Oh, Panko, how I love thee... Fiery Buttermilk fried Chicken

Alright, I admit it, since I came back from vacation, I've kinda' let myself go...  I think it's partly due to the November-like spring we've been having, but I've also felt a bit uninspired.  Uninspired to kick ass during my workouts, uninspired to write, uninspired to cook.   My get up and go must've got up and went  ~ what song is that again?


Anyway, vacation is over.  Sometimes the lightning bolt doesn't strike you ~ sometimes, you've just gotta stick your finger in the socket.


As I said in an earlier post, I pretty much figured out the flavor components to Buffalo Wild Wings' Asian Zing sauce.  I wanted something spicy, but not so heavy that I had to lay on the couch like a manatee all night.  Hence,

Zinging Salad with Fiery Buttermilk "Fried" Chicken Bites
serves 4 (or 6 if you add all the optional veggies)


As my husband said earlier, "I wish I'd discovered Panko earlier in life."  Seriously.  With Panko breadcrumbs, you can "fry" your chicken in the oven and still that wonderfully crunchy coating without using oil and ending up explaining that scar over your eye from an exploding oil incident for the next decade.


As you know, the husband and I are wary of mystery chicken, so I usually get 4 "recipe ready" boneless, skinless breasts, which I then trim even more until they resemble squares.  Tendons don't belong in your body unless they're connecting your own muscles and bones, knowwhatImean?  After they're in neat little rectangles, I cut them into 1"-2" inch pieces as uniformly as possible to ensure even cooking.


Fiery Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Ingredients
2 cups Buttermilk
1 tbs fresh chili paste (in the Asian or Ethnic food section at the grocery store)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbs soy sauce
Approx 1 lb cubed chicken breast, uncooked.
Approx 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
salt & pepper to taste


In either a gallon zippy bag or a quart Tupperware container (with a lid that really seals well), combine all ingredients.  Secure container and shake well to combine.  Drop chicken chunks into the buttermilk mixture, get everything swimming, seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, giving it a stir or shake at least once. 


Zinging Dressing (this is thinner than a sauce, but not technically a vinaigrette because there's no vinegar)
Ingredients
All the pineapple juice from 1 can of diced or crushed pineapple
1 tsp fresh chili paste (or more if you want it super hot)
1/2 tsp freshly minced garlic
1/2 tsp freshly minced ginger
2 tbs honey
2 tbs canola oil
couple of dashes soy sauce


While the chicken hangs out in the fridge in their buttermik bath, combine all the ingredients in a container with a lid that seals securely (unless you want to clean spots off your ceiling and cabinets). Close container and shake well for about 30 seconds to emulsify mixture and refrigerate.  The oil will separate out in the fridge so don't forget to shake well again before serving!

Back to the chicken...


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and cover 2 half-sheet baking pans in foil for easy clean-up.  In a gallon zippy bag, pour in your 2 cups on Panko.  Give the chicken a stir and empty some of the buttermilk into the sink, careful to keep those chicken chunks in, to avoid making a HUGE mess during transfer.  Using tongs, transfer 6-7 pieces of chicken into the Panko bag, allowing the excess liquid to drain off first.  Seal the bag, shake it up to get 'em all nice and coated.  Then transfer coated chicken to pans, leaving about 1-2 inches of space between them.


The one problem with baking Panko is that it doesn't really "brown" like fried chicken.  No big deal, but if you want that effect, you can drizzle a little melted butter over each piece OR spritz with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray (every good calorie counter should have some on hand - it's great for unsticking noodles before saucing them instead of using a pat of butter)


When you've got all the chicken coated, bake on racks in the oven's middle position, about 25 - 30 minutes.  Depending on your oven, you'll probably need to flip the pans around at least once to keep from burning.


Now, the salad.


Butter lettuce, either 2 chopped heads OR 1 bag of pre-washed "Butter Lovers" lettuce
1 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup shelled, cooked edamame (why can't we just call them soybeans?  not romantic enough?)
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup matchstick carrots, optional
2 scallions, greens only, finely chopped, optional
2 baby bok choy, chopped, optional
Chow Mein noodles for garnish, optional


Mingle the veggies, place on a serving plate or your own dinner plate, arrange chicken chunks on top, spoon Zinging Dressing on top (it's best if each piece of chicken has a little drizzle).  If it's too spicy, cool it down with another drizzle of ranch dressing.


Prepare for your mind to be blown:


At BDub's, 6 Boneless Asian Zing have about 528 calories, 12 wings are over 1000 calories.  Add the ranch dressing for dipping and you're talking another 150-300 calories.  As for fat, it's about 52 grams with no fiber at all.  That's just Wings - no fries, no salad, nothing else - just Wings, sauce, & ranch dressing.  At least there are 52 grams of protein...


With my recipe, we're looking at under 400 calories for the entire serving and only about 9 grams of fat, PLUS we get at least 4 grams of fiber and you've added 2 servings of veggies to your day's tally!


My husband, who is not a fan of salad by any means, could not stop raving about this.  Usually, I'll make something intended to be eaten as a salad, but instead he'll cram all the veggies down separately as quickly as possible, and then eat the "more enjoyable" protein component.  "You actually got me to mix the chicken INTO the salad!" he exclaimed before demanding this recipe go into the regular rotation.


I prefer using Buttermilk when I oven fry because panko sticks better to it than eggs.  Even when I deep fry chicken, I prefer using panko and buttermilk rather than the traditional flour, eggs, breading route.  It seems to stay crispier.  This Panko technique is reminiscent of Shake 'N Bake (remember that commercial?!), so it's fun for little chefs.  And if you're not feeling the salad, just make the chicken and have your own "boneless wing night" at home :)