Cornflake Crusted Chicken

The school year has started and it is (sadly) beginning to feel like fall up here in the Last Frontier.  I am more excited about my job this year than I have been in years.  I feel that all of the graduate classes and other responsibilities over the past few years have left my professional teaching progression stagnant.  No more grad school classes (thank goodness)!  I have the time and energy to truly devote myself 100% to being the most effective as I can with my students.  I also went to a reading workshop this summer that was so refreshing, inspiring, and empowering that my dear friend and I are collaborating to teach a class specifically using that framework.  I am also really excited about this school year because I have a newly redecorated office that I absolutely love.  Previously, my office was a hodge podge of remnants from my days in self-contained mixed in amongst stuff leftover from all the previous office tenants.  I did a full purge (including shredding a 7 foot tower of paper), gave every single piece of paper and/or material an individual home, and brought in a bunch of art and pictures from home.  It looks great!  I am ready and excited for the year.

What does my office clean-out and redecoration have to do with Cornflake Crusted Chicken?  Absolutely nothing.  Thanks for humoring me for a minute.

On to the important stuff...

Crispy chicken has got to be one of the greatest foods of all time.  Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside.  Perfect.  This version of breaded chicken is even better because it is healthy!  Baked, not fried.  Lower calorie cereal, not bread crumbs.  Lean chicken breasts, not bone-in and skin-on wings or legs.  You can pair it with anything--corn, salad, pasta, rice, mixed veggies, and more.  We seasoned the cornflake crust with chili powder, a dash of cayenne, and pepper to give it a little kick.  You could certainly use Italian seasoning, cumin, lemon pepper, or any other spice combination to add some flavor to the crust.  Also, just about any sauce goes well too.  Sounds too good to be true!  But it isn't--and it is incredibly easy.

This is what we did with the leftover egg yolks.  Q loved it!

Cornflake Crusted Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• a little bit of cornstarch
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• about 1 1/2 cups corn flakes (unsweetened)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• a dash of cayenne
• a little bit of pepper
• cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with nonstick tinfoil.
2. Place your cornflakes in a plastic bag.  Use a rolling pin or wine bottle to smash the flakes into small crumbs (but not dust).
3. Dump the crushed flakes onto a dinner sized plate.  Add the spices and mix to combine.
4. Sprinkle the cornstarch all over both sides of the chicken.
5. Dip the chicken in the egg whites then dredge in the cornflakes.  Press lightly to make sure that the crust sticks.  Flip over and do the same thing to the other side.
6. Place the fully crusted chicken breasts on the cookie sheet.  Spray with cooking spray to enhance the crunch of the crust.
7. Cook in the oven for about 7-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked fully through.
8. We served it with chipotle and chickpea spread and had sauteed squash, zucchini, leeks, and garlic on the side.