Posted on February 23, 2018 by Diana L.
The 3 Ingredient Chicken Fingers are super easy to put together and totally family friendly. When time is short and you’re just looking for a fast dinner to put on the table (that EVERYONE will enjoy) these Chicken Fingers will come to the rescue. They are also a perfect meal you can make ahead of time for the freezer.
See the recipe now!
Picture this. You come home from work. The kids are bugging “What’s for dinner? I’m hungry”. So you pull out the bag of defrosted chicken breasts out of the fridge and plop them on the counter. Dinner time again. Do you ever get frustrated with having to feed your family ever. single. night. Or is it just me? With a close eye on keeping debt down and saving for a new home, as much as I wanted to tuck those chicken breasts back in the fridge for another night and grab the phone to order a pizza, I resisted the urge and pulled up my mommy panties.
Chicken cooks faster in smaller pieces. So I turned on my oven and started to think. Opening my fridge door, I noticed a jar of Litehouse Ranch Salad dressing. I pulled out my garden salad I had made a few days prior. At first I was going to use the salad dressing as a dipping sauce. That’s when I got even more lazy and decided to coat the chicken with it. Add some Italian bread crumbs and I had dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. (I also found a bag of sweet potato fries I baked up in the oven at the same time as my chicken fingers.)
What did I learn from this experience?
- I don’t make chicken fingers for my family nearly enough.
- There are always short cuts you can take to get a home cooked meal on the table.
- I need to stop relying on my local pizza shop and meal plan better.
As much as I love to meal plan there are many times I fall completely off the band wagon and need to pull some quick and creative meals together for my family. Thats why I try really hard to take the time and effort to build a meal plan and plan my grocery trip.
Back in January Kaitie from Fuchsia Freezer and I held our very first Virtual Freezer Meal Party. It was such a huge success, or maybe we just had so much fun stocking our freezers, we’ve decided to do it again!
Come join us on Sunday March 11th while we prepare more freezer meals. We’ll be sharing 5 free printable recipes along with a shopping list to make it easy for you to follow along. Mark your calendars and follow along on Facebook! Come RSVP in our event page, we’ll be sharing our meal planning strategies.
One of the recipes I’ll be preparing for my freezer are these 3 Ingredient Chicken Fingers. They are so easy to make, I’m planning on making a baking sheet full to freeze so I can pull them out as I need them! You don’t have to wait until then to try this super easy meal. But make sure you make them for your family soon.
CourseMain Course
CuisineDinner
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Diana L.
Ingredients
- 1/2cupRanch salad dressing
- 1 cupItalian bread crumbs
- 2lbsChicken breastsboneless, skinless
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set aside.
Slice the chicken breasts into strips. Transfer the chicken strips to a bowl.
Pour the salad dressing over the chicken strips and toss to evenly coat.
Place the Italian bread crumbs in a flat bottomed dish, like a pie plate. Coat the chicken breasts with the bread crumbs and arrange them on the baking sheet. Make sure you leave plenty of room so the chicken fingers do not toss.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve with a side salad or french fries and extra ranch dressing for dipping sauce if you wish.
Recipe Notes
Disclaimer: The nutrition information presented below is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Related
FAQs
Chicken tenders were first made in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Puritan Backroom in 1974.
What is in a chicken finger? ›
What Are Chicken Fingers? Chicken fingers are typically made from the inner fillet of the chicken breast. The fillet is cut into long, thin strips resembling the shape of a finger, hence the name. These strips are usually breaded and deep-fried until golden crispy.
When was chicken fingers invented? ›
The Complicated History of Chicken Tenders
Some sources claim that chicken tenders were created by a chef at a New Orleans restaurant in the 1960s, while others attribute the invention to a chef at a restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina, in the 1970s.
Why are chicken fingers so popular? ›
When people got scared of eating red meat, chicken breasts became the most popular protein source alternatives. And since chicken tenders are made from the cast-off parts of this area, chicken producers pushed for the consumption of fried chicken fingers/strips/tenders.
What's the difference between chicken tenders and chicken fingers? ›
A chicken finger is a strip that can be cut from any part of the chicken breast. On the other hand, a chicken strip can only be officially called a chicken tender (or tenderloin) when it comes from a muscle located beneath the breast that is called the pectoralis minor or inner filet.
Why are chicken fingers expensive? ›
Since chicken tenders require an extensive amount of packaging and processing, they are the most difficult to keep up with in the face of labor shortages and other pandemic-related issues that span the chicken supply chain. The result has been skyrocketing poultry prices in both grocery stores and restaurants.
What is chicken finger breading made of? ›
One dredge batter – the usual process for crumbing is flour then egg then breadcrumbs. For this quick 'n easy recipe, I combine the egg with flour plus mustard and mayo for flavour + oil (attempt to replicate deep fried) to make a thick batter in which the chicken is dredged.
What is the difference between breaded and battered chicken fingers? ›
Breadings are described as dry coatings and are not to be confused with batters, which are wet coatings. Both coatings envelop the meat and should stay intact during the cooking process.
What is a fun fact about chicken tenders? ›
Chicken fingers were first made in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Puritan Backroom in 1974. At least they did coin the name chicken tenders.
Did McDonald's ever have chicken fingers? ›
Chicken Selects & Buttermilk Crispy Tenders
McDonald's chicken tenders made a few appearances over the years under names ranging from Chicken Selects to Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. They were juicy, they were crunchy, but now we're left with just Chicken McNuggets and, sadly, still no Snack Wraps.
Tendies is a slang term referring to gains or profits made on investments, such as stocks. The term tendies was originally used as a short way of referring to chicken tenders (breaded strips of chicken sometimes also called chicken strips or chicken fingers).
Why are my chicken fingers soggy? ›
Aversely, if the temperature is too low then more oil will soak into both breading and meat and the result will be soggy. An addition to that last point: overcrowding your frying vessel will drop the oil temperature too low, and you'll get the soggy mess as well.
Can chicken fingers be healthy? ›
Vitamins and Minerals. Fried chicken tenders are an excellent source of selenium, niacin, vitamin B6, and phosphorus, each providing more than 40% of your daily value set by the FDA.
Why are my chicken fingers chewy? ›
Overcooking or cooking at too high a temperature can result in tough, dry chicken. Undercooking can leave chicken undercooked and chewy. Proper cooking techniques, such as roasting, grilling, or braising, can help maintain moisture and tenderness.
What restaurant invented chicken nuggets? ›
Although McDonalds would like you to believe that they invented the chicken nugget in 1980, this culinary mainstay can be traced back to a chicken savant and food scientist from upstate New York. It all started in a laboratory at Cornell University in the late 1950s.
Where did Raising Cane's chicken fingers originate? ›
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is an American fast casual chain specializing in chicken fingers founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey. The company is named after Graves' dog, a yellow Labrador.
Where was the chicken finger sub invented? ›
One of those is the origin of the chicken finger sub, which Bovino uncovered by talking to Gene Mongan, one of the co-operators of John's Pizza and Subs in the town of Tonawanda.
