Can Chicken Nuggets be Healthy?

Eating healthy doesn't have to mean a lifetime of bland, boring and lifeless and what some may refer to as "rabbit food." Eating healthy, even eating light, can mean simply rethinking your everyday choices and considering similar alternatives that won't have you cringing in disgust or crying from food boredom.

Let's take chicken nuggets, for example. I'm sure you've heard the buzz about how horrible they are, with their ground up bits of chicken turned into a pink ooze before they're shaped, covered in grease and bread crumbs and flash fried. Not so tasty when you break it down, but kids love chicken nuggets. You as an adult may love chicken nuggets, especially if they're associated with memories of carefree days of childhood.

Rather than eat something packed with preservatives, artificial colors and soaked in grease, let's make chicken nuggets (or strips) that you're proud to eat and serve with no guilt. Serve them next to a side salad or a vegetable-loaded scoop of rice for a complete meal.

Tortilla-Chip-Crusted Chicken Strips

 A healthier take on fried chicken strips, with all the oil and fats coming from buttermilk and a few tortilla chips, these are a crunchy chicken strip on the inside, covered in a crunchy coating that will food your guests into believing they may have been fried.

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 8 raw chicken tenders

• 2 cups finely crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 425º F. Whisk together buttermilk, garlic, salt and oregano in a shallow dish. Place the chicken tenders into the buttermilk mixture and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Remove the chicken tenders, allowing excess buttermilk to drip off, then roll them in the crushed corn chips until evenly covered. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through, until the corn chips start to brown and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.