Today's Kitchen Tip: How do I make appetizing oven fried foods

Many of us make new years resolutions to lose weight.  There are a lot of things we can do to shave calories from the food we eat.

I love fried chicken, but do not want the fat and calories I get from frying foods, even though I want the nice crunch I get from frying.

A nice option is to use panko crumbs.  They are Japanese bread crumbs that are flakes rather than ground up.  The only problem with them is that they are white in color, so if you use them to coat your chicken, then bake it, the crumbs will still be white in color.   Yuck.

Here's how to fix that problem.  Toast your panko crumbs in the oven so they are browned before you coat your chicken.  Besides giving the crumbs a nice toasty flavor, they will give a wonderful color and crunch to your baked chicken.

To toast the panko crumbs, preheat oven to 350°.  Place panko crumbs in a heat proof pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until crumbs have toasted.  Stir occasionally while toasting.  Remove from pan to a plate so they can cool.

You can toast extra, if you want, and store them in a closed container.  That will save time next time you need them.