Crispy, juicy, mouthwatering fried chicken – that’s what my sweet grandmama used to make. She lovingly battered each piece and carefully fried them in her pressure cooker. Boy, do I miss that fried chicken. Even more, I miss my sweet grandmama–I wish my children could have known her.
She was an amazing, southern cook. Of course, she didn’t know about Trim Healthy Mama so her fried chicken was not on plan. I love my grandmama more than THM, but I cannot return to my old lifestyle–I’ve come too far and my health is too important. Her recipe also wasn’t gluten free so my oldest and youngest children wouldn’t be able to enjoy it since they are allergic to gluten. My third daughter is allergic to soy, so had my children been born when my grandmama was frying chicken, she would have had to dredge it in gluten free flour and fry it in oil that does not contain soy. I wonder if she would have ever embraced a new way of cooking?
I was craving fried chicken the other day, so I decided to come up with a THM friendly version. I’ll be perfectly honest, it doesn’t taste like my grandmama’s recipe. No matter what I do, I’ll never come close to that flavor perfection. I can’t use regular flour or vegetable oil, and there will just never be another cook like my grandmama. The chicken tenders I fried were the FINEST healthy fried chicken I have ever had. In fact, I don’t know of many recipes for healthy fried chicken, and this is an amazing alternative. The very best thing about it is I can eat it, stay healthy, and lose weight! Not a bad trade off!
Fried Chicken Tenders – THM, Low Carb, Gluten Free, Clean Eating
2 eggs (pasture raised)
1/2 cup heavy cream (grassfed) (use dairy free heavy cream or dairy free milk)
1/2 cup almond milk
1 1/2 cups Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend found here
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
1.5-2 lbs fresh chicken tenders (pasture raised)
Avocado oil, organic
Whisk eggs, cream, and almond milk in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, mix baking blend and seasonings. Dip chicken tenders one by one in egg mixture and then dredge them in dry ingredients. For extra breading, dip and dredge again.
To get that fried flavor, fry in a pan. OR you can air fry on approximately 375-380 for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of chicken tenders, and air fryer, etc. Use air fryer instructions.
If frying, heat oil in frying deep skillet or frying pan on medium high heat. You want the oil to cover the entire bottom and up the sides of the chicken tenders, or if you are going to watch them carefully and have a very deep pan, you can use enough oil to cover chicken completely. Gently shake off excess flour off chicken, and fry in oil. This is not a time to multitask, so watch the chicken and turn as one side browns.
Depending on your frying method, you may want to then put your tenders in a glass pan in the oven to bake on 325 degrees for about 10 min to ensure the center of the chicken is done.
This is a Trim Healthy Mama S or satisfying meal, which means the primary fuel in it is healthy fat. To stay in weight loss mode, serve the chicken with sauteed or raw, non-starchy veggies, zucchini fries, another S or FP recipe from the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook, or top a big salad with your yummy tenders.
