First, a confession. I don't watch the Super Bowl. As a matter of fact, I rarely even know who is playing. Still, I'm well aware that it is far and away America's largest secular holiday and that the celebration requires not only watching the game on television, but also eating a hefty snack or meal while doing so.

Naturally, such a manly event calls for manly cuisine, dishes designed to be eaten by hand and that will stick to the ribs. The key food groups are meat and melted cheese, preferably deep-fried.Buffalo-style chicken wings and chicken nuggets are just the sort of deep-fried deliciousness we're talking about. And my recipe marries the two and, incredibly, does so in a way that simultaneously satisfies the soul and keeps the blood whistling through the old arteries.There are three reasons we all love fried food. First, the food is moist and juicy. Second, the crust is crispy. And third and this is a well-kept secret anything cooked in fat tastes better than food cooked without it because fat amplifies flavor even if you don't taste the fat itself. My biggest challenge in the creation of this recipe was to construct a crisp crust without deep-frying the chicken in a vat of fat.I worked out a delicious home-style version of chicken nuggets that requires no deep-frying years ago. I started with chicken tenders, those little flaps of chicken meat attached to the underside of each chicken breast. They're as meaty as boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but they're much cheaper because they're smaller, and because of a tough little tendon that runs down the middle of each tender.So I tenderized each tender including the tendon by soaking it in buttermilk before cooking it, a technique I'd learned from Southern home cooks back when I did my call-in show on the Food Network. I flavored the buttermilk with garlic and my favorite smoky hot sauce (Tabasco Chipotle), then threw in a hefty pinch of salt to create a brine.The chicken luxuriated in this buttermilk bath for several hours, after which I coated it with a mixture of breadcrumbs and panko (for extra crunch), sauteed it in olive oil, and served it up with a wedge of lemon.This recipe was an immediate hit at our house and quickly became part of the weekly line-up. But though I'd avoided deep-frying, the dish was still fairly caloric because the crumb mixture soaked up oil like a sponge. I solved that problem for this version of the recipe by using vegetable oil cooking spray on the chicken and cooking it not in a pan, but in the top third of a hot oven.If it is not quite as crispy as the sauteed version, it is nonetheless ridiculously flavorful. I achieved this effect by adding a blue cheese dipping sauce, which borrows one of the trademark ingredients of Buffalo chicken wings.Traditionally, the wings are tossed in a mixture of hot sauce and butter after they come out of the hot oil. But I didn't want to sog up my finished product, so I recommend dipping the finished baked nuggets, first in the hot sauce, then in the blue cheese. I think you will agree that this combo is a touchdown.Buffalo ChickenTendersStart to finish: 2 hours 30 minutes (15 minutes active)Servings: 42 garlic cloves, smashed1 teaspoon salt1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot sauce (my favorite for this recipe is Tabasco Chipotle), divided2 cups plus 6 tablespoons buttermilk, divided1 pound chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into 3-by-1-inch strips, 1/2-inch thick)3/4 cup whole-wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese1/2 teaspoon lemon juiceIn a medium bowl, combine garlic, salt, 2 tablespoons of hot sauce and 2 cups of buttermilk. Whisk until salt is dissolved. Add chicken tenders and stir to coat well with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 10 hours.When ready to cook, heat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with olive oil cooking spray.In a shallow bowl combine whole-wheat and panko breadcrumbs. In another small bowl, whisk together remaining 6 tablespoons of buttermilk, mayonnaise, blue cheese and lemon juice. Transfer to a ramekin for dipping. Pour remaining cup of hot sauce into a second ramekin for dipping.Use a colander to drain the chicken, but do not pat dry. Dip each chicken piece in breadcrumb mixture, making sure it is coated well on both sides. Arrange chicken in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, then spritz tops with olive oil cooking spray.Bake on oven's middle shelf for 10 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until they are just cooked through. Let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a platter. Serve with both dipping sauces.Nutrition information per serving: 300 calories; 80 calories from fat (27 percent of total calories); 9 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 80 mg cholesterol; 22 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 33 g protein; 1,120 mg sodium.