Nana's Chicken Fingers - these delicious fried chicken fingers have a crispy, crunchy coating and are served with two dipping sauces.
The recipe I have for you today is all about fun. There aren't many things that put a smile on kids' faces like Nana's Chicken Fingers.
For years, whenever we'd grab a quick bite to eat with our grandkids, I didn't even have to ask Mags what she wanted - it was always chicken nuggets. She's a much more adventurous eater these days, but back then it didn't matter where we were dining - it was always chicken nuggets. Even better if they came with a "prize" in the box.
Well, I can't guarantee a prize with these, but I can guarantee that your kids, whether they're 3 or 83, will love Nana's Chicken Fingers.
I was looking around at other recipes online for chicken fingers and 99% of the ones I found are baked. Now I'm going to tell you right up front that these are not. They're fried. In peanut oil.
So, if you're looking for what are considered "healthy" chicken fingers, these won't fit your criteria. However, I'm not convinced that they're all that bad.
When I fry anything, I make sure the oil is plenty hot and I drain the food well on either a rack or paper toweling after it's fried.
These fingers don't feel or taste greasy in the least because there's very little oil absorbed. Just a delicious, crispy, crunchy coating. I serve these with a choice of dipping sauces. I've included my recipes for honey-mustard and spicy catsup. Yum!
How to Make Nana's Chicken Fingers:
Dry the breasts well and cut them into approximately 1” thick strips. That's my old plastic cutting board that I use just for poultry. It goes straight into the dishwasher when I'm finished.
Generously season all sides of the chicken strips with salt and pepper.
Nex, in a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg whites. Add the seasoned chicken strips and stir so that each is well coated with egg white.
In a small pan, combine all the remaining ingredients except the peanut oil.
Now place 3 or 4 chicken strips at a time into the coating mixture turning until each is coated. Place the coated strips on a plate or wire rack while heating the oil.
In a deep frying pan, heat 1” of peanut oil over medium high heat. My trick for telling whether the oil is ready to fry, is to place the end of a wooden spoon on the bottom of the pan. If the oil bubbles nicely around the spoon handle, it's probably ready.
Fry the chicken strips in batches if necessary taking care not to crowd the pan. Turn the chicken strips halfway through frying. Remove from the oil to drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Keep warm in a low oven until all the chicken strips are cooked.
While the chicken strips are cooking, make the honey-mustard dipping sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and stirring until thoroughly mixed.
Also make the spicy catsup by combining the catsup and horseradish in a small bowl and stirring until thoroughly mixed.
Serve the warm chicken fingers with the dipping sauces.
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Nana's Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3 egg whites
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 2 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- Peanut oil
For the Honey-Mustard Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons mustard yellow or Dijon
- Pinch garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Spicy Catsup:
- ½ cup catsup
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
Instructions
- Cut the breasts lengthwise into approximately 1” thick strips.
- Generously season all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg whites. Add the seasoned chicken strips and stir so that each is well coated with egg white.
- In a small pan, combine all the remaining ingredients except the peanut oil.
- Place 3 or 4 chicken strips at a time into the coating mixture turning until each is coated. Place the coated strips on a plate or wire rack while heating the oil.
- In a deep frying pan, heat 1” of peanut oil over medium high heat.
- Fry the chicken strips in batches if necessary taking care not to crowd the pan. Turn the chicken strips halfway through frying.
- Remove from the oil to drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Keep warm in a low oven until all the chicken strips are cooked.
- For the dipping sauces, add the ingredients to two small bowls stirring until thoroughly combined.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
More Chicken Finger Recipes ...
- Sesame Chicken Fingers with Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce from Simply Recipes
- Black Pepper Rub Chicken Fingers with Greek Yogurt Ranch from Half Baked Harvest
- Oven Baked Chicken Tender Fingers from Table for Two
- Potato Chip Chicken Fingers from Iowa Girl Eats
- Crispy Lemon-Herbed Chicken Fingers with Chive-Garlic Aioli from Noble Pig
- Easy Buffalo Chicken Fingers from eat, live, run
Thomas Tran says
Wow, amazing! do you think this recipe will this work in an air fryer?
Lana Stuart says
Sorry, I just don't know. Never used an air fryer myself.