Crunchy Chicken Sticks
These chicken strips have a great crunchy coating that kids (of all ages) love.
Ingredients
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 cup stoned wheat crackers (use wheat/gluten-free, if needed), crushed about 15 crackers
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch wide strips
- 1 - 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 - 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 10 - 15 wooden skewers optional
- 1 cup ketchup, barbecue sauce, or honey mustard (use wheat/gluten-free, if needed), for dipping
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, beat the egg. In a second shallow bowl, combine the crushed crackers and cheese.
- Dip each chicken strip in the egg, allowing extras to drip back into the bowl, and then coat it with the cracker and cheese mixture. Set them aside on a plate.
- In a large skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter with 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat.
- Cook the tenderloins in one layer for about 4 minutes per side, until they are nicely browned. Continue until you have cooked all the chicken, adding the additional butter and oil to the pan if needed.
- Transfer the cooked tenders to a clean plate. If you are using the skewers, push them lengthwise through some or all of the chicken. (If the skewers are sharp, push them all the way through so the kids won’t accidentally bite the ends.) Serve the chicken sticks immediately with one or more of the dipping sauces.
Slow Cooker Directions:
- NOTE: These will not come out crunchy in the slow cooker but are still very tasty. After coating the tenders with the egg and then the cracker and cheese mixture, thread the chicken onto 7-inch-long wooden skewers, folding thinner pieces, if necessary. Place the skewers into the slow cooker, laying them as flat as possible. Cook on low for 2 - 3 hours or on high for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Turn over the skewers and cook for another hour on low or for 45 minutes on high. (Slow cooker cooking times may vary—Get to know your slow cooker and, if necessary, adjust cooking times accordingly.)
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Beat the egg and refrigerate, crush the crackers, grate the cheese if necessary and refrigerate, combine the crackers and the cheese and refrigerate, cut the chicken if necessary and refrigerate.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Mix in some freshly ground black pepper and/or dry mustard powder to the cracker mixture before coating the chicken. Serve spicy BBQ sauce as a dipping option.
Tip: Stop by your neighborhood farmer's market to buy locally grown, seasonal fruit, vegetables, eggs, and humanely raised meat—many markets are open year round. Freshly picked produce tastes fantastic, and really helps support the environment and local farmers.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 270, Total Fat: 10g, 15%; Saturated Fat: 4g, 18%; Cholesterol: 130mg, 43%; Sodium: 248mg, 10%; Total Carbohydrate: 24g, 8%; Dietary Fiber: 4g, 15%; Sugar: 13g; Protein: 40g
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