Light "fried" chicken

Roast chicken is a treat, but most of the fat comes from eating it with the skin on. That's what makes cheap chicken parts, like chicken wings, so yummy. Frying wings adds even more fat to them, and breading them adds fat AND carbs. Want to put on weight fast? Bucket of buffalo wings coming up.

So when I'm not roasting the whole bird, I either buy my chicken parts with the skin off, or take it off when I cut up the bird before freezing the individual parts.

But you can have crispy, fried-like chicken with just a fraction of the calories. I served this with a salad of mixed greens, orange peppers, grape tomatoes, feta and toasted pine nuts, a dish of orzo/vermicelli (recipe tomorrow; it was very easy and cooked while the chicken was in the oven) and a side of peas. The peas were frozen - my tip for cooking them is to put them in a bowl, season to taste, put a plastic cover over them and microwave for 2 minutes or until steaming hot. Don't use water, and don't overcook them. And use the young peas, petit pois, instead of the larger kind. The larger kind may cost a little less, but they tend to be mealier and the skins tougher.

Lori K's oven-fried chicken breasts
Serves 2

Ingredients
Dried bread crumbs
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika
2 egg yolks
2 chicken breasts
Olive oil spray

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put a light layer of breadcrumbs on a plate and season them well. Beat the egg yolks until smooth. Wash and dry the chicken breasts, then brush one side with the yolk, lay on the crumb plate, brush the other side and flip. Make sure it is well-coated with crumbs. Place on a rack set over a shallow roasting pan. Repeat with the other breast, adding more crumbs and seasonings if needed. Top with a little extra smoked paprika. Spray lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes; turn pan around (or if browning too fast, flip) and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve.