Now, I have to confess, as embarrassing as this is that during my heavier years, the Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich was my FAVE (and my brother’s!). I could barely pass by a Wendy’s without wishing I could have one of those- they were crispy, flavorful and too fattening! Since I always try to make healthified versions of my favorite indulgences, I had to do that with the spicy chicken sandwich!
I usually use panko whole wheat crumbs for crisping up my oven fried chicken, but here I wanted to use whole grain unsalted tortilla chips ( I used TJ’s) and they provided a great crunch for this dish! I also wanted it to be spicy without a spicy mayo on top, so I put the spice in the tortilla crust. I used cayenne, chili powder, and garlic powder to spice up the chicken! I baked it in the oven and used an oven rack as Pam suggested in this post. It worked awesome. I sprayed the cooling rack with canola oil and then added the breaded chicken on top. It kept both sides very crunchy! I served these spicy chicken breasts (used 1/2) on whole wheat hamburger buns and I just put a generous drizzle of low-fat peppercorn ranch on top and it was so yummy! It tasted like my favorite but without all the added fat and calories- yay!
Spicy Chicken Sandwich
whole grain tortilla chips ground in the food processor (about 7 cups; 2 cups ground)
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
3/4 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
canola spray
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (preferably organic)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of flour, salted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Put two beaten eggs in one bowl, put 1/2 cup of flour on a plate and then mix the chips and seasonings in a large bowl. Working in an assembly line, dredge each chicken breast in flour, shake off excess. Then dip in egg wash and dredge in the breadcrumbs.
Add the chicken breasts to the sprayed cooling rack and place on a baking sheet. Spray the chicken breasts lightly with canola spray.
Bake chicken for about 30 minutes. Then put the chicken on a bun with your favorite toppings or enjoy simply plain with yummy sides! I paired this with my sliced potato wedges from TJ’s- only $1.97 per package!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooomg – awesome idea!! The spicy chicken sandwich is/was one of my faves too
okay, I may need to make this
That stupid spicy chicken sandwich was my favorite too!
Looks yummy! I’ve always been more of a chicken nuggets fan than sandwich fan. This would be a perfect way to make those too.
Oh my gosh, that looks so good! If it makes you feel any better, I used to always eat the fried chicken sandwich from Burger King with extra mayo. Your version sounds much better!