Heart Healthy Crispy Baked Chicken

Ever wonder how to make healthy crispy chicken? It’s simpler than you think! This quick and easy baked crispy chicken recipe is a breeze to make. Simply dredge the chicken breasts in flour, dip in buttermilk and coat with chopped walnuts. Then pan sear the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side before baking them to crispy, crunchy perfection in the oven. They’re so easy to make, you’ll want to make them a regular in your meal rotation.

Although this crispy chicken recipe only has 4 ingredients, it is packed with healthy nutrients that put store-bought fried chicken to shame. Instead of being deep fried in grease or oil, each piece of chicken is lightly browned in a non-stick pan sprayed with oil, keeping the fat and calorie count way down. The buttermilk contains probiotics and the  walnuts are full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. This dish only has 226 calories, with 23g of protein and 2g of fiber per serving. It also has just 1g of saturated fat and 50mg of cholesterol, making it an ideal heart healthy meal. What really makes this a standout is that it’s a low sodium chicken recipe that contains a mere 71mg of sodium per serving. When you taste the flavor of this dish, it’ll be proof that you don’t always need salt to make food taste amazing.

You might be surprised by how easy it is to turn this into a gluten-free chicken recipe. Just swap the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free option, like gluten-free 1:1 baking flour or almond flour. The rest of the ingredients are already naturally gluten-free, leaving you with a tasty breaded chicken dish you can eat even if you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity or intolerance.

The beauty of this delicious chicken dinner recipe is that it’s incredibly versatile. If you don’t have walnuts, feel free to substitute chopped pecans or almonds. You can also swap out the  buttermilk for low-fat dairy or plant-based milk. You can even substitute chicken thighs for the breasts for a change of pace, although it will add a bit more fat and calories to the nutrition stats. If you’re looking for something completely different do with chicken, here are some other easy chicken dinner ideas.