Homemade chicken strips

PICNIC FOOD DOESN’T GET better than this. I’ll just fess up immediately though: this pan-fried technique is more involved than the baked chicken nuggets we made a while ago. There’s oil popping and smoke billowing all over the place. Or maybe that’s just me. But this is for sure: the color is much darker, and maybe more satisfying. And anyway, both are made from fresh ingredients (including, ahem, oat bran) and just as important, both are fun to eat at the park.

This recipe originally comes from Jessica Seinfeld, by way of Oprah, which is certainly not a bad place to start. Her chicken strips start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and become your basic dredge-through eggs, drag through breadcrumbs affair. It’s messy but that’s really the only way to do it. Jessica adds pureed veggies to the egg mixture, which gives just a hint of extra nutrition. The truth is though, only a bit of broccoli stays on the chicken and even I didn’t think it was quite enough to make busting out the blender worth it. Next time we make these, and we’ll probably do it again, I’d skip the built-in veggies. I know. But I would.

Instead I’d do it like this.

And I’d still eat them at the playground.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN STRIPS

ingredients

• 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or a few grinds from a pepper grinder)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup oat bran, wheat germ or ground flax seed
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons oil for the pan

instructions

Sprinkle chicken strips with salt and pepper. Pour oil in the pan and set on a burner at medium-high. While the pan heats up, work quickly to set up two shallow bowls: one for the egg mixture and one for the dry mixture. Beat the eggs in one. Combine all the dry ingredients (breadcrumbs through cheese) in the second. TIP: Use one hand for the wet bowl, the other for the dry bowl. Your hands will be slightly less caked with chicken and bits this way.

Dip each chicken strip into the egg mixture, tap off excess liquid then coat with breadcrumb mixture. After than, place in the pan. If it sizzles when it hits the pan, the pan is hot enough. Work in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan; about 4 strips works best in our skillet. Cook on each side for 3 minutes. Don’t overcook because they’ll be dry. If you’re nervous about whether they’re cooked through, cut one open as a test case then cook the rest accordingly.

For a picnic, I just slice up a bunch of veggies and fruit along with a dish like this one. Easy to transport, even easier to eat at a picnic table.

This post is part of Melt in Your Mouth Monday.