Here’s a saucy little number

In the past few weeks, we’ve tried some recipes out of Rocco Dispirito’s cookbook “Now Eat This!” that have redeemed him from the black bean brownie debacle.

Rocco does a great job of coming up with recipes for foods that people crave, and the other night, I was craving hot wings.

I can throw down some wings, but it’s pretty depressing when you think that a serving can run you 1,200 calories or more.

So, we gave this recipe for Buffalo and Blue Chicken Tenders a shot. The recipe is Rocco’s, and the picture is mine.

One word of caution: My husband and I love spicy food, but these were borderline scorching, even for us. I’ll write the recipe as it appears in the book, but we’ll cut down on the Buffalo sauce next time. Enjoy!

Buffalo and Blue Chicken Tenders

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 ½ cups whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs
4 large egg whites
12 ounces chicken tenders
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
½ cup Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce
Reduced-fat blue cheese dressing


1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet, and set it aside.
2. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Put the panko in another shallow dish. In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks.
3. Working in batches, dredge the chicken tenders in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the chicken to the egg whites and toss to coat them completely. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, to the bowl of panko and coat completely.
4. Spread out the chicken on the wire rack. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Bake the tenders until the breading is golden and crispy and the chicken is cooked through, about 14 minutes.
5. Using a pastry brush, brush the chicken fingers with the Buffalo sauce. Arrange the chicken fingers on a platter, and serve with the blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Serves 4

Before: Fat 132g, Calories 1,188

After: Fat 7.5 g, Calories 308