Sometimes the craving for a bucket of greasy, fried chicken can be hard to ignore. Fortunately, nutritionists offer substitute recipes that drastically reduce the fat, cholesterol, calories and sodium content lurking in fast food chicken. Buttermilk “fried” chicken, for example, nixes the salt and full-fat ingredients in place of buttermilk and spices. It also uses heart-healthy methods such as baking a skinless, cornflake-coated chicken breast, rather than deep-frying a skin-on, dark-meat piece of chicken.
Calories
In a recipe prepared by registered dieticians for a Department of Veterans Affairs cookbook, a 4-ounce serving of buttermilk baked chicken contains about 235 calories. That amount represents about 11 percent of the caloric intake for a person on a 2,000 calorie diet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a similar serving of fried chicken breast at a fast food restaurant is 302 calories, or 15 percent of the average daily caloric intake.
Fat and Cholesterol
The buttermilk “fried” chicken dish contains 4 grams fat and 97 milligrams cholesterol. You’ll take up only 6 percent of your recommended total fat limit by eating the chicken breast, compared to the 28 percent you’ll consume from the 18 grams in fast food fried chicken breast. Similarly, the buttermilk home-prepared chicken contains 32 percent of your daily cholesterol limit, compared with the 37 percent contained in fried chicken’s 112 milligrams of cholesterol. A similar-sized fast food drumstick is even higher, at 123 milligrams cholesterol, or 41 percent of your cholesterol limit for the day.
Sodium
You’ll significantly reduce your sodium intake if you opt for homemade buttermilk “fried” chicken over fast food fried chicken. The home-prepared serving contains 168 milligrams sodium, or about 7 percent of your recommended sodium intake for the day. Fast food fried chicken 605 milligrams in the same amount of chicken, or 1/4 of your salt limit.
Additional Nutrients
Chicken breasts are a source of lean protein, providing 9 grams of protein in each 4 ounce serving, or about 20 percent of your daily value for protein. The white meat is also high in niacin, vitamin B-6, phosphorus and selenium, and is a good source of iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, riboflavin and vitamin B-12.
Method
Mix 2 parts buttermilk to 1 part egg whites, as well as any non-solid flavorings such as mustard or honey. Lightly coat each breast with flour before dipping it into the liquid mix, then dredging the breast in seasoned, crumbled corn flakes. Bake in a lightly greased roasting pan at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes.
References
- Department of Veterans Affairs: Low Sodium Cookbood [PDF]
- USDA National Nutrient Database: POPEYES, Fried Chicken, Mild, Breast, Meat and Skin with Breading (NDB No: 21456)
- USDA National Nutrient Database: POPEYES, Fried Chicken, Mild, Drumstick, Meat and Skin with Breading (NDB No: 21457)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Calculate the Percent Daily Value for the Appropriate Nutrients
Member Comments