I'm hot, sticky sweet...from my head to my feet, yeah!

Tweet

Pin It

For the last two weeks, I have been revamping the way I eat in an effort to get more nutritious fresh foods into my system and less rich and processed foods. Unfortunately for Erin, that means she is taking this journey with me, and to her credit, she has been absolutely amazing and supportive, but I know she misses a few things. One of her most missed dishes are the Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers from Chili's.  Upon looking them up, I found that a single serving of these delectable pieces of chicken goodness comes in at 1,960 calories! Holy Crap! That is nearly my entire daily allotment of calories in a single meal!

So I set out to find out what makes these things so damn bad for you.  I mean seriously, it's chicken! That's when I found that these strips of chicken are battered and then breaded, that's right 2x the breading, which means 2x the surface area available to soak up grease. So the question became, how do I get the flavor without the ridiculous amount of calories?  After some internet searching and recipe tweaking, I came up with a honey chipotle sauce and a low fat ranch dressing and turned that into a chipotle chicken wrap or oven baked chicken strips breaded with panko bread crumbs.  Pair either of those with roasted root vegetables dusted with chipotle powder or some oven roasted sweet potato fries and you have a pretty good meal. When all is said and done, the Honey Chipotle Chicken Wrap came in at 382 calories per serving and the Oven Fried Honey Chipotle Crispy Chicken Strips came in at 449 calories.  Now that I can get on board with!  I hope you all enjoy.

Oven Fried Honey Chipotle Crispy Chicken Strips

1 1/4  lb        Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut into 1/2 inch strips
1/2     Cup    Lowfat Buttermilk
4        Cups   Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2     tsp      Salt
          pinch   Black Pepper
1/2     tsp      Paprika
                     Cooking Spray
1/4     Cup     Honey Chipotle Glaze (Recipe Follows)
1/4     Cup     Low Fat Ranch (Recipe Follows)


Preheat oven to 400.
Combine Chicken and buttermilk in a dish, cover and refrigerate for at least 15minutes to 2 hours.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place Panko in a shallow dish. Drain the chicken and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Coat each piece of chicken with the panko bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes, or until instant read thermometer reads 165. Leave the chicken on a baking sheet to cool slightly, it will become crispier. Toss the Chicken in the Honey Chipotle Glaze and Serve immediately with Low Fat Ranch for dipping. Serve with Sweet potato oven fries.


Honey Chipotle Chicken Wrap (4 servings)

1    lb         Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into strips
1    TBSP  Olive Oil
1/4 Cup     Honey Chipotle Glaze (recipe follows)

4               Whole Wheat Tortillas
1/3 Cup     Shredded Carrots
1    Cup     Baby Spinach, washed
1/2 Cup     Monterrey Jack, Shredded
1/4 Cup     Low Fat Ranch (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350
Brush chicken with olive oil and place on parchment lined baking sheet, bake for 10-15 minutes or better still when an instant read thermometer reads 165. Remove from oven and toss in the Honey Chipotle Glaze.

Lay out a tortilla and spread on 1 TBSP of Ranch, top with 1/4 each of the carrots, spinach, cheese and finally the chicken. Wrap into a burrito shape and secure with a toothpick. Continue with the final 3 tortillas and enjoy. Serve with oven roasted carrots and sweet potatoes dusted with chipotle powder and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Low-Fat Ranch Dressing

1/2 Cup     Greek Yogurt, Plain
1/3 Cup     Low fat Buttermilk
3    TBSP  Light Mayonnaise
1     tsp      Dijon Mustard
1/2  tsp      Onion Powder
1/2  tsp      Garlic Powder
1    TBSP   Finely Chopped fresh Chives (or 1-2 tsp of dried, to taste)
                  Salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, season with salt to taste and refrigerate for up to 1 week.


Honey Chipotle Glaze

1/2 Cup     Honey
3    TBSP  Water
3    TBSP  Ketchup
2    TBSP  Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4  tsp      Chipotle Powder
1/2  tsp      Garlic, Crushed
1/2  tsp      Salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, over med-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Pin It