These Oven Fried Chicken Fingers were inspired by the Shake ‘n’ Bake style chicken my Mom made when I was a kid. She’d get a bunch of bone-in chicken pieces, coat them in a mixture of crushed saltines, flour and spices and bake them, all topped with a pat of butter. I hadn’t had that chicken in ages and wanted to resurrect it.
The Recipe Testing Process
For the initial test of this recipe, I stuck pretty close to Mom’s recipe. But, I wanted to increase the crispy factor and add a bit more savory flavor. Instead of regular wheat flour, I went with cornmeal. I also added in some shredded parmesan that I had on hand and some fresh rosemary. After a few more tweaks, we hit crispy chicken finger gold!
I did find that I liked these best when I didn’t crush up the coating mixture too much. On one test, I blended it in the blender, making it a finer consistency. But, it lacked the crunch and texture after it was cooked up. I find that just smashing everything together in a bowl with your hands worked best for my taste.
Another recommendation, if you’re planning to do more than eight tenders, is to halve the coating and use only a half at a time. After eight tenders are tossed in the crumbs, everything starts to get a little damp and soggy. So, if you divide the coating and use the second batch when the other gets soggy, you’ll be in good shape.
The Recipe
[tasty-recipe id=”7101″]
