Chicken Tenders, Goujons or Strips? Depends on which country you live in I suppose.
My teenager calls this Crispy Chicken.
Making the effort to create home made versus shop bought means healthier, less fat and more protein for one of the most popular protein options, and yes, these do turn out super crispy, especially if you cook them in the air fryer.
This recipe provides you with a batch to freeze and cook directly from frozen. What’s not to love?!
Ingredients
- 800g chicken mini fillets (makes 18 pieces) Substitute with chicken breast cut into strips.
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon smoky paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder or granules
- 1 teaspoon English mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- Breadcrumbs – home made yield a much better flavour, crunch and colour than shop-bought. It’s worth the effort. I find white bread is best.
- To flavour the breadcrumbs, another 2 teaspoons onion powder and 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Method
Prepare 3 ‘dipping’ plates to turn the chicken strip into a crispy strip ready for baking: (1) First plate holds flour and spices, (2) second plate holds the beaten egg, and (3) final plate holds the flavoured breadcrumbs.
One by one, take a chicken strip and first dip in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Lay on a parchment-line baking tray and repeat until the tray is full, making sure to keep a small space between each strip so they don’t stick to each other when they freeze.
When ‘battering’ the chicken strips your fingers will very quickly become congealed and this negatively affects the coating process as by the time you get to the crumb, it won’t stick so well. To combat this, use tongs at each stage when picking up and turning the chicken and you’ll sail through the process much faster.
Once a tray is filled up, cover in cling film and freeze until solid. Transfer the chicken pieces to bags that seal well, and are ready for just popping into the air fryer or oven.
To cook the strips, heat your air fryer to 200 degrees celsius and cook for 10 min.
My teenager flies through these during the weekday and makes the most voluminous wraps by adding Mexican Rice, red pepper, Perinaise and lettuce.