Homemade Crunchy Panko and Parm Chicken Fingers – Recipe

My nearly 3 year old daughter has never tasted a fast food chicken nugget and I’d like to keep it that way. But we all know that kids love finger foods! Back when “S” first started being able to chew foods such as chicken, I started experimenting with some fun meal ideas. About a year and a half ago, I fell in love with panko. Panko is a Japanese bread crumb but it stays more crunchy than standard bread crumbs. When I initially sought out to buy some I had a hard time finding it, but now I see Panko at most grocery stores.  “S” and I made these panko and parm chicken fingers for dinner last night and as an afterthought I realized I should post it here.  I used this recipe, but I changed a few things.

Here is my version:

Ingredients (organic ingredients):

• 1 package of  chicken tenders (You can use chicken breasts and cut them into strips)
• Sea salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic powder (to taste)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup panko crumbs
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• Oil to coat cooking sheet or dish with

Directions:

Clean chicken and dry on paper towels. Then place the flour on a plate and set aside.  Crack eggs in a separate bowl and mix to create the “egg wash”.  Combine the panko, Parmesan, salt, pepper and garlic powder on a third dish.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prep your baking sheet or glass pyrex (which is what I use) with some oil or cooking spray so the chicken won’t stick.  Then create an assembly line with the ingredients and dip the chicken strip into the flour, shake off gently, coat it in the egg wash and then dip it into the panko mixture and be sure to cover the strip completely. Dip, wash, coat. After all your strips are coated, pop them in the oven for about 20 mins or until cooked completely. An internal temp of 165 degrees means they are done.

For the dipping sauce, my daughter prefers ketchup. I prefer to mix some sriracha with mayo and call it a day. Marinara sauce would also be delicious.