Chicken Fingers Recipe

Time for Dinner | Chronicle Books, 2010

Wouldn’t it be nice if your kids approached dinner at your house with the same gusto that they do at the local pizza joint? This homemade chicken fingers recipe attempts to replicate the kid-menu dining experience at home in as healthy a way as possible.–Alanna Stang, Pilar Guzman, Jenny Rosenstrach

LC The Way Things Are Note

Curious–and not a little scared–about the strange and funnily named fillers that find their way into our pathetically processed food? Us, too. Which is why we prefer to pass on the freezer aisle and make our own. Well, that and the fact that there’s no comparison in terms of taste between what you find at a restaurant and the recipe below. Also curious about the history of chicken fingers, we can help you with that, too.

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Serves 4 to 6

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Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups cornflake crumbs
Olive oil, for frying
Ketchup (what else?) for dipping

Directions

1. Pound the living hell out of your chicken breasts. (Don’t bother continuing with this recipe if you skip this step. It’s by far the most important–for many reasons.) Cut the chicken into strips or chunks that closely resemble the size and shape of the chicken fingers or nuggets at your kids’ favorite restaurant.
2. Set up your dredging station with a rimmed plate containing the eggs, a plate with a mound of flour (that you’ve salted and peppered), and a plate with the cornflake crumbs.
3. Dredge your pounded chicken fingers first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the crumbs. Be sure to jiggle the chicken in between dips and dredges to allow any excess ingredients to fall away.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the chicken in a tablespoon or so of olive oil for about 2 to 3 minutes each side. Serve hot–with a great big dollop of ketchup, if you must.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Baked Panko Chicken Tenders with Basil Aioli from Love and Olive Oil
Panko & Chili Crusted Oven Fried Chicken Fingers from The Hungry Mouse
Judy Hesser's Oven-Fried Chicken from Leite's Culinaria
Port and Paprika Chicken Bites from Leite's Culinaria