Homemade Chicken Fingers

You'll swear off store-bought frozen chicken nuggets after you taste these. They're quicker to make and taste a lot better! These aren't just a treat for the kids - my husband and I love them too, and they are wonderful dipped in Cholula hot sauce.


For this recipe you will need: 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup water, 3 cups bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, salt and to taste and about 1/2 cup vegetable oil.

Cut the chicken breasts into strips, about 4-5 inches long and 2 inches across. Set up an assembly line to bread the chicken. On the first plate, put flour and paprika and combine gently with your fingers. In a bowl, scramble the eggs and water. On the next plate, put bread crumbs, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper and combine gently with your fingers. The final plate should be empty so you have a place to put the breaded chicken.

Dip each chicken piece into flour and shake off excess. Next, dip into egg mixture and then place on bread crumb plate. Using your fingers, push into the bread crumbs on each side so they coat the chicken piece well. Put breaded chicken on extra plate.

In a large frying pan, heat about 1/2 inch vegetable oil until swirling. You can also test the heat by dropping a small piece of the breading and see if it fries quickly. Once the oil is at the proper heat, add chicken (be sure not to overcrowd the pan, you can always do another batch). Cook the chicken about 4-5 minutes on each side and be sure to lower the heat if it is browning too quickly.

Put cooked chicken on paper towel to absorb excess oil and sprinkle with additional salt to taste.

This chicken is great on it's own, but is equally wonderful on sandwiches and salads and makes the perfect appetizer. You can really get creative with the dipping sauces. Try my avocado vinaigrette as a nice alternative to dipping in ketchup or ranch dressing.