Real food for the family table.

Family Friendly Chicken Strips

by Elizabeth on March 25, 2010

A dinner plate with salad and chicken fingers

As passionate cooks go, home based or otherwise, there is one thing in the world that irks us all beyond comparison….meal rejection.

Unfortunately, in my house, this happens a lot. Not that my food is anything but extraordinary and made with so much love it hurts, just that some people around here don’t appreciate the same things I do.

It irks me to no end to think that I have spawned from my own loins, a chef’s worst nightmare: the picky eater; however, I know I’m not alone in this.

This month on Simple Bites, we addressed this common dinnertime dilemma head on and many, many parents chimed in.

You’ll find many a solution to the picky eater in these links. Don’t skip the comments either, as they are full of wisdom from parents who have been there.

A Clever Compromise

No mother who knows food rejection wants to spend 60+ minutes in the kitchen fixing something she knows won’t be eaten. What I can do is offer foods I know will be eaten and try to make those meals simple and quick.

My compromise? Healthy chicken strips the whole family will love.

Always a childhood favorite, chicken strips are usually given a bad rap. Not only are they among the most popular choices on restaurants “children’s menu” (read: deep fried, brown food), but when they are offered at home, they are unappetizing and unhealthy, having been reheated from frozen lumps found in the grocer’s freezer.

Chicken strips are a fast, healthy meal if done correctly, and I will show you a kid tested recipe even my picky, non-meat eating child will try.

Chicken Strips

1 lb chicken fillets
1/2 cup buttermilk
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup corn flakes, crushed into fine crumbs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
salt & pepper

Photo by Elizabeth Nyland

1. In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, salt, pepper and paprika. Add in fillets and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. Mix corn flakes and panko (try crushing them together a bit in a mortar or in a plastic bag with your palm to make flakes smaller) together on a plate, season with salt & pepper (and any other herbs or spices you may want).
4. Place one or two pieces of chicken at a time on plate, thoroughly coating each piece in crumbs.
5. For best results, bake on a greased metal cooling rack set atop a baking sheet. This allows the hot air to crisp all sides of the strips, instead of just one side. If you cannot get this set up, simply spray a baking sheet with baking spray and place strips directly on sheet.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
7. Serve alongside a nice salad for a light, yet filling dinner…but don’t forget the dip!

Honey Mustard Dip

1/3 cup low fat Hellman’s Mayo
1-2 Tbsp liquid honey (depending on taste)
2 heaping Tbsp Dijon mustard

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Serve in individual ramekins alongside chicken strips.

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Do you have a go-to quick and easy meal that is loved by all? Please share!

Tagged as: chicken, Dinner, Lunch, Recipe

(top photo source)

Written by Elizabeth Nyland

On her blog, Guilty Kitchen, Elizabeth writes about the joys of local food, buying sustainable and feeling much too guilty after indulging in too many rich desserts.