How To Revamp Your Fried Chicken With Healthy Cooking Techniques

Certain foods are just hard for most of us to resist.... a few that first come to mind are pizza, ice cream, pasta, and of course, fried chicken.

Fried chicken is one of those foods that's comforting, decadent and it's woven into our culture. If you love chicken, you're not alone. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), was created to look at the foods we find most addictive, and in a study from the University of Michigan using this scale, fried chicken came in at number 12.

Unfortunately, while it may be delicious, fried chicken also tends to be packed with salt, fats and carbohydrates.

So what do you do if you love the taste, but don't like the impact it can have on your body and waistline?

You revamp it.

Below are some of our favorite ways to get the satisfaction that comes with fried chicken, without the guilt.

Oven Baked Chicken

Swapping the traditional frying methods, which usually involve copious amounts of oil, can go a long way in transforming your chicken.

Oven baked chicken also has the added advantage of being easier to prepare for most people. You get a lot of the enjoyable aspects of a traditional fried chicken recipe, but you don't have to worry about hot oil burning you. Plus, it's easier to tell when oven baked chicken is perfectly done.

Use Breasts

All those legs and thighs that are typically used to create the perfect basket of fried chicken also happen to be the least healthy cuts of the bird.

If you use breasts that are boneless and skinless, you'll be cutting a lot of the fat and calories from the recipe.

Swap the Breading

There are a lot of ways to experiment with this idea. One is to use panko, which are Japanese breadcrumbs, instead of the traditional chicken breading.

Panko tends to have less salt and saturated fat than other breading options, and it also has a great texture that works well on chicken.

Another idea would be the use of crushed nuts as a coating for your chicken. Nuts are one of the healthiest things you can eat, they're packed with protein rather than carbohydrates, and they contribute a rich, nutty flavor that can go quite well with chicken.

Finally, if you're not willing to completely change the breading, you can make a small change to your recipe. Opt for something like almond flour or garbanzo flour as opposed to traditional flour, and cut down on the salt.  You can up the flavor factor by instead marinating your chicken for longer if you're worried about the taste impact of lowering the salt.

Choose a High-Quality Oil

If you're dedicated to the traditional cooking method, you can still make your recipes healthier by using a high-quality, fresh oil. Choose oils that will perform well at higher temperatures and ones that aren't going to release harmful compounds when exposed to high heat levels.

One good option is coconut oil, which is full of fatty acids and stands up well to long periods of high heat.

Don't Deprive Yourself

Don't let a love for fried chicken sabotage your health and well-being. By making small changes in how you prepare your food, you can still indulge, without feeling like you're doing harm to yourself.