The Double Down

What’s a Double Down? Bacon and cheese with “special sauce” sandwiched in between two pieces of chicken. A KFC heart attack waiting to happen. Well, if KFC can make it, so can I! My version is healthier, with less calories, fat and sodium. The delicious taste without the guilt. That’s what eating should be about!

Ingredients
8 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/3 cup egg beaters (you will have extra)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you will have extra)
2 strips turkey bacon
1/3 cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup fat-free cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. salt

For the sauce
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
less than 1 Tbs. honey (adjust to taste)

Panko crumbs are Japanese bread crumbs made without using bread crust. It’s crispier than regular bread crumbs and can usually be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. If not, you can order from Amazon.

Pre-heat your oven to 380 degrees.

Cut up your chicken breast into 4 pieces, roughly 1 inch in thickness. Take the flat edge of your knife and use it to press down on the cut pieces. When flattened out, the chicken breast should be about 1/2 inch in thickness. Set aside in a bowl. Add half of the salt onto the chicken. Using your hands, mix thoroughly into chicken.

Place your flour, egg beaters and Panko crumbs in bowls large enough to dip the chicken in. Arrange your bowls in this order: Chicken, Flour, Egg beaters, Panko. CFEP in case you forget. Add the rest of the salt to the egg beaters bowl. Stir to combine.

Before you start dipping, cover an oven-safe tray with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. Place a rack into the tray. Now dip your chicken! When you finish the dipping process, set the chicken on the rack and let sit for five minutes. This will let the excess Panko fall off before you bake.

While the chicken is setting, cut your bacon strips into thirds. Spray a pan with Pam. Grill the bacon in the pan until the bacon begins crisping up and turning slightly brown. Remove and set aside.

Now remove the rack with the chicken from the tray. Shake off excess Panko from the foil and place back on tray. Remove the chicken from the rack and place onto the foil. Now you’re ready for baking! Place the tray into the oven and let bake for 10 minutes on the first side, flip, and bake for 7 minutes on the second side.

While the chicken is baking, make your sauce. You can use store-bought honey mustard but I prefer to make my own. I use a rough 1:1 ratio of Dijon mustard to honey. Start by adding the Dijon to a bowl. Add a bit of honey, not the entire tablespoon at once. Mix thoroughly, and taste. If you want it sweeter and more tangy, add more honey.

When the second side of the chicken is finished baking, remove from oven. Top each piece of chicken with honey mustard sauce and the mozzarella cheddar cheese blend. Place two pieces of bacon on one slice of chicken and one piece of bacon on the opposing slice of chicken. Add more cheese on top of the two pieces of bacon. Flip the chicken with one piece of bacon and place on top of the slice with two pieces of bacon. Press down lightly.

Throw back into the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove and serve hot! Enjoy!

Serves: 2

Per serving: 325 calories, 3.75g of fat, 300mg of sodium.

Lettuce Wraps

I have only ever seen duck or fish lettuce wraps in traditional Chinese restaurants but you could make it with any kind of meat: chicken, turkey, beef, pork, etc. I happened to have lean ground pork on hand so that’s what I used but feel free to substitute.

Ingredients
5 oz. ground pork
1 shallot, minced
2 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup bamboo shoots, minced
1/3 cup water chestnuts, diced
3 crimini mushrooms, diced
1 stalk green onion, diced
8 leaves lettuce

Marinade
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. salt

Sauce
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. oyster sauce
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce
1/2 Tbs. Shaoxing wine
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

 

Method

In a bowl, add the ground pork and marinade. Combine the marinade thoroughly into the pork using a spoon or your hands. Set aside for at least ten minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

When the meat is done marinating, spray a non-stick pan with some Pam and place on high heat. Add the pork to the pan and start stirring. Add the shallot and garlic. Continue stirring. When the meat is halfway cooked, meaning there’s still a lot of pink, add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Continue stirring.

When the pork is almost finished, at least four to five minutes, add the green onions and sauce. Combine the sauce into the mixture and turn to medium heat. Continue stirring for another minute.

Place the lettuce leaves onto a plate so that the leaves look like little bowls.

Turn off the heat and spoon the meat mixture onto the lettuce.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Calories: 531
Fat: 5 grams