Asian Chicken Tenders With Zesty Lemon Sauce

Usually when you think of chicken tenders you immediately think of the drive through at a fast food restaurant and their crispy yet completely unhealthy chicken tenders!  Sure, they may taste good but you don't always know what parts of the chicken have been formed into that shape and they are deep fried so they are loaded with fat.  Yuck, that doesn't sound so tasty to me.  But there are ways to make homemade chicken tenders in the oven that bake up crunch and super flavorful and the best part is they really are easy to make!  A trick I learned that makes them feel even a little more indulgent is when they are almost done cooking I pull them out and use a pastry brush or carefully toss them in a ziploc bag or bowl in a little bit of sauce and then finish baking them.  It creates this yummy, caramelized coating on top of the crispy panko exterior!

Asian Chicken Tenders
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 12

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup panko crispy bread crumbs

1/2 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel 

 

Cut each chicken breast across grain into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. In medium bowl, mix soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic powder. Add chicken; stir gently until coated. Let stand 20 minutes to marinate.
 

Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. You can also place a metal cooling rack on top of the pan and spray it with cooking spray.  This allows air to circulate on all sides and make them extra crispy! Place bread crumbs in shallow dish. Drain off any remaining soy sauce mixture from chicken. Toss chicken pieces in bread crumbs to coat; arrange in single layer in pan.
 

Bake 5 minutes. Turn chicken; bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until golden brown and crisp.
 

In small bowl, stir together sweet-and-sour sauce and lemon peel. Serve chicken with sauce for dipping.

 

Asian Pear and Pecan Waldorf Salad

If you are like me you love salads, but get tired of the same old boring one all of the time.  Try this fresh, healthier version of a Waldorf salad to mix up your salad routine.

Asian Pear and Pecan Waldorf Salad
Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: None

1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
3 T nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 T chopped fresh chives
1 large Asian pear, cored and cubed
2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
5 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup lightly toasted pecan halves

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and chives.  Add pear, lettuce, celery, grapes and pecans to bowl and toss to coat. 

Nutrition facts per serving: 301 calories, 5 g protein, 20 g carbs, 2.5 g fat, 6 g fiber

Spicy Sweet and Sour Pork from The Titanium Chef

This is a quick and easy dinner and tastes delicious!  Its a nice one-dish dinner that is loaded with veggies, tender pork and ad a bold Asian inspired flavor.  A bed of coconut rice would be a perfect accompaniment!

Spicy Sweet and Sour Pork

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size about 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 pound pork tenderloin cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 T cornstarch, divided
3 T low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 8-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 T ketchup
3 tsp Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
1 T canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup slivered green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place almonds on a baking sheet; bake for 4 minutes or until toasted and set aside.  While almonds cook, combine pork, 1 T cornstartch and 1 T soy sauce; toss well to coat.  Drain pineapple in a sieve over a bowl, reserving juice.  Combine Juice, remaining 1 T cornstarch, remaining 2 T soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup and Sriracha, stirring with a whisk.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add pork to pan, saute 3 minutes.  Add 1 cup onion, ginger and garlic; saute 1 minute.  Stir in pineapple and bell pepper, saute 3 minutes stirring frequently.  Stir in vinegar mixture; bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute; stirring constantly.  Sprinkle with almonds and green onions.

Coconut Rice:  Combine 1 cup uncooked basmati rice, 1 1/4 cups water, 1/2 cup light coconut milk and 1/4 tsp salt in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 16 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.