Gluten-Free Parmesan-Almond Chicken Fingers + Baked French Fries

The busyness has continued, but I at least finished my thesis last week and had my exit seminar, which went really well. Now I just have my defense to go, which is November 5th. Then it's graduation, which is one fun aspect of finishing my master's.

I have not been cooking anything too involved lately as I have no time to both cook and do the dishes. Therefore, eating has been simple, mainly salads and sandwiches. I did treat myself to this meal, however, which was not only delicious but an adventure into gluten-free cooking, which has lately become one of my interests. As a person who tries to live a healthy lifestyle, I love re-making guilty pleasure foods, and here is a creation meant to be not only healthy, but gluten-free. This is a version of chicken fingers, which is beloved by kids and adults. This recipe is much healthier because I baked these instead of frying them. Instead of using a breading that has gluten, I created a breading with almonds and Parmesan and a little bit of brown rice flour, which is a new ingredient to my repertoire. Not only are these gluten-free, if you are watching your carbs these are a great choice for you too.


Gluten-Free Parmesan-Almond Chicken Fingers
Cheese and almond crumbs to bread the chicken with.Printable Recipe

12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I break chunks off a block of cheese with a knife)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 egg whites
2 tbsp water
salt and pepper, to taste
non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside
3. Cut each chicken breast into thin strips of uniform width. Set aside.
4. Combine the almonds, cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, and some salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mixture to start, then allow it to grind to fine rubble.
5. Add the almond mixture to a dish and toss with the flour.
6. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with water and season with salt and pepper.
7. Coat each piece of chicken with egg white, then coat with the almond mixture. Set the chicken on the prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake the chicken for about 10 minutes or until opaque, then flip and allow the second side to become crunchy, about 5 more minutes.

Servings per recipe: 4 Per serving: Calories: 278Fat: 12.3 gSaturated fat: 3.4 g Cholesterol: 174 mgSodium: 300 mg Carbohydrates: 11.3 gFiber: 2.1 gSugar: 0.9 gProtein: 30.2 g
An easy, tasty low-fat alternative to fried french fries:

Baked French Fries
Printable Recipe

4 medium potatoes (any variety, about 3-4 oz each)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
non-stick cooking spray
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Spray the baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch sticks.
4. Toss the potatoes with the oil and some salt and pepper.
5. Bake for a total of 25 minutes, tossing in between. If making the fries with the chicken fingers, allow the fries to bake 10 minutes, then put the chicken in the oven. At that time, toss the fries. When you flip the chicken, toss the fries again.


Servings per recipe: 4 Per serving: Calories:177Fat: 3.6 gSaturated fat: 0.5 g Cholesterol: 0 mgSodium: 160 mg Carbohydrates: 33.5 gFiber: 5.1 gSugar: 2.5 gProtein: 3.6 g