Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips, seasoned and dusted with flour, dipped into beaten egg, and rolled into well crushed saltine crackers - a southern favorite!

Crunchy Saltine Chicken Tenders

I guess we all have a go-to chicken strip recipe since you can really stretch out a chicken breast by cutting it into strips. Two or three large chicken breasts literally will make a huge platter of strips. When made at home with whole chicken breasts purchased on sale, they are economical and a super thumbs up kid favorite (even for us big kids)!

Crunchy chicken tenders can be done in a number of ways - coated with plain self rising flour, or dusted and then rolled in panko bread crumbs, cornflake cereal, and even potato chips - but I think my most favorite way to cook them is this one. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into tenders and seasoned, lightly dusted in flour and then dipped in beaten egg and rolled in crushed up saltine crackers. My mama used to love to use finely crushed crackers and cracker meal, so it's old school I guess, but then so am I!

You can also still use the cracker coating but change this up a bit by flattening the breast for a chicken fried chicken, or by cutting them into larger tenders or planks. Add variety by using your favorite seasonings or adding different herbs to the flour.

Most people seem to pan fry strips, but next to a full out deep fry, I love first cooking them in the oven, followed by a flash fry in my deep fryer, just to add the color. This method ensures the tenders are cooked through and I feel like I'm reducing the fat, yet still getting that wonderful fried chicken flavor and crunch we all love so much... but with a little less guilt. I've also included some alternative suggestions for cooking them at the bottom of the recipe. If you do choose the oven route, you'll definitely want to do a quick flash fry either at the beginning or end, just to give them that added flavor and golden color pictured above.

Serve these tenders with a glass of iced tea, a nice mixed garden salad, and that fabulous spicy honey mustard dipping sauce I just featured, or a dressed up store-bought barbecue sauce, or homemade marinara dipping sauce.

Recipe: Crunchy Saltine Chicken Tenders

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 35 min |

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of self rising flour
• 1 sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place an oven safe rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and spray rack with non-stick spray; set aside. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and season both sides lightly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Cajun seasoning. Dredge into the flour to coat lightly. Dip each strip into the egg, then roll in the crushed saltines. Set on the prepared rack. Transfer to oven and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees and drop the tenders in batches into the fryer, only long enough to brown, about 30 seconds. Also see note below for other cooking methods.

Serve with barbecue sauce, spicy honey mustard, homemade marinara, jalapeno dipping sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce, a nice side salad, and a glass of southern iced tea.

Cook's Notes: I prefer to flash fry these using the oven to bake them first and then finishing them in the deep fryer, just to add color. It only takes seconds to brown them and the deep fryer reduces the absorption of oil, yet tastes like you fried them start to finish. If you don't have a deep fryer, heat about 1-inch of canola or vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat in a deep sided skillet or a Dutch oven. Carefully slide the tenders in the oil, frying until browned, about 3 minutes per side, then transfer to the wire rack for baking. Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through.

You can also bake first, then finish them in a skillet, like I do with the deep fryer, or you can completely pan fry. I find them more greasy and the cracker coating tends to over-brown to my liking with pan frying.

Variations: Also works well with pork chops and a firm white fish - catfish, grouper, haddock, cod, halibut and swordfish are good options. May also substitute panko bread crumbs, crushed corn flake cereal, pretzels or potato chips for the saltines. Flash frying for color for potato chip crusted tenders is optional as they tend to color fairly well in the oven. A couple of suggestions from our Facebook readers - try cheesy crackers like Hot and Spicy Cheez-its or Goldfish crackers, coat them with crushed French fried onions (like French's), or try a combination of saltines, goldfish cracker, and a little Parmesan cheese for a change! For a change, can also cut the tenders into nuggets.

Tailgate Tip: Cut chicken into thin strips and fry as above. Thread chicken on wooden skewers for an easy handle. Serve cold, or toss on grill over indirect heat, just to warm through if desired. Serve with one of the above dipping sauces.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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