Yum! Joy’s sesame chicken tenders

TODAY nutritionist shares a recipe that your kids will love

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>>> this morning on "eat smart today," a decadent day of meals for less than 1,400 calories and it includes dessert. registered dietician and "today" contributor joy bauer has put together a slim and scrumptious cookbook with some delicious but healthy recipes. good morning. decadent and under 1,400 calories. not exactly what i'd put in the same sentence.

>> i want people to know that you can eat delicious family favorites and still be slim, healthy and in the best shape of your life. we'll prove it today.

>> what is the calorie range that women should be aiming for on a daily basis?

>> it varies. but roughly aim between 1,200 and 2,000 calories. if you're trying to lose weight towards the lower range. that's why i'm going for under 1,400 calories with air decadent day.

>> start off with breakfast. speaking of decadent, chocolate. double chocolate. you got the chocolate pancakes, the semi- sweet chocolate chips.

>> instead of using refined white flour and milk chocolate , i start with half all-purpose flour, coupled with half whole wheat flour . can you do that for pretty much any recipe. add ground flaxseed so i'm buffing up the fiber around also adding a lot of nutrition. for the chocolate, use unsweetened cocoa powder and semi- sweet chocolate chips. these two pancakes are well under 300 calories, and six grams of fiber. this is a strawberry sauce. all i've done is i've taken a bag of unsweetened straw berries and i've melted it in a sauce pan with a little bit of maple syrup . again, six grams fiber for chocolate pancakes.

>> mm! really good. my kids would love that. if you can have chicken tenders .

>> yes. sesame chicken tenders. the way i get them to taste like they're deep fried -- of course they're not -- by using panco breadcrumbs and lightly pan fry with an oil mister.

>> just lightly.

>> it is very, very quick. the secret of course is the yummy sweet asian dipping sauce . i keep it light by -- i can pick it up. it is a chicken tender, natalie !

>> i keep it light by using a low-sodium chicken brought.

>> mm! really good.

>> traditional asian seasoning, things like rice vinegar , low sodium soy sauce . a little sesame oil and a drop of --

>> it is so crunchy.

>> 365 calories.

>> fabulous. over here, spaghetti and meet balls.

>> you can totally have meet balls.

>> these are not "meat" balls.

>> they are not ground chuck which are real meatballs.

>> these are really good. these are really good.

>> for my binder i use oats instead of the refined white bread balls. have five meatballs and one cup of pasta, whole wheat of course, for 540 calories. this is cinnamon cheek case fondue. it only has five ingredients. mix it up, 129 calories. non-fat sour cream , no-fat cream cheese , brown sugar , a little bit of vanilla extract and lastly, ground cinnamon. ann , dip a fruit in that.

>> i'm just going to go fingers.

>> go fingers!

>> it's even good for a dinner party .

>> all together all calories?

>> under 1,400 calories.

>> you can lose weight .

>> wow!

>> much more coming up.

Show transcript

TODAY recipes

updated 4/27/2010 3:27:06 PM ET

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TODAY nutrionitionist Joy Bauer shares a recipe for healthy sesame chicken tenders from her book, "Slim & Scrumptious."

Recipe: Sesame chicken tenders (on this page)

Joy Bauer is the best-selling author of "Slim & Scrumptious." For more information on healthy eating visit www.JoyBauer.com.

Recipe: Sesame chicken tenders

Joy Bauer, "Slim & Scrumptious"

Thanks to the yummy, sweet sauce, your kids will gobble up these protein-packed chicken tenders. My addictive topping is made with easily acquired Asian ingredients — rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil — that will keep for months and come in handy for other recipes. To coat the chicken I use panko bread crumbs for extra crunch. If you’re lucky enough to find whole wheat panko, fantastic, but don’t worry if you can only find standard white — for this recipe, it’s perfectly fine. I’m pretty positive this recipe will win over your fussiest family member and soon work its way into your regular dinner rotation.

Ingredients

For sesame sauce
1 cup low-fat, unsalted or reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon grated or finely minced fresh ginger root
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice (rice wine) vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
For chicken tenders
2 egg whites
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips

Preparation

Prepare the sesame sauce: In a small (1- to 2-quart) saucepan combine the chicken broth, ginger, garlic, ketchup, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

In a small bowl or cup combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water.

Add the cornstarch mixture to sauce and stir. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally; mixture will develop into a thick glaze. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm while preparing the chicken tenders.

In a shallow bowl lightly beat the egg whites until frothy.

In a second shallow bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.

With tongs or your fingers, dip each chicken strip into the egg white, then lightly coat with panko. Place breaded chicken strip onto a plate. Repeat until all chicken strips are breaded.

Liberally coat a large skillet or sauté pan with oil spray and preheat over medium-high heat.

Add first batch of chicken tenders to the skillet in a single layer, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until golden brown on first side, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using tongs, flip the chicken tenders and cook until browned on the second side and chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate and recoat the skillet with oil spray. Repeat until all chicken tenders are cooked.

To serve, drizzle the chicken tenders with sesame sauce, or serve sauce on the side for dipping.

Calories: 350, protein: 45 g, total fat: 8 g, saturated fat: 1 g, cholesterol: 95 mg, sodium: 745 mg, carbohydrates: 22 g