Karen Wright: My healthy version of southern fried truly scrumptious chicken

Karen Wright writes: I found out when I was chosen for The Great British Bake Off that all recipes need to be your own.

Often it is just a tweak or an extra spice or seasoning that you can add. And, hey presto, it is your own recipe!

Many of the things I make of course are baked goods, usually heavy on the calories and consequently the waistline.

I try to keep my day-to-day meals as healthy as possible.

I am now writing a recipe a week for a young man who is quite famous on TikTok.

He is on a weight-loss mission and is doing very well.

We are hoping to publish a book together next year – recipe diary of his journey.

This recipe is one I gave him recently. It is a take on popular fast-food meal southern fried chicken but without the frying element!

I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs for this recipe as they are juicy and cheap but chicken breast would work just as well.

I blitzed up a slice of wholemeal bread to make breadcrumbs and added Cajun spices along with some salt and pepper.

Next I cut up the chicken into large chunks, coated them in tomato puree and dipped them into the breadcrumbs, ensuring they were well covered.

I sprayed them well with oil and baked them in a hot oven for about 30 minutes until crispy, golden and crunchy.

Finally I gave them a good squeeze of lemon juice and served with some corn on the cob and vegetables. Totally scrumptious!

In the kitchen this week I am making my Christmas cakes. I am a bit late this year as things have been quite hectic.

The recipe I use is on my www.karenwrightbakes.co.uk website.

I make a couple for us. I decorate one, the other we keep plain and eat with cheese.

Does anyone else use the same plastic decorations year after year?

I love to see the same old Santa and reindeers stuck into the royal icing “snow”.

It is the same when the tree decorations come down from the loft, each one brings back memories.

Some of my decorations are over 60 years old ... just like me!