Try This: Kids in the Kitchen Chicken Tenders January 25, 2007

This is an easy, but yummy recipe my kids enjoy helping with.  Okay, my kids pretty much enjoy “helping” with anything in the kitchen, but this one is fun and tasty. 

                                                  

 The inspiration for this recipe comes from Planet Hollywood of all places.  I was told by the waitress there that Demi Moore dreamed up the chicken tenders recipe in order to get her kids to eat more foods or good foods or something like that.  She told us the secret ingredients in the breading were Captain Crunch and Frosted Flakes cereals.  My kiddos, however, didn’t like the ones at the Planet Hollywood.  They found them just a little too sweet.  (I know, I wasn’t sure there could be such a thing as too sweet for kids, but maybe it’s that mixing of flavors). 

So here’s the combo we came up with instead for the breading:

Equal parts of:

Captain Crunch (generic works just fine)

Frosted Flakes (ditto)

Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing (I would buy name brand here) or plain or seasoned bread crumbs

and  (optional) Grated Parmesan Cheese, straight out of the shaker 

A cup of each of these will do at least 4 pounds of chicken.  The key is to crush or chop the heck out of them.  We use a chopper sometimes (it’s a Pampered Chef), or a heavy duty meat tenderizer, or a rolling pin.  The chopping and then measuring of equal parts is great fun for the kids.  I can put 3 kids on chopping duty and the other on measuring duty and everyone is busy and out of trouble for the moment.  Mix it together well and place in a shallow dish for easy dipping.

I cut my boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips while still mostly frozen.  A good knife will go right through them.  If the kids want nuggets, I just cut the strips into pieces after cooking.  I also sometimes just bread the whole breast and cut either strips or nuggets after cooking.  Saves precious time.  You can, of course, buy prepared nuggets or tenders, but the breasts are always cheaper.  We find them for $1.99/pound on sale and stock up. 

Beat a couple of eggs for the batter (a wonderful kid job, with assistance as needed) Meanwhile, melt a stick of butter.  I always bake these on a stone (I know, Pampered Chef), but you will, of course, use whatever pan you have.  Cover the bottom of your pan of choice with a little of your melted butter. 

Now, dip the chicken into the egg batter, then roll in the crumbs to generously coat.  Bigger kids can help here, and my girls love it.  You’ll just need to supervise the handwashing later! 

Fill your pan full of chicken, they need to be touching but not overlapping.  When your pan is full, drizzle more of the melted butter across the top and sprinkle, then press more of the breading over the top as well. 

375 degrees for about 1/2 hour, depending on the thickness of your chicken.  They taste fried – but they come from the oven!  Yummy!  You may want to turn the heat up to 425 or so, or even to broil for a few minutes at the end for extra crispiness. 

Kids can eat as usual with dipping sauces.  For adults, they are wonderful atop a salad or a bed of alfredo noodles, or as a hearty sandwich with some red sauce. 

Hope that gives you some ideas to work with