Trisha Yearwood Lightens Up with 'Trisha's Table'

In her upcoming book Trisha's Table: My Feel-Good Favorites for a Balanced Life (Clarkson Potter, March), country megastar, Food Network host, and Georgia native Trisha Yearwood offers lighter versions of the comfort foods she was raised on. While her first two cookbooks focused on the more indulgent southern recipes passed down in her family, the new book, as Yearwood writes in her introduction, is meant to be a "bridge between southern classics and the way the New South eats."

Here, Yearwood shares her personal philosophy of "everything in moderation," as well as a recipe for a healthy twist on a decadent classic—fried chicken.

What inspired you to write this book offering more low-calorie, balanced eating?

I wanted to write a book that is more about how I live my life. I love comfort food, but I don’t eat it every single day, although I’d love to! So, this book is more of a reflection of how I eat day to day.

Can you describe your 80/20 rule? What’s a typical 80/20 day for you?

The 80/20 rule means that 80% of the time, I try to make good, healthier choices 80% of the time, and then I indulge on those comfort foods 20% of the time. On an “80 day”, I’ll eat complex carbs like cooked cabbage along with a lean protein like grilled chicken. Sometimes I’ll put that chicken on a salad full of mixed greens, red peppers, and garbanzo beans. On a “20 day”…chocolate cake.

What was your takeaway from writing this book?

I learned that if you work hard to make sure healthy choices taste good, your family won’t know the difference and they will love the changes in their eating habits. My husband loves tofu ricotta lasagna now better than the regular, meaty version. It’s because I worked hard to make sure he didn’t have to sacrifice flavor to eat better.

How have you put lighter spins on some of your favorite, decadent Southern dishes? Do you have a personal favorite of a modified recipe like this from the new book?

One of my favorite healthier spins is on classic fried chicken, which I love! I bread the chicken with a mix of multigrain panko bread crumbs, freshly grated lemon zest, some parmesan cheese, and a dash of hot sauce or red pepper flakes, and bake it in the oven. I get crispy chicken that tastes amazing without being fried in oil. I call it Unfried Chicken and it’s the best!

Trisha Yearwood's Unfried Chicken

In adopting a healthier lifestyle, I’ve had to make some peace with my genuine love for fried chicken. I didn’t give it up, but I’m down to eating it only a couple of times a year. This healthier, unfried version of the South’s favorite bird allows me to enjoy the comfort of fried chicken year-round, without all those added calories and fat. Buttermilk is lower in fat than whole milk and is a natural tenderizer for the chicken, too.

SERVES 4

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I like Tabasco)

1½ cups multigrain panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons grated

Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half

1 lemon, quartered

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium shallow bowl, combine the buttermilk and hot sauce. In a separate medium shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and submerge in the buttermilk mixture. Remove, allowing the excess to drip off, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Lay the pieces flat on a nonstick baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Then bake the chicken until crispy and brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Squeeze the lemon over the chicken before serving.

Trisha Tip

Don’t skip the step of refrigerating for 30 minutes before baking. If you do, all of your “crust” will fall off. Don’t ask me how I know!