Most kids love chicken strips and this recipe is kid-tested and received an enthusiastic thumbs up!  We soak our chicken in buttermilk prior to cooking.  It makes the chicken super tender and our zingy yogurt ranch dipping sauce (recipe follows) is the best.  Try this for your next picnic, birthday party, or weeknight meal, and watch them disappear.  I like to make a bunch and then have them on top of a salad.  So yummy!  Serve them along with our Red Salad or Fireworks corn and pineapple salad for a delicious weeknight meal. 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk

• 1 tablespoon hot sauce

• 2 cups Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs ( we used Progresso Brand)  If you cannot find this brand – use regular panko bread crumbs and add 1 tsp dry: oregano, basil, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder; ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper

• ¾ cup coarse ground cornmeal

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 eggs

• Kosher salt and pepper

• Large skillet and canola oil

• Sheet tray covered with foil topped with a cooling rack

 

How to make it:

1. Cut your chicken breasts into strips. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper.  In a large bowl add your buttermilk and hot sauce. (The hot sauce will not make your chicken spicy, it will just add a little zip)  Add the chicken to the buttermilk mixture, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Next set up your breading station.  You will need 3 shallow containers (like pie plates) 

   • In one pie plate:  Add flour and season with salt and pepper

   • In the next pie plate: add the eggs mixed fully

   • In the last pie plate: Add the panko bread crumbs and cornmeal mixed together

3. After 2 hours, remove the chicken from the refrigerator.  Take each strip out and use your hands to wipe off some of the buttermilk and then pat it dry.  It can be tempting to skip drying the chicken off and go right to breading but, if you do that, while your chicken is cooking the breading will pop right off your strips – not awesome.  So, take the extra time to pat your chicken dry.

4. The breading of your chicken goes like this:

   • Dip the dried chicken into the flour, shake off excess

   • Dip the floured chicken into the eggs

   • Dip the egg dipped chicken into the panko mixture

5. Set all your breaded chicken on a tray, clean your area, and make sure to wash your hands after handling the raw chicken. In a large skillet (12” nonstick skillet works great) heat your canola oil medium-high.  Use enough oil to go halfway up the side of the pan. You will know your oil is hot enough if you drop a breadcrumb in the pan and it bubbles to the top.  If it sinks down, your oil is not hot enough. 

6. In batches add your chicken to the hot oil.  Do not crowd the pan.  There should be plenty of room around each chicken strip.  Brown each strip on both sides and remove to the sheet tray topped with a cooling rack and season with kosher salt.

7. Once all the chicken is browned, place in a 350-degree oven until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.    You can keep your chicken in the oven on warm until ready to serve.

 

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Yogurt Ranch dipping sauce:

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Ingredients:

• ¾ cup plain nonfat yogurt

• ¼ cup sour cream

• 4 Tablespoons mayo

• 1/3 cup buttermilk

• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1/4  tsp onion powder

• 1/4  tsp garlic powder

• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh chives

• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley

• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

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Combine all the ingredients and chill until ready to serve.