larabars + Cliff Bars. They are sweetened with local Dickey Bee honey and juicy raisins. The addition of buckwheat groats add a nice little crunch to the texture too.

The nice thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are flexible. For example, you can substitute maple syrup for honey if you wish. If you don't like peanut butter *gasp* you can use any nut butter you like, including sun butter. If you're sensitive to gluten and wheat be sure to use certified gluten free oats.

Who doesn't love a good pick me up snack in the middle of the day. Something to get you from lunch to dinner. These will surely keep you energized. They're the perfect grab-and-go snack.

Soft Buckwheat Granola Bars{Gluten Free & Vegetarian}

(makes 9 - 2" x 2" squares)

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup buckwheat flour (ground from raw buckwheat groats. Not kasha.)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp natural peanut butter (135 grams)
• 2 tbsp coconut butter
• 2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line an 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper. Allow the parchment to drape over either side of the pan for easy lifting.
2. First, use a food processor (or coffee grinder) to grind the raw buckwheat groats into flour.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients excluding the raisins.
4. Warm the honey, peanut butter, and coconut butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring until smooth and melty. Remove from heat. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Stir in raisins.
6. Press firmly into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool the bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then place the pan in the fridge to let them set and finish cooling.
8. Cut into bars. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap individually for grab-and-go convenience.

Related Buckwheat recipes:

Choc-a-lot Chip Cookies

What's your favourite type of granola bar? Soft or hard?