Recipe--Crunchy Chicken Strips

How about a quick and easy recipe for dinner tonight?  I found this recipe for crunchy chicken strips at Better Homes and Gardens.  It sounds really yummy and better yet is the fact that it only takes 20 minutes to fix. 

Crunchy Chicken Strips
Start to Finish: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
2-1/2  cups crushed bite-size cheddar fish-shaped crackers or pretzels
2/3  cup bottled buttermilk ranch salad dressing
1  lb. chicken breast tenderloins
Bottled buttermilk ranch salad dressing
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; lightly coat foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a shallow dish place the crushed crackers. In another shallow dish place the ranch dressing. Dip chicken tenderloins into the dressing, allowing excess to drip off; dip into cracker crumbs to coat. Arrange chicken in prepared pan.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F). If desired, serve with additional ranch dressing.
 Makes 4 servings
 Quicker Crunchy Chicken Strips: Prepare as above, except use one 10-ounce package of cooked refrigerated chicken breast strips instead of the chicken breast tenderloins and bake only 5 to 8 minutes or until heated through.

Serve the chicken with some oven baked french fries and a side of steamed broccoli.  Also serve some raw carrots and celery that the kids can also dip in the ranch dressing.  That way they will get some added vitamins, great idea if you have little ones that don't like eating veggies.

How about some homemade cookies to go with the dinner?  Then here is a pretty simple recipe you could make and it sounds pretty good.  This one also comes from Better Homes and Gardens.

Lemon Verbena Cookies
36 cookies- Prep: 20 minutes  Bake: 8 minutes
Ingredients
2-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
2  tablespoons dried lemonverbena leaves, crushed
2  teaspoons baking powder
1/4  teaspoon salt
1  cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1-1/2  cups sugar
2  eggs
1  teaspoon vanilla
Directions
1. Combine flour, lemon verbena leaves, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add half of the flour mixture. Beat until combined. Stir in remaining flour mixture with a wooden spoon until combined.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks and cool. Makes 36.

I usually make my chicken strips by crushing some saltines, adding a bit of flour and spices.  Then I dip the chicken strips in an egg wash then the crushed crackers.  I let them sit a minute then re-dip in egg and the crackers again and fry them up. 

I'm going to try this new recipe, 1. because baking them sounds much healthier and 2. I bet that ranch dressing and the gold fish crackers taste really good.  Also,  I don't like having Rylie help me when I have hot oil in the kitchen, and she loves to help me cook.  So if I bake the strips, Rylie could help set up the raw veggie plate or whatever.

Well, I'm off to take the chicken out of the freezer.  Have a wonderful day!

Thanks for stopping by. 

Tags: Recipes, Crunchy Chicken Strips, Lemon Verbena Cookies, Better Homes and Gardens