Chicken Tenders

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Okay MFP friends! Please come to my rescue! Having some friends over tomorrow night and want to bake Chicken Fingers... I got the boneless skinless breasts and I want to do this all natural with real ingredients... no shake & bake etc. Also, I don't want to fry them. Anybody got a recipe? :huh:

Replies

  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
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    I like to dip mine in egg whites and then in bread crumbs and then I either bake them or put them in very little olive oil in a pan. Or this may sound gross but instead of the bread crumbs corn flakes all crushed up (sooo good!) Hope this helps.

    ~Leash :heart:
  • dclarsh
    dclarsh Posts: 364
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    If I'm making baked chicken, I usually melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a baking dish, and then use a combo of flour and season salt to coat the chicken... if you're doing tenders, bake at 350 for 20 minutes, flip them, and bake for another 20 minutes. If you want them extra crispy, then coat them first in flour, then dip them in buttermilk or eggs, then dip them in crushed saltine crackers. Same baking time, same butter.
  • TNYorker
    TNYorker Posts: 164
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    I use this recipe all the time, excluding the brown sugar and curry powder. I also sub the cooking spray with the "I can't believe it's not butter" spray. Have fun! :smile:

    http://www.shape.com/healthy_eating/recipes/baked_chicken_fingers
  • TNYorker
    TNYorker Posts: 164
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    I like to dip mine in egg whites and then in bread crumbs and then I either bake them or put them in very little olive oil in a pan. Or this may sound gross but instead of the bread crumbs corn flakes all crushed up (sooo good!) Hope this helps.

    ~Leash :heart:

    I agree, crushed corn flakes as coating is yummy!!! :love:
  • PureAndHealthy
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    OOooo these sound like good ideas. I got corn flakes! ...organic corn flakes of course :wink: Keep em coming! I love hearing what different people do!
  • TNYorker
    TNYorker Posts: 164
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    OOooo these sound like good ideas. I got corn flakes! ...organic corn flakes of course :wink: Keep em coming! I love hearing what different people do!

    Same here! :happy:
  • Isaacsmama
    Isaacsmama Posts: 43
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    i like to coat mine in sesame seeds. it looks really nice if you can use white and black mixed, but if not the white one are just fine. Lightly toast them in a dry skillet first. Then dip the chicken in egg (or melted butter if your up for it) and then the seeds. I bet you could even use evoo if you dont want to use butter. Coat em really good (youll need a lot of seeds) and bake at 350 till done. I like to put them on foil because those little seed really like to burn and stick. :) They are great in just plain honey mustard or a fancy asian style sauce. MMMM, like a soy/pb sauce, or plum sauce, or hoisin, or a little soy mixed with honey. they are fancy.
  • Doitforbaby120808
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    A wonerful thing is to soak them in low fat buttermilk then just role them in a breadcrumbs mix of your choice even lowfat potato chips will work and then bake them. What you put on the outside wont matter than much if its baked and not fried.

    Also to make sure they are crispy get your baking dish HOT HOT HOT first that makes em sizzle!
  • PureAndHealthy
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    You guys have great tips! :happy: Thanks SO much! I ended up dipping them in flour (with salt, pepper, and paprika), then in egg, then rolling them in multi-grain flakes (generic Total) and baking them. Turned out pretty tasty! But I will most def try some other ideas ya'll had too! Thanks again! :flowerforyou:
  • Isaacsmama
    Isaacsmama Posts: 43
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    ooo. I know your already done, but i have another good trick. I recently tried this. Marinade your chciken overnight in yogurt. I put cumin and other spices in mine. Then rinse it and lightly coat in bread crumbs and bake it. I sered mine over rice. yum. it was sooooo tender and juicy. Anyone have any other marinade tips? I do a lot of chicken and pork and am always looking for simple new flavor ideas. Any thoughts on all those grill mate spice blends and such? never tried em. Or a lot of the prebottled marinades.
  • TNYorker
    TNYorker Posts: 164
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    ooo. I know your already done, but i have another good trick. I recently tried this. Marinade your chciken overnight in yogurt. I put cumin and other spices in mine. Then rinse it and lightly coat in bread crumbs and bake it. I sered mine over rice. yum. it was sooooo tender and juicy. Anyone have any other marinade tips? I do a lot of chicken and pork and am always looking for simple new flavor ideas. Any thoughts on all those grill mate spice blends and such? never tried em. Or a lot of the prebottled marinades.

    Ooh I love marinating overnight! It definitely makes a huge difference. Sometime I marinate chicken breasts overnight with yogurt, cumin, corriander, and a bunch of other spices - and then bake it the next day topped with fresh chopped garlic, sliced onions, and lime juice. It's ah-mazing! :tongue:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I use Panko breadcrumbs. I dip the chicken in egg whites, sprinkle with season salt, and roll in the panko.

    I like mine really crunchy so I spray a pan with olive oil-plus 1 tablespoon oil. I fry them on each side until brown.

    Mmmmm. I just had it this week!:flowerforyou:
  • Isaacsmama
    Isaacsmama Posts: 43
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    MMMMM. Now I really am hungry for chicken strips. I love the idea of pan frying. Using a little olive oil, any idea on the serving size or calorie count? What Id loveto have is a deliciously naughty family recipe. You use an apple peeler to make really long thin strips of potatoe. Then you dip the chicken strips in egg and wrap them with the potatoe and deep fry them. They are so crunchy and delicious. But Im sure they are terribly bad for you. :)
  • rabbit45
    rabbit45 Posts: 36
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    Just made the MOST EXCELLENT chicken tenders last week - recipe was from the Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast cookbook. I don't recall the exact measurements, but you dip in low fat buttermilk, then in panko breadcrumbs with salt/pepper. Pre-heat baking sheet and then spray with cooking spray, also spray chicken tenders and bake. Can't remember the temp or time but I can check at home and add later. It was so crispy and yummy I plan to try with fish as well.
  • csingleton24
    csingleton24 Posts: 235 Member
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    Just made the MOST EXCELLENT chicken tenders last week - recipe was from the Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast cookbook. I don't recall the exact measurements, but you dip in low fat buttermilk, then in panko breadcrumbs with salt/pepper. Pre-heat baking sheet and then spray with cooking spray, also spray chicken tenders and bake. Can't remember the temp or time but I can check at home and add later. It was so crispy and yummy I plan to try with fish as well.

    I LOVE that book!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I use Panko breadcrumbs. I dip the chicken in egg whites, sprinkle with season salt, and roll in the panko.

    I like mine really crunchy so I spray a pan with olive oil-plus 1 tablespoon oil. I fry them on each side until brown.

    Mmmmm. I just had it this week!:flowerforyou:

    panko bread crumbs are great! Although I find them big, I usually crush them a little more before I use em!
  • sincereme
    sincereme Posts: 276
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    Okay MFP friends! Please come to my rescue! Having some friends over tomorrow night and want to bake Chicken Fingers... I got the boneless skinless breasts and I want to do this all natural with real ingredients... no shake & bake etc. Also, I don't want to fry them. Anybody got a recipe? :huh:

    I got this from Cook Yourself Thin. You can always Tweak it:

    Oven-Baked Crispy Chicken Tenders With ColeslawMake this "Cook Yourself Thin" recipe.
    Topics: food, recipes, cooking, dieting, cook yourself thin More
    Print | Email


    Serves 4
    Calories per serving, chicken with coleslaw: 519
    Calories per serving, tartar sauce: 27


    For the chicken
    2 cloves garlic, smashed
    1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
    1 bay leaf
    2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
    1 pound chicken tenders (about 12)
    1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed to medium crumbs
    Nonstick cooking spray

    For the tartar sauce
    1 1/2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
    1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
    Juice of 1/2 lemon
    1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
    1 tablespoon drained nonpareil capers
    1 tablespoon chopped sweet gherkin
    1 tablespoon water


    For the coleslaw
    1 1/2 (10-ounce) bags cabbage slaw mix
    1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
    2 tablespoons thin-sliced red onion
    1 tablespoon low-fat sour cream
    1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
    1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
    2–3 dashes hot pepper sauce
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon pepper
    8 cherry tomatoes, quartered, for garnish

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

    2. For the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, spices and buttermilk. Add the chicken and turn in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

    3. For the coleslaw: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage slaw mix, bell pepper, onion and shredded herbs. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat.

    4. For the tartar sauce: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a separate small bowl.

    5. Place the cornflake crumbs on a plate. Drain the chicken tenders. Pick up a chicken tender with one hand, and turn it in the cornflake coating, using the other hand to gently press additional coating onto the sides. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue on in this way to coat all of the chicken pieces, arranging them on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400 degrees until firm, about 15 minutes.

    6. To serve, divide the coleslaw among 4 bowls. Arrange 3 chicken tenders, standing up with wide ends at the bottom and overlapping slightly, at one side of each mound. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Garnish bowls with chopped cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs.
  • PureAndHealthy
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    Ya'll are awesome. Yum! I've never used Panko breadcrumbs before. Where can you buy them? Also, I'm a bit of a whole foods organic type nerd... how are they ingredient-wise?
  • PureAndHealthy
    Options
    Okay MFP friends! Please come to my rescue! Having some friends over tomorrow night and want to bake Chicken Fingers... I got the boneless skinless breasts and I want to do this all natural with real ingredients... no shake & bake etc. Also, I don't want to fry them. Anybody got a recipe? :huh:

    I got this from Cook Yourself Thin. You can always Tweak it:

    Oven-Baked Crispy Chicken Tenders With ColeslawMake this "Cook Yourself Thin" recipe.
    Topics: food, recipes, cooking, dieting, cook yourself thin More
    Print | Email


    Serves 4
    Calories per serving, chicken with coleslaw: 519
    Calories per serving, tartar sauce: 27


    For the chicken
    2 cloves garlic, smashed
    1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
    1 bay leaf
    2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
    1 pound chicken tenders (about 12)
    1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed to medium crumbs
    Nonstick cooking spray

    For the tartar sauce
    1 1/2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
    1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
    Juice of 1/2 lemon
    1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
    1 tablespoon drained nonpareil capers
    1 tablespoon chopped sweet gherkin
    1 tablespoon water


    For the coleslaw
    1 1/2 (10-ounce) bags cabbage slaw mix
    1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
    2 tablespoons thin-sliced red onion
    1 tablespoon low-fat sour cream
    1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
    1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
    2–3 dashes hot pepper sauce
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon pepper
    8 cherry tomatoes, quartered, for garnish

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

    2. For the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, spices and buttermilk. Add the chicken and turn in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

    3. For the coleslaw: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage slaw mix, bell pepper, onion and shredded herbs. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat.

    4. For the tartar sauce: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a separate small bowl.

    5. Place the cornflake crumbs on a plate. Drain the chicken tenders. Pick up a chicken tender with one hand, and turn it in the cornflake coating, using the other hand to gently press additional coating onto the sides. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue on in this way to coat all of the chicken pieces, arranging them on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400 degrees until firm, about 15 minutes.

    6. To serve, divide the coleslaw among 4 bowls. Arrange 3 chicken tenders, standing up with wide ends at the bottom and overlapping slightly, at one side of each mound. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Garnish bowls with chopped cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs.

    I'm seriously gonna have to try this. Maybe not the tartar sauce, because I'm not a big fan of it but the coleslaw sounds delish! And I don't really like coleslaw! lol :laugh: Chicken recipe is similar to what I ended up using Saturday night. Thanks for posting!