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Lemme tell you about this recipe. It kinda just happened. I hadn’t planned on making chicken fingers let alone chicken fingers covered in Rice Krispies but I did. See this is what happens when you cook and you’re dog tired. Have to admit though if this is the kind of stuff I come up with when I’m that tired then my butt needs an IV line of ambien cause my GOD this stuff was amazing! LOL Okay so here’s the skinny on these luscious, crispy, crunchy crusted chicken fingers. It was my first real day back to working out my normal workout routine – 7-8 mile run, 15-18 miles of spinning and 30-45 minutes of weights. I know, I’m insane but I actually enjoy it. Well after not working out for about 8 weeks I kinda jumped back into it waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too extreme.
So by the time I got home from work I was about ready to die. My body hurt and all I wanted in the world was a bowl of cereal, my blanket and sleep. Yes we’re talking bed at like 5pm. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut that didn’t get to happen as Mr. Fantabulous needs to eat, I needed real food (protein), I had to work on TKW and I wanted to spend some time with him.
Now when I got home from work he was already gone for the gym which meant I had about an hour of ‘me’ time to relax before my night started. Well that kinda never happened; that hour of ‘me’ time. I had chicken out so I had to make something with it. Now I had every intention of making crispy chicken stir fry however… yes, however…
…however that’s kinda not what happened. Well I don’t want to say “kinda” even as that’s not what happened at all. I wanted a bowl of rice krispies and bananas all day. Like we’re talking craving it. But I wasn’t paying attention. Oh I made myself a big of bowl of bananas, milk and um… bread crumbs. Yeah, NOT Rice Krispies but panko breadcrumbs! It wasn’t until I put my spoon in did I realize what I did. I was NOT happy because I had no more panko in the house – even anything to make my own panko. So there I stood, face pretty much sulking so far down that my chin touched the ground, a box of Rice Krispies and nekkid chicken.
Now full disclosure (because I know you’re wondering it) but yes, yes I did try the bowl of panko, bananas and milk. Yeah SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO don’t try this. *gag!* I don’t think my face could squinch up anymore from the gag factor. It was just not cool man, not at all! So I pitched the stuff in the bowl and stood there looking at my chicken and box of cereal. I figured since I screwed up my dinner, why not set out to screw up his, right? I mean why should he get a great meal when I had panko cereal milk?! LOL I know, I’m evil. So I made my assembly line – seasoned flour, beaten egg and cereal dredge.
I was kind of hesitant about how well this would A: adhere to the chicken and B: fry up. I mean I didn’t want it to burn (really, I didn’t want to ruin his dinner as I’d only have to find something else to feed him). As I heated up some canola oil I got to coating, dipping and dredging away. Have to say it stuck really easily and as you can see it fries up really awesome! It gets all golden brown and even more crispy. The pockets of air that are in the cereal already because crunchy crispy so when you bit into it you heard the crunch (sorry, no more Snap! Krackle! Pop!) but what are met with is unbelievable flavor and texture!
Like seriously I think this is my new favorite way to make chicken fingers. Wait, do you call them chicken fingers, chicken strips or chicken tenders? Honestly I really don’t know the difference. When we had the pizza shop they were called chicken tenders. When I go out to eat, they are called chicken strips on most menus however kids tend to call them chicken fingers. And since I’m a big kid I shall call them chicken fingers. Go with it… don’t grow up, be a kid forever!
By the time I finished up the last bit of these Mr. Fantabulous came home all sweaty and puffy chest from the gym which soooooooooo put a huge grin on my face. The man is just so damn sexy. Seriously I always tell him he is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my league to which I usually get a crack on my behind for talking like that. He’s just… beautifully sexy. Whew! Is it getting warm in here? LOL
Anyway I grabbed a bunch of these for our plates, served it up with a big green salad, some sautéed zucchini and squash (which he hates but eats because it’s good for him) and some honey mustard. I’m sorry but the ONLY acceptable condiment for chicken fingers is honey mustard. Not ketchup, not mayo (HURL!!!), not yellow mustard but HONEY MUSTARD. It’s like a law.
And yes I’ll share the honey mustard recipe in a future post. I need to do a photo shoot of that being the main focus. It’s how I roll folks. So as he sat down he gave the plate a once over, raised a brow and took a bite. As he was chomping away he asked what it was he was eating and then before I could respond he said “Doesn’t matter, this is freaking awesome! I love how crunchy and juicy this is!”
SCORE!!! When I told him it was chicken he was super happy (the man loves his protein) but then I asked him to guess what the coating was. He looked at me and said “Baby you’re the chef, not me. Whatever it is, make it again as this is awesome!” So I told him it was cereal, Rice Krispies to be exact and he honestly could have cared less. All he cared about was shoving these in his mouth.
Since this photo shoot I’ve made these at least once a week. I’ve made them gluten free (using GF flour and GF Rice Krispies) and regular flour and Rice Krispies. You can add in other seasonings if you like. This is really great with buttermilk ranch seasoning and also hot sauce in the mix! For me, I’ve been keeping it simple – salt and pepper as I want the flavors of the chicken and cereal to shine through. But go on with your bad self and mix it up!
Also if you want to dip in the BEST Honey Mustard around, you can find the recipe on my blog!
Crispy Crunchy Crusted Chicken Fingers
Find more fantabulous recipes, tips and tricks at www.thekitchenwhisperer.net. Also, join our TKW Family on Facebook
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Rice Krispies ((regular or gluten free))
- 1 cup flour (regular or gluten free)
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2” thick strips
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4–1/2 cup canola oil
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking pan with paper towels and set a cooling rack on top.
- Place flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and gently mix.
- Beat eggs in a second shallow bowl.
- Combine Rice Krispies in a third shallow bowl.
- Set up an assembly line and dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Transfer to the beaten egg and turn to coat. You want the flour to be covered in eggs.
- Allow the excess to drip back into the bowl.
- Place the chicken in the cereal and coat evenly. Press to adhere.
- Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy skillet or a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, cook the chicken until golden brown ~4-6 minutes.
- Flip and cook until golden brown. ~4 minutes. Test with thermometer. Chicken should read 165F.
- Place the cooked chicken on the cooling rack and continue cooking the rest of the chicken.
- Add more oil if needed and repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
- Serve with honey mustard.
Notes
To make the Skinny Baked version:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a cooling rack in it (or you can leave it out).
3. Spray the rack with cooking spray. If you’re not using the rack, spray the foil.
4. Coat the chicken per the instructions and lay them on the rack or foil.
5. Lightly spray the chicken with olive oil or a light oil.
6. Cook for 10-12 minutes and then gently flip.
7. Spray the chicken again.
8. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until the temperature reaches 165F.
Looking for more awesome chicken recipes?
Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Strips
Hot Damn! Honey Butter Sriracha Roasted Chicken
Ultimate Oven Fried BBQ Chicken
Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders
Say “I Do!” to my Ultimate Proposal Chicken!
Skinny Baked Chicken Croquettes
The Rice Krispie cereal adds a great crunch! it was delicious! I baked it directly on the pan. I think I’d try to fry it next time for even more crunchiness.
★★★★★
Yeah! It’s such a great use of cereal!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
This was a great substitute for panko! I do use cornstarch instead of flour.
★★★★★
Thank you so much! Great idea about the cornstarch too!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
DELICIOUS!!!! I made a baked version of this chicken and used brown rice flour, because I was out of regular flour. These tasted fanatastic. My husband, who doesn’t like lighter versions of any recipe goobled them up. I am also going to make them for my friend who has celiac.
★★★★★
Oh yum! That sounds delicious! I’m so happy that your husband loved them too! Thank you so much!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
My wife & I have been making these for the past 23 years & it’s one of my Favs!!!!! Glad you shared this on the Web. 🙂
★★★★★
These sound really nice. Thanks for sharing this.
Simon
Does this chicken come out sweet?
Hi, I’d love to know
the rice krispies coating blackened long before the chicken cooked, it’s still rather raw when golden brown
what do I do to fix this?
Hi Thiel!
So a few things will cause that to happen:
1. The oil is too hot. I’ll modify the directions for clarity but the oil should be shimmering but not smoking. Since it’s only a 1/4 cup of oil it’s pretty difficult to take a temp. However if you were to fill a pot with 3″ of oil, take it to 375F and then cook the chicken.
2. The chicken pieces are too big. You only want the strips to be 1/2″ thick, no bigger.
Definitely give it a try again. If you have one, try frying these in a cast iron pan, that’ll help keep the oil at a more consistent temp.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
Can u use any flour
Hi Rachel!
I would stick with either All Purpose or Rice Flour. Wheat would work as well though it may alter the flavor a tad.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
Thanks I cooked this tonight and everyone loved it . Love your recipes.
★★★★★
Thank you so much Rachel! I love using cereal like this!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
#5 in the instructions should be flour right?
Oh yes, flour not panko. Sorry about that! I’ll fix it tonight. Thank you!
Best Kitchen Wishes!