Chicken Fingers According2Meredith

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Chicken Fingers According2Meredith

Story behind these chicken fingers:
My husband took a contracting job at an electronics company that filled government orders for parts. It was a hard job for him because it was the 2nd shift (1:30-10pm) and he didn't like working his fingers raw with wires.

It was a fortunate job though, because it allowed us to move out of the apartment and into a nice neighborhood outside of Denver. It was nice because, where most things seemed difficult, he got this job fairly easily. I counted ourselves blessed at the time.

This is also the time I spent helping my middle son learn how to read since I had to take care of the after-school stuff during his shift. It was an arduous task full of battles, but I finally listened to his whining enough that he got tired of saying the same thing without me giving up on him. (grin)

So, as our guilty treat for working through this work shift as a family, I was teaching myself how to make awesome chicken fingers for a snack once he got home. I would make these for him and we'd watch some TV while we ate. It's still one of our favorite past times.

METHOD

1. Start with bone-less, skinless chicken breasts. They are easier to cut when semi-frozen. Cut against the grain for tender bites. Make them as long or short as you like. Wipe away any extra moisture as this will make the coating slip off.

2. Season some Panko bread crumbs. ($2 at Walmart at my store) We usually use Essence of Emeril.

3. Coat each piece of chicken in mayonnaise enough that the crumbs would stick but not clump. I've dumped the raw chicken in the container and pushed it around in the remaining mayo. When done, I just throw out that container. I like to use every drop up of my pantry when possible.

4. Place coated pieces of chicken on the bowl or plate of seasoned Panko breadcrumbs. I fork some of the crumbs on top of the piece and press it gently. I flip it over and repeat to make sure it's completely covered in the crumbs.

5. Place on plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I have better results when I give it time to cure.