Mom's Best Fried Chicken Recipe

Recipe From Dr. Mercola

Everybody loves good 'ole fried chicken. But sadly, it's almost impossible to enjoy a bucket of your favorite fried chicken guilt-free these days, with all the health concerns involving the trans fats, the omega-3 to omega-6 imbalance, and all the dilemma brought by chickens raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).  

If you like spending time in the kitchen, I'm sure you've got a yummy and easy fried chicken recipe up your sleeve. But if you really want to enjoy this classic dish without the lingering guilt, let me show you a healthy fried chicken recipe that every mom will absolutely approve.

Did You Know?
  • Enjoy the goodness of fried chicken without the guilt with this healthy recipe – it uses 100 percent organic, free-range chicken and eggs that were allowed to forage freely outdoors, so it’s superior in vitamin and mineral content Remember: never burn or char your meats. Any time you cook meat at high temperature – whether frying, broiling, or grilling – nasty carcinogenic chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are formed
  • Marinating or dry rubbing your meat using natural ingredients can help reduce the formation of toxic carcinogens
  • Use coconut oil when frying chicken, as it can withstand higher temperatures without being damaged like many other oils

Mom's Best Fried Chicken Recipe

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients

  • 6 organic chicken breasts or thighs
  • 4 organic, free-range eggs
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • 2 tablespoons fresh or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of Dr. Mercola’s coconut oil

Procedure

  1. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl.
  2. Combine almond meal, parsley, and garlic on a large plate. Mix well.
  3. To prepare chicken, dip one breast in beaten eggs, remove, and dip into almond meal mixture. Coat both sides.
  4. Over medium heat in a large frying pan, heat coconut oil, and add chicken. Sauté each side until brown, about 5 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and place on paper towel to cool.
  6. Continue with remaining chicken.

(From Healthy Recipes for Your Nutritional Type)

Mom's Best Chicken Cooking Tips

  1. Never burn or char your meats, or avoid eating the black or brown portions. Any time you cook your meat at high temperature – whether frying, broiling, or grilling – nasty carcinogenic chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are formed. For instance, when fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke, the smoke surrounds your food and transfers cancer-causing PAHs to the meat.

    Scientists have estimated the average cancer risk from heterocyclic amine exposure ranges from 1 per 10,000 for the average person to more than 1 per 50 for those ingesting large amounts of well-done muscle meats (beef, pork, fish, and poultry), especially flame-grilled chicken.

    In addition, studies have shown that:

    • People who regularly eat meat cooked at high temperatures have a 60 percent greater risk of pancreatic cancer
    • Both HCAs and PAHs are mutagenic, which means they cause changes in DNA that may increase cancer risk, and have been found to cause cancer in animals
    • A diet high in HCAs has been linked to tumors in the breast, colon, liver, skin, lung, prostate, and other organs in animals

    • Animals fed PAHs developed leukemia and tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs
  2. Tip:
    Remove the skin of your chicken before cooking, as it's known to have the highest HCA content.

  3. Marinade or dry rub your meat using natural ingredients to safely reduce the likelihood of any toxic carcinogens. Take your pick from:

    Mustard Garlic Onions
    Cherries Apples Dried plums
    Virgin olive oil Teriyaki marinade Turmeric
    Rosemary Grape seed extract Apple cider vinegar
    Black pepper Paprika Ginger
  4. Use only 100 percent organic, free-range chicken and eggs. Aside from being many levels higher when it comes to nutrient value, 100 percent organic chickens and eggs will also save you from the adverse health consequences that CAFO chickens have, thanks but no thanks to their daily ration of genetically engineered soy and corn and cocktail of harmful drugs and antibiotics.

    I also recommend you to know your yolk. Foraged hens produce eggs with bright orange yolks. Dull, pale yellow yolks, on the other hand, are a sure sign that you're getting eggs form caged hens.

  5. Keep away from omega-6-rich cooking oils. As I've said too many times already, it's easy to have an excessive supply of omega-6s in your diet without even trying, which can be detrimental to your health. Too much omega-6 predisposes you to heart disease, among other things.

    Instead of cooking with genetically modified omega-6 oils such as corn oil, soy oil, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats, and margarine, I strongly recommend that you use a healthier alternative like extra virgin coconut oil.

Coconut oil is ideal for all sorts of cooking and baking, as it can withstand higher temperatures without being damaged like many other oils. Olive oil, for example, should not be used for cooking for this reason.

Furthermore, coconut oil does not go rancid, which is an added advantage when you're making homemade concoctions.

Mom's Best Chicken Nutrition Facts

Calories

288

Fat

18 g

Carbs

10 g

Protein

20 g

Why Is Mom's Best Fried Chicken Good for You?

Because this healthy fried chicken recipe uses 100 percent organic, free-range chicken and eggs that were allowed to forage freely outdoors, it's guaranteed to be superior in vitamin and mineral content compared to other easy fried chicken recipes you can find.

In fact, according to a 2007 egg-testing project, eggs from hens on pasture contain:

  • Two-thirds more vitamin A
  • Two times more essentially omega-3 fats
  • Three times more vitamin E
  • Seven times more beta-carotene

And of course, we must not forget about coconut oil, which has a wide array of impressive health benefits in and on its own. Apart from its potent antimicrobial properties, coconut oil is also beneficial for:

Promoting heart health Supporting proper thyroid function
Promoting healthy brain function Strengthening your immune system
Virgin olive oil Maintaining healthy and youthful looking skin