Crispy Chicken Strips

These super crispy chicken strips are covered in a seasoned coating and fried in a little oil for that perfect texture. Perfect for a quick snack, dipped in your favourite sauce.

If you fancy some fried chicken strips or tenders and are thinking of ordering out then why not make your own at home. This recipe produces crispy chicken tenders that you can serve with a side dish or enjoy on their own with your favourite dip.

The recipe is relatively easy with quick steps and you can have these chicken strips ready in under an hour.  Though these chicken strips are fried, they are still a healthier option than fast food versions because you know exactly what’s going into them.

This recipe makes a small batch of chicken strips but you can easily double the recipe and make a larger batch.

What to Serve with Crispy Chicken Strips?

You can serve these strips with whatever you fancy but here are some suggestions:

• Side salad – these chicken strips go well with a fresh salad and served with a honey mustard dressing.
• Potato wedges – try it with some potato wedges along with your favourite dip.
• Mashed potatoes – goes perfect with some mashed potatoes and gravy.
• Burger bun – serve in a bread roll with some lettuce and tomato slices.
• Coleslaw – the chicken strips also taste great with some crunchy coleslaw.
• Sweet potato fries – also pairs nicely with oven baked sweet potato fries.
• Macaroni cheese – goes perfect with mac and cheese.

Ingredients for Crispy Chicken Stripes

Chicken

• 300g raw chicken breasts – cleaned and cut into strips.
• ½ teaspoon salt – this is optional.
• ½ teaspoon black pepper – I use coarse black pepper for better flavour.
• 1 teaspoon onion granules – or onion powder.
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules - or garlic powder.
• ¾ teaspoon paprika – add a smoky flavour.
• 50ml milk – use semi skimmed or whole milk.
• 10ml lemon juice – adding lemon to the milk will help tenderise the chicken.
• 1 medium egg – to help the coating stay on the chicken when cooked.

Coating

• 50g self-raising flour – this is plain flour with added baking powder.
• 50g plain flour – combined with self-raising flour for the perfect texture.
• 1 teaspoon salt – this is optional.
• ½ teaspoon black pepper – adds a slight spicy flavour to the coating.
• ½ teaspoon white pepper – adds a slight musty flavour to the coating.
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules – or garlic powder.
• ½ teaspoon paprika – adds flavour and colour to the coating.
• ½ teaspoon celery salt – adds a distinctive flavour to the chicken.
• 1 teaspoon onion granules – or onion powder.
• ½ teaspoon basil – use dried basil.
• ½ teaspoon thyme – use dried thyme.
• ¼ teaspoon oregano – use dried oregano.

Cooking

• 100ml sunflower oil – you can use any vegetable oil.

How to Make Crispy Chicken Strips

1. Slice the chicken into 12 strips then season with salt, black pepper, onion granules, garlic granules and paprika.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the milk, lemon juice and eggs. Add the chicken strips to the milk mixture, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the chicken is in the fridge, mix together all the ingredients for the crispy coating and set aside.

3. After 30 minutes remove the chicken from the fridge and take 1 piece, drain off the excess milk mixture then dip it in the flour mix. Ensure it is fully coated then place it on a large plate. Repeat this step until all the chicken is coated.

4. Place the coated chicken back in the fridge for 15 minutes. While the chicken is back in the fridge, heat a frying pan or skillet on a medium heat until the oil reaches 140oc then cook the chicken strips for around 7 min, turning half way. I usually cook in batches of 5 - 6 strips. Place the cooked strips on some kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil, allow to cool for 5 minutes then enjoy with your favourite dip or side.

Recipe Tips

• I cut my strips quite thin so the cook time is 6 - 7 minutes. If your strips are on the thicker side then they will need longer to cook.
• If you do not have any self-raising flour then use 100g plain flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder for the coating.
• For the best flavour, I season the chicken directly as well as the coating so some of the ingredients are used for both steps.

Nutrition

Nutrition based on 1 chicken strip - Calories: 105kcal | Fat: 4.8g | Saturates: 0.7g | Carbs: 7.4g | Sugar: 0.9g | Fibre: 0.7g | Protein: 7.9g | Salt 0.99g

Storage

Any leftover strips can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipes that may interest you

• Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta
• Baked Chicken Wrapped in Pancetta
• Spicy Chicken Wings with Avocado Salad