Oven-Fried, Italian-Style Chicken Tenders with Roasted Parsnip and Potato Fries, and Balsamic Ketchup

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
12 chicken tenders or 2- to 3-inch wide strips of breast meat
Dried Italian seasoning blend or combine 1 teaspoon each dried oregano, granulated onion and garlic, dried thyme and rosemary
Salt and pepper
Flour, for dredging
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons lemon zest
All natural olive oil spray
Lemon wedges, for garnish
For the Fries:
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 4-inch fries
1 pound starchy potatoes, cut into 10 wedges per potato
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling, about 3 tablespoons
A few sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup organic ketchup
3 tablespoons store-bought or homemade balsamic drizzle

Yields: 4

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Season chicken with Italian seasoning blend, salt and pepper. Place flour in shallow dish, beat eggs in second shallow dish. Combine cornmeal, panko, cheese, Italian seasoning blend, parsley and lemon zest. Coat chicken in flour, egg, then breading. Arrange coated chicken on a wire baking rack set over a baking sheet and spray the tenders evenly with olive oil spray.

For the fries, toss parsnips and potatoes with EVOO, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes, flip fries and add chicken to oven, roast about 12-15 minutes more until chicken is golden and cooked through and fries are golden and crisp at edges.

Serve chicken with lemon wedges and fries with ketchup combined with balsamic drizzle. Serve a small green salad tossed with lemon juice, EVOO, salt and pepper.