This cornflake chicken recipe is a hit with the pickiest of eaters.
Even better it tastes delicious without derailing your healthy eating plans.
Imagine this- you’re on a weight loss journey but you get hit with a huge craving for fried chicken. But, not only is fried chicken high in calories and fat (which is detrimental to your weight loss goals), but it’s also very high in saturated fat. A high saturated fat intake can lead to heart disease or other chronic illnesses. Not what you want when focusing on weight loss and health!
This cornflake chicken will save you. It’ll cut the craving for fried chicken without adding unhealthy fats or calories. It’s high in protein, low in fat, and is perfect for a quick and easy lunch or dinner. It’s already a simple process, but there are even more ways to make it faster. You can cut down on prep time by buying pre-cut chicken strips. There are no excuses now – you can enjoy the taste of fried chicken easily and still stay in line with your weight loss goals.
The crunch from the cornflakes gives the fried chicken feel. It’s a perfect swap for your kids too. Instead of the processed, frozen chicken nuggets, start making big batches of this chicken for the whole family to enjoy. You can even get the kids to help you. They’d love crushing the cornflakes in the bag. Get everyone on a health journey in a fun way!
Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!
It’s fried chicken!
When on a weight loss journey, fried chicken is the last thing you should be having. It will take up most if not all of your points for the day. This version is high protein, low fat, and still gives you that crunchy texture and flavor you crave. No missing out while dieting!
It’s only three ingredients.
You need three main ingredients to make this. You can add spices or flavors as you like, but even just the base recipe is delicious. It can’t get more simple.
It’s easy to change the flavor.
Since cornflakes are a bland, blank canvas, you can add a variety of spices based on your preference. Make it spicy, make it Italian, make it Mediterranean – it’s up to you!
Ingredients you need to make Cornflake Chicken:
- 18 oz boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into strips)
- 1 cup crushed cornflakes
- ½ cup egg whites
How to make Cornflake Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with a little cooking spray.
- Cut your chicken into strips.
- Put the cornflakes in a zip-loc bag (make sure it’s sealed!), and crush them with a heavy glass, and then pour them out onto a plate.
- Pour egg whites into a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken strips into the egg whites and then coat them in the cornflakes. Place the cornflake chicken strips on your parchment-lined baking sheet about ½ inch apart.
- Bake in the oven for approx 20-25 min, just make sure to turn them halfway through.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (points not included).
Makes 3 (5 oz cooked) servings. Nutrition info per serving: Calories 221, Fat 2g, Saturated fat 0.3g, Carbs 13g, Fiber .35g, Sugars 1.8g, Sodium 452 mg, Protein 37g.
WW Points
- Eggs 0 points
- Chicken 0 points
- Cornflakes 11 points
4 points per serving based on the WW app recipe creator.
If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.
Personal Points- 1-4 using WW recipe builder
Smart points freestyle- (blue & purple) 1 using WW recipe builder
Smart points- (green) 4 using SP calculator
Different ways to change up this recipe:
- If you’re allergic to eggs, or even if you just really want to increase the flavor of these chicken strips, you can use Dijon mustard instead of egg whites. Thin the Dijon mustard with a little bit of water before dipping the chicken strips in it. You could even marinate the chicken strips in Dijon mustard (or another marinade) overnight. This will add flavor, but can also take out the step of dipping each strip in the egg whites. All you have to do is dip each chicken strip in the crushed cornflakes before baking since the chicken will already be wet. Some other marinade options: G Huges sugar-free barbeque sauce, light Italian dressing, Dale’s sauce (which would add a lot of sodium), or G-Huges sugar-free chili sauce.
- Cook these chicken strips in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes for an excellent crunch!
- Add paprika, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to the cornflake crumbs – it’s fantastic! You can use any mixture of spices you’d like.
- Add a ranch seasoning packet to the cornflake crumbs for ranch-flavored chicken strips. OR mix ranch seasoning with non-fat Greek yogurt for a delicious, high-protein dipping sauce.
- Use crushed Quest Chips instead of cornflakes. You’ll automatically add flavor, lower the carbs, and increase the protein content.
- You can use this recipe and method on pork chops too instead of chicken!
Tips and Tricks for Cornflake Chicken:
- It’s not typically necessary, but if you find that your coating doesn’t stick well, coat the chicken in flour before the egg whites. It will add a few carbs overall, but going dry, wet, dry can make a better coating.
- Remember: Keep one hand wet, one hand dry. Making fried chicken can be a mess. Use one hand to dip the chicken into the egg whites, and use the other hand to roll the chicken in the cornflake crumbs. Keeping it separate as much as possible keeps the mess to a minimum.
- You can use any unsweetened cereal you have on hand – rice Chex, corn Chex, plain Rice Krispies, Wheaties, etc.
- If you make it ahead of time the cornflakes will get soggy. Instead, pre-prep your cornflake mixture and keep it stored in zip-loc bags in the pantry. Then buy pre-cut chicken strips. You can then start at step 4 for a super quick dinner prep.
Similar recipes you’ll enjoy:
Cornflake Chicken
Ingredients
- 18 oz Boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- 1 cup crushed cornflakes
- 1/2 cup Egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with a little cooking spray.
- Cut the chicken into strips.
- Put the cornflakes in a zip-loc bag (make sure it’s sealed!), and crush them with a heavy glass, and then pour them out onto a plate.
- Pour egg whites into a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken strips into the egg whites and then coat them in the cornflakes. Place the cornflake chicken strips on your parchment-lined baking sheet about ½ inch apart.
- Bake in the oven for approx 20-25 min, just make sure to turn them halfway through.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (points not included).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
They were so easy and very good! Thanks for the recipe!
Your very welcome Donna, glad you enjoyed! 🙂
This is a really great recipe my family loves! Another delicious way to make it is to substitute the eggs for Dijon mustard– make it the exact same way just dip them in Dijon mustard before the corn flakes.. We had to change to this after my daughter was diagnosed with a severe egg allergy. I thought I’d share.
Hi Annie, thank you, Yes I have heard others say they use mustard, I am not a mustard fan but sometimes use BBQ sauce.. That’s too bad about your daughter but at least it was caught before anything serious happened 🙂
How many smart points are they! I wanna try them out
I’m pretty sure I listed the smart points, and it will depend on how much chicken you use
I LOVE this recipe. So tasty.
So glad you enjoy it 🙂
Hi there, just to clarify, it is 1 smart point for 6 oz on freestyle? I found the points a little confusing. Can’t wait to try tonight, thanks!
Yes, well depending how much cornflakes you use.. you don’t need much once crushed to cover 6oz
We use lite Ranch dressing before using the crumbs. Add in paprika, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to the crumbs – it’s amazing!
Sounds delicious!
So easy to make! Add seasonings of your choice to the corn flakes to add more flavor! Delicious chicken without adding salt, sugar or fat!
Yes great tip, you can spice them up any way you want 🙂
This is a delicious and easy three ingredient dinner! My family loved the chicken strips. They were served with mixed veggies and macaroni & cheese. I sprinkled sage and no salt seasoning on top before baking. The chicken was crispy and flavorful. Thank you for this simple recipe.
Hi Susan, I am so glad you all enjoyed the chicken, it is a favorite here at my house too 🙂