As a kid/teenager I was a chicken-strip-fiend! It was always my choice order whenever I went to a restaurant with my family, and as a teenager I must admit I frequented a lot of fast-food joints to get the chicken strips with all the different dips…especially ketchup and some kind of creamy onion dip!
Unfortunately, I was often left with a stomach ache. As a child, growing up in my teen years, and even into my early 20’s digestive issues weren’t uncommon. It was often a daily struggle. I never really made the connection with food and how I felt until I ventured into my career as a Nutritionist.
Over the years since I’ve been more knowledgeable about food and the connection between what we eat and our digestive health, I’m much more aware about the food choices I make and I am always aiming to come up with healthier alternatives to my old favorites (just like the pizza I posted other week on the blog!).
I came up with this recipe for healthier allergen-friendly chicken strips when Me+My™ reached out to me to partake in their 30-Day Trust Your Gut challenge.
I use digestive enzymes myself and recommend them to many of my clients who also have dealt with digestive issues.
I was excited to bring the digestive enzymes on my trip to Europe as travelling can bring challenges when it comes to eating. I knew I would be enjoying some more indulgent meals and I would have less assurance in knowing that the food I was eating was in fact dairy and gluten free (language barriers and dining out is always iffy!).
During our trip and now in the last few weeks since I’ve been home I’ve been using Me+My™ Digest Results™ with meals that are a bit heavier, or dinners and lunches that contain meat, as meat protein can be harder to digest.
While these chicken strips are made with healthy, whole-food ingredients like chicken breast, almond flour, spices, and egg, the amount of dietary protein and fats they contain does create some extra work for the digestive system. Having the helping hand of a good quality digestive enzyme is definitely beneficial!
If you’ve ever felt bloated, gassy, or overly full even though you didn’t overeat after a meal, you may benefit from digestive enzymes to help your body break down the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in that meal. While the body naturally produces digestive enzymes, the production of these enzymes can sometimes be insufficient because of impaired digestive function from various factors (learn more about enzymes at www.Trustygut.com)
When I use Digest Results™ I find that I feel great after, no bloating, and the next day (hopefully this isn’t TMI), my morning trip to the porcelain throne is always top notch! So really, today’s post is a win-win. A delicious and healthy recipe for what could normally be indulgent chicken strips and a new supplement to add into your daily repertoire to help boost your digestion!
Have you ever used digestive enzymes? If so, how was your experience? Are they a staple supplement for you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
- Chicken Strips:
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 egg, whisked
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp chili powder
- ⅛ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- Chive & Onion Dip:
- ⅓ cup soaked cashews
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- ½ tablespoon real mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- Spicy Ketchup:
- ¼ cup natural ketchup
- ¼ tsp cayenne powder
- Chicken Strips:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cover a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Slice the chicken and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg, set aside.
- In a larger bowl add the almond flour, spices, salt, and pepper and mix to combine.
- In an assembly line have the sliced chicken, the egg mixture, and the almond flour mixture and start by taking 1 chicken strip, dipping it in the egg mixture, then tossing it in the almond flour mixture to lightly coat, then setting it on the baking sheet.
- Repeat the process for all the chicken strips.
- Bake the chicken strips for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and slightly crispy on the edges. (baking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken strips so keep a close eye on them).
- While the chicken is baking, make the dips.
- Chive & Onion Dip:
- Remove the soaked cashews from the fridge and drain any excess water.
- Add the cashews to a small food processor along with the rest of the dip ingredients and process until smooth.
- Place in a bowl in the fridge.
- Spicy Ketchup:
- Add the ketchup to a small bowl and stir in the cayenne until well combined, place back in the fridge.
- When the chicken strips are done, add to a plate and sprinkle with chopped chives to garnish, serve with both dips, and enjoy!
You can visit www.Trustygut.com for more information and pick up Me+My™ at your local Walmart or Walmart.com to experience the difference firsthand.
Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!
Christal
Very interested in the digestive enzymes! Are there long term consequences from using digestive enzymes? Does you body become reliant on them? Are they safe to use while pregnant reassessing? What causes impaired digestive function? Thanks!!
Hi Aly! Typically digestive enzymes should not be used for extended periods of time, not because the body becomes reliant, but because there is a possibility that the body could become hypersensitive. What I usually recommend to my clients is that they use enzymes for about 1 month, then go off for a few weeks, then use them again for another month then reassess the need. Often once the root issues of the impaired digestive function are addressed (stress, lack of sleep, food intolerances or sensitivities, high sugar intake, lack of good bacteria) the need for the enzymes is no longer there. Then, I usually recommend using them only with heavy meals such as out at a restaurant or if you go to a wedding and might eat a bit more than usual. When it comes to pregnancies, certain supplements like digestive enzymes can be used, but there is often a warning that there hasn’t been sufficient research done to show if there are any issues with using them. So I usually recommend avoiding regular usage of the digestive enzymes during pregnancy and instead supplementing with a good quality probiotic!
Definitely agree with you–the more processed the food, the harder it is to digest it! I love that you took such an amazing fast-food favorite and healthified it in the best way!
Thanks Cassie!