Crispy chicken bites without the fryer: cubed chicken dipped in egg white and hot sauce, coated in panko, and baked. On the side, a quick creamy corn made with cheese and cream cheese. Together it’s 51g of protein for 402 calories.

Baking breaded chicken instead of frying is the whole calorie saving here.

Ingredients

  • For the chicken bites
  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Panko breadcrumbs — ½ cup [P 4 C 22 F 1]
  • Egg whites — ⅓ cup [P 8 C 1 F 0]
  • Hot sauce — 1 tbsp (Frank’s or sriracha)
  • Salt, pepper, paprika, chilli powder, onion powder, garlic powder — to taste
  • For the creamy corn
  • Frozen corn — 1 cup [P 5 C 30 F 2]
  • Low-fat cheese — ⅓ cup (mozzarella) [P 11 C 2 F 6]
  • Fat-free cream cheese — 2 tbsp [P 2 C 2 F 0]
  • Milk — ¼ cup (1% skim) [P 2 C 3 F 0]
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder — to taste

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 450°F / 230°C.
  2. Bread the chicken. Cube it, dip in the egg-white-and-hot-sauce, then coat in seasoned panko. Bake 15 minutes, flipping halfway.
  3. Make the corn. Cook the corn 2 minutes, then stir in the milk, cheese, cream cheese and seasoning until creamy; remove immediately.
  4. Serve. Toss the bites in more hot sauce if you like.

What to eat it with

  • More hot sauce or a yogurt dip.
  • A side salad.
  • The creamy corn — built in.

Variations

  • Crunchier corn thickener: 1 tsp cornstarch while cooking the corn.
  • Different coating: crushed corn flakes or rice cakes for the panko.
  • Spicier: extra chilli in the breading.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 3g a serving, from the corn.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 402 cal / 51.5g protein listed; no correction needed.