Healthy Fried Food Recipes and Cooking Tips

Featured Recipes

EatingWell Fish Sticks

You can make these homemade fish sticks in about the same amount of time it takes to bake a box of the frozen kind. Make it a meal: Serve with lemon wedges, coleslaw, roasted new potatoes and a dollop of tartar sauce.

» EatingWell Fish Sticks

BBQ Chicken Tenders

These crispy chicken “wings,” made with boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, stay crispy with only a light coating of oil—no deep-frying needed. Serve as an appetizer or try them for dinner with crunchy vegetables and dip on the side.

» BBQ Chicken Tenders

Jalapeño Poppers

Spicy peppers get a cooldown from the creamy bean-and-cheese filling in our healthier version of jalapeño poppers.

» Jalapeño Poppers

Onion Rings

We couldn’t get enough of these crunchy onion rings in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Try any seasoning blend that you have on hand to add flavor to the breading or substitute 1 teaspoon salt instead. Seasoned whole-wheat breadcrumbs are available in some supermarkets and natural-foods stores. If you can find them, try them in place of the plain breadcrumbs and seasoning blend.

Crispy Baked Drumsticks with Honey-Mustard Sauce for Two

These baked chicken drumsticks are all about the contrast of crispy crunch on the outside and succulent, juicy chicken on the inside. Serve with sweet potato fries and spinach salad.

» Crispy Baked Drumsticks with Honey-Mustard Sauce for Two

Oven-Fried Chicken on a Stick

Here’s a fun way to serve oven-fried chicken for a picnic: put it on a stick. It’s fabulous served with this homemade Vidalia onion and honey-mustard sauce, but it’s also great with barbecue sauce or Frank’s hot sauce. This is an easy recipe to double if you’re serving a crowd.

» Oven-Fried Chicken on a Stick

Spicy Pecan Popcorn Chicken

These spicy and crunchy pecan-crusted chicken nuggets are paired with a quick, creamy ranch dip. If you can’t find coarse breadcrumbs, substitute Grape-Nuts cereal instead.

» Spicy Pecan Popcorn Chicken

Discover the secret to frying with less fat and fewer calories with these healthy fried food recipes.

You love fried food, right? But you also know it’s pretty bad for you. What if we told you “fry” is OK? No, not deep-fried, trans-fat-laden junk, but a lighter, smarter type of “fry.”

Our easy, oven-frying technique delivers a crisp, seasoned exterior and moist, tender interior without all the fat and calories of deep-frying. For the basic technique, we have you coat your food in a light breading, spray it with oil and bake it on a rack. An oil spray bottle works great and so does cooking spray. Sometimes we go for a slight variation—brown the coated food in a bit of oil in a skillet and then finish it in the oven. That way it gets crisp on the exterior but doesn’t burn and requires only a little oil.

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Healthy Fried Food Recipes

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Instead of batter-dipped, deep-fried nuggets, we coat...

BBQ Chicken Tenders

These crispy chicken “wings,” made with boneless, skinless...

Beer-Battered Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Lovers of fried fish get the taste without all the calories...

Coconut-Crusted Tofu with Peach-Lemongrass Salsa

The crunchy-crisp tofu and our spicy-sweet salsa are...

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken with Pepian Sauce

Tomatillos and pepitas form the basis for pepian sauce--one...

Crispy Baked Drumsticks with Honey-Mustard Sauce for Two

These baked chicken drumsticks are all about the contrast...

EatingWell Fish Sticks

You can make these homemade fish sticks in about the same...

Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches with Rémoulade Sauce

Technically, these tomatoes aren't fried but they are...

Though greasy French fries are (almost) everyone's...

Jalapeño Poppers

Spicy peppers get a cooldown from the creamy bean-and-...

We couldn’t get enough of these crunchy onion rings in the...

Oven-Fried Chicken

Great news—crunchy, flavorful fried chicken can be healthy...

Oven-Fried Chicken on a Stick

Here’s a fun way to serve oven-fried chicken for a picnic:...

Oven-Fried Fish & Chips

Fish and chips are traditionally sold wrapped in paper to...

Oven-Fried Fish Fillets

Toasting the breadcrumbs in a skillet ensures a crisp and...

Oven-Fried Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes

Hungry for fries? Slice potatoes into long thin wedges,...

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks

Our oven-baked zucchini sticks taste every bit as good as...

Oven Fries for Two

These oven-roasted fries are simple and healthy yet as...

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

Turn leftover risotto into crispy risotto cakes with this...

Salt & Pepper Shrimp

Rice flour is the “secret ingredient” in this dish and is...

Spicy Pecan Popcorn Chicken

These spicy and crunchy pecan-crusted chicken nuggets are...

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