Do you remember that episode of Friends where we find out Rachel’s favorite movie? It goes something like this:
Chandler: What does Rachel claim is her favorite movie?
Joey: Dangerous Liaisons
Chandler: Her actual favorite movie is…
Joey: Weekend at Bernie’s!
Chicken fingers are my Weekend at Bernie’s. They are my dark confession, my secret shame. If I could only eat one entree for the rest of time, it would be chicken fingers.
But they’re not even real!
I know.
They’re not fancy or good for you or impressive!
I know.
...but they are delicious.
Maybe it’s nostalgia for childhood meals gone by, or maybe I just really enjoy breaded meats, but there is something special about that item we refer to as a chicken finger.
They’re versatile: Toss them in buffalo sauce! Stack them on a sandwich! Chop them up and throw them on a salad!
They’re quick: Fry them, oven bake them, pop them in the toaster oven!
They’re constantly be reinvented: Popcorn chicken! Boneless wings! Chicken fries!
The list goes on and on. My favorite thing about chicken fingers though, is how often they are served under the guise that they are something else.
Can I interest you in the chicken parmesan? It is breaded and served over fresh pasta.
Perhaps you would enjoy the breadcrumb crusted chicken picatta?
Care to add an order of chicken katsu for the table?
We need to embrace our love of this nonsensical food!
Chickens do not have fingers. A chicken “finger” is- more often than not- sliced breast meat (though it can be any part of the chicken pulverized and repackaged in finger form). There is great debate about who invented chicken fingers, but most people agree that fingers hit the scene in the mid-1970s. (The chicken nugget- proud cousin of the chicken finger- was invented by Robert Baker in the 1950s and brought to mass popularity by McDonald’s in the early 1980s.)
From time to time I will make chicken fingers at home because they are a) very easy to make, and b) never disappoint at a party.
Here’s what you need:
½ C Flour
½ C Cornmeal
2 eggs
Splash of milk (I recommend using cow’s milk, not a milk substitute)
Raw chicken tenders
Salt and pepper to taste
Set up 2 dredging bowls: 1 with flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper mixed together; 1 with your eggs whisked together with just the tiniest splash of milk.
Dip your raw tenders in the eggs, then dredge them in the dry ingredients. Make sure each tender is coated on the front and back but don’t pack the coating on too thickly.
Place coated tenders on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until the tenders are cooked through (this will depend on the size of your cuts).
Serve immediately with dipping sauce(s) of your choosing.
That’s literally all there is to it. It’s crazy simple! I like to use flour and cornmeal because the cornmeal gives it a good crunch and the flour browns nicely. You can take this recipe in a million directions: add garlic and onion powder, toss in some red chili flakes, use buttermilk instead of eggs, deep fry instead of bake...the options are truly endless.
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