It’s been 2 weeks since our last post. Sadly, I can’t even blame it on a summer vacation. Nope, it’s just been busy schedules preventing us from blogging.
Even when we’re busy, we still try to cook at home. It tends to be healthier and cheaper than ordering or eating out. I won’t deny it though, we do tend to eat on-the-go more often at times like this, and that’s okay.
I try not to stress too much when we don’t have time to blog, but I have to admit…I’ve been missing it! Our blog is over two years old now and it’s definitely become a part of our lives. It feels like something’s missing when we don’t have time for the blog.
Summer’s going by so fast!
Is it an age thing? Does time seem to go by faster as we age? I reminded Michael on the weekend that a quarter of his summer vacation is already over. He wasn’t thrilled with that reality 🙂 It has been pretty fun for them so far. They’ve enjoyed some quality time with each other, a bit of time with other friends and their grandparents, and we’re really looking forward to some family vacation time later this summer.
The menu looks a little different in the summer
Our menu tends to change a bit during the summer season. Sure, I still make stews, soups and roasts, but we typically grill more and opt for slightly lighter meals. If you’ve followed our blog for some time, you know I’m a bit of a grillaholic, but for today’s recipe, I didn’t fire up the BBQ.
More Chicken Fingers
We already have our mayo and parmesan baked chicken finger recipe on the blog. We love that recipe and it’s a popular one with our readers too. This time around, I wanted to experiment a little with flavours and texture. The batter serves as a bit of a marinade for the chicken and then the panko breadcrumbs give the chicken a nice crunchy coating. I’m not sure which one I like more, but the family was definitely happy with this new version. Let us know what you think!
Whether it’s a walk on your own, activities with the family or a BBQ with friends, get out there and enjoy the hot weather before it’s gone… and whatever you do, eat well, friends.
These chicken fingers are juicy and tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside. They're also easy and quick to make! This is a great option if you're looking to fry less.
Course: Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American
Servings: 18large fingers
Author: Nelson Cardoso
Ingredients
6skinless boneless chicken breastsor roughly 2.5 to 3 lbs (1.1 to 1.4 kg)
3/4cupsall purpose flour
1 1/2cupsbuttermilk
1large eggbeaten
2tspsalt
1tspfreshly ground black pepper
1 1/2tsppaprika
1 1/2tspchili powder
1 1/2tspdried basil
2tspgarlic powder
4cupspanko breadcrumbsJapanese style breadcrumbs
2tbspdried parsley
Wedges of lime to drizzle over the chicken fingers at the table
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 ºF and line 2 large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium to large bowl, add the flour, buttermilk, egg, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, basil and garlic powder, and whisk until well combined.
In another medium bowl, add the panko and dried parsley, and mix well.
Cut each chicken breast into about three long pieces depending on the size of the chicken breast. These should be about the size of large store bought chicken fingers.
Place all the cut pieces of chicken in the bowl with the spice batter and coat well.
In a medium bowl, place about 1/4 of the panko and parsley mixture and coat the battered chicken, one piece at-a-time.
Placing the breaded pieces on the baking sheets.
Repeat the previous 2 steps until all the pieces are coated and on the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheets on the 2nd and 4th shelves of the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes (or until the internal temperature is 165° Fahrenheit (75° Celsius). Note: rotate the baking sheets about half way through the baking time to ensure you get even colouring an all the chicken pieces.
Serve hot with lime wedges and your favourite sides... enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Coat the chicken pieces with small portions of the panko mixture at-a-time to avoid making it all soggy and hard to work with.
We made a larger portion for leftovers. Feel free to cut all the measurments in half.
If you have some extra time, leave the chicken in the batter for an our or two in the fridge before coating with panko.
Always use caution when handling raw chicken. Wash your hands and surfaces frequently and don't let the raw chicken sit at room temperature for long.
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