Love Them Tenders

Here’s a quick, low-fat version of one of my favorites: oven-fried chicken breast tenders with honey mustard sauce. Tenders, those little strips of meat attached to the underside of the chicken breast, are available at supermarkets. They’re a smart choice for low-fat dining, having only about a third the fat of dark chicken meat.

For this sauce, I like the texture of what some manufacturers call brown delicatessen-style mustard with white--basically, a coarser Dijon-style mustard. And it tastes great with the chicken.

These oven-fried tenders make great appetizers or even a good light meal served with a big crunchy salad.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN DIPPERS WITH HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE

1 pound chicken breast tenders

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice

Salt

White pepper

Olive oil or nonfat cooking spray

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1/4 cup Dijon- or delicatessen-style mustard, preferably medium coarseness

3 tablespoons honey

* Rinse chicken breast tenders under cold water. Remove any tendons. Pat dry with paper towels.

* Toss tenders with garlic, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 10 minutes.

* Spread tenders in single layer and lightly mist with olive oil. Turn and mist other side. Roll tenders in bread crumbs to coat. Arrange in single layer on baking pan lightly misted with olive oil or nonfat cooking spray.

* Bake at 500 degrees 5 minutes. Turn and bake until juices run clear when chicken is pricked with fork, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and cilantro.

* Combine mustard and honey. Serve with chicken tenders.

2 main course-servings. Each serving: 516 calories; 1,364 mg sodium; 99 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 48 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

Deane is director of The Times Test Kitchen.