Oven Crispy Chicken Recipe

You are going to be amazed when I tell you my secret for the Oven Crispy Chicken Recipe.  When you think about the crunch on that piece of chicken, do you think vegetables? I would say most of you answered, NO.

I love my vegetables, my husband, not so much.  He has a few standard vegetables he likes and that is it.  No need to introduce any new ones, not even covered in cheese.  My early years of being a wife, I cooked lots of enticing vegetable recipes and cheese sauces, but to no avail.

Then I discovered this book: Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good FoodThe concept is about changing how we as cooks perceive the vegetables, and serve them unknowingly to others.  She cooks and mashes the vegetables and adds them to regular recipe favorites.  It is a good book to have on your shelf, kids or no kids.

Some of my new revamped recipes include: macaroni and cheese with cauliflower; spaghetti sauce with carrots; and the brownies “might” contain some spinach.

What does this have to do with Oven-Crispy Chicken Recipe?  I thought it would be important to give you some background into how I cook in my kitchen.  And, now you see, I am always looking for ways to amp up the vegetables around our table.  The day I came up with the Oven-Crispy Chicken Recipe, I was avoiding gluten, but wanted some crispy chicken tenders.  How to bake the chicken in the oven without any gluten-free flour?  Another pantry moment!

Yes, Freeze Dried Food to the rescue.  Have you guessed which vegetables I used?  Freeze Dried Cauliflower and Freeze Dried Broccoli!  The Cauliflower because it has the same color as breading, and Broccoli could easily be mistaken for some parsley.  I know it sounds crazy, but the magic happens while baking in the oven.  The cauliflower acts like a sponge and takes on the flavors from others around it.  The broccoli amount used is not enough to give a true broccoli taste.  The crispy coating will be a palate pleaser, a tender crunch in every bite.  Imagine, this coating can be used for any kind of meat.  It really is worth a try!

To make the coating, I use a Ninja Master Prep Professional (QB1004).  This pulverizes the Freeze Dried Food into a powder, and I use that as my ‘flour’ coating.  I did add some seasoning (Chef’s Choice) to the mix.  Easy and simple!

Once you have your vegetables powdered to the texture you like, add your favorite seasonings and pour into a plate.  Dip the chicken in some water and then roll in the spiced powder mix.

Place each tender in a greased pan.  Sprinkle some olive oil over the top and pop them into the oven.  The olive oil soaks into the coating and as it cooks, this creates the crispy texture everyone enjoys.  If you follow a gluten-free or paleo lifestyle, this chicken recipe will be your new favorite!  I would not recommend trying this with fresh vegetables.

And by the way, my husband doesn’t know the ingredients, but he raves about the new ‘shake and bake’ recipe!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!