Is it possible to make fried chicken diabetes-friendly? Absolutely! Especially if you have an air fryer. This small appliance “fries” food with hot circulating air, so you can create the crispy, crunchy exterior or frying with a fraction of the fat and calories from traditional deep frying. This recipe creates juicy, flavorful fried chicken by marinating the chicken in buttermilk, then coating it in a cornflake crust. Then the air fryer works its magic and delivers this fried chicken that’s crispy, tender, and loaded with flavor!
Prep Time: 25 min
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 (4oz) piece of chicken
Ingredients for fried chicken:
- 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 tsp hot sauce
- 1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in half lengthwise to make 4 equal portions)
- 6 tbsp corn flakes
- 3 tbsp stone-ground cornmeal
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
- nonstick cooking spray
Instructions:
- In a small, deep bowl, stir together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Place the chicken in the buttermilk mixture. Allow to stand 15 minutes.
- Place the cornflakes into the work bowl of a food processor. Process until coarse crumbs form. Add the cornmeal, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper and pulse until evenly mixed. Pour the crumbs into a shallow bowl. (if you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the cornflakes in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.)
- Drain the chicken, allowing the excess buttermilk to drip back into bowl. Coat the chicken pieces evenly in the cornflake mixture. Place the coated chicken pieces on a wire rack.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket. Spray with nonstick cooking spray for 2 seconds (do not crowd the chicken; cook in batches if all the chicken doesn’t fit). Set the temperature to 375°F and air fry for 7 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces. Air fry for an additional 7–10 minutes or until the chicken is done and a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 165°F.
Roasted Green Beans in Champagne Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Servings: 6
Serving Size: 3/4 cup
Ingredients:
- 1 nonstick cooking spray
- 1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans (trimmed)
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil (divided use)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp Splenda
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions:
- Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the green beans with 1 Tsp. olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes or until cooked through and starting to brown.
- While green beans are cooking, whisk together 1 Tbsp. olive oil, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, Splenda and crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- When green beans are done roasting drizzle with champagne vinaigrette and toss to coat.