Easy Healthy Homemade Crispy Chicken Fingers

by zesty on October 15, 2008 · 53 comments


How about some chicken fingers that’s not from a box?  Well if you haven’t already noticed, I tend to enjoy simple food that is quick and easy to prepare especially during the week. Lets take a look at these chicken fingers from scratch that will beat a frozen box of chicken fingers any day.

These chicken fingers would go great with an order of healthy homemade french fries and maybe even a nice berry smoothie to wash them down… but that is just me.

Clear off the counter, follow along and enjoy these simple yet very tasty chicken fingers.

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken Breasts
  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 Cups Bread Crumbs
  • 1 Tbsp. Water
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Paprika
  • 6 Dashes of Hot Sauce

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees.
2. Slice Chicken Breasts length-wise.

3. Flavor the flour with salt and pepper.

4. Add the hot sauce to the egg wash mixture as well as a tablespoon of water.

5. Season the bread crumbs with both red pepper flakes and paprika (you can omit these spices and add your favorites).

6. Dip Chicken in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture followed by the bread crumb mixture.

  • Quick tip when breading. Only use one hand to dip in the flour and egg wash and once you drop the chicken piece in the bread crumbs – use your other hand to scoop the bread crumbs over the chicken, then flip the piece over. This will ensure only one hand gets all messy.

7. Once all coated and lined on a cookie sheet with parchment paper – place on the middle rack and cook until golden brown.


Quick Dip Options

My favorite Chicken finger dip is Honey or Sweet and Sour sauce.  This dip shown here was a quick combination of dijon mustard, barbecue sauce and a little mayo.  It was OK but not great.  Let me know what your favorite dipping sauce is on your chicken fingers.

I can’t wait to hear your responses. Hope everyone has a great day.

Zesty

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{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Megan October 15, 2008 at 7:37 am

YUM! Love the spices! Great pics!

My favorite dip for chicken fingers would be terriyaki barbecue sauce!

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2 wallflower October 15, 2008 at 10:09 am

Ohh, yum! This is really similar to how I make mine, but I usually use Italian style seasonings. Also I will cook the chicken in a pan of olive oil for a minute on each side before I put it in the oven, this seems to help keep the chicken juicy! Your chicken looks very yummy, and I think I’m going to have to try it, thanks!

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3 andrea2009 July 3, 2009 at 2:22 pm

I used the recipe above but I cooked it in olive oil like you suggested and they were PERFECT. I tossed into a 400 degree oven because I was cooking something else as well and they took only fifteen minutes. They were hot, juicy, and delicious!

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4 Biz October 15, 2008 at 11:58 am

I love chicken fingers! I am proud to say that my 16 year old daughter’s palate has become quite well rounded, but for approximately 13 years of her life, EVERY TIME we went out to eat, she would order chicken fingers!

As for mustard, hands down the best dip. I love mustard SO MUCH that my dear husband actually took me to a Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin! I was in mustard heaven!

Thanks for the recipe Zesty, this one is definitely on the list of things to make.

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5 Marianne October 15, 2008 at 12:07 pm

Favourite dipping sauces:

Honey Mustard or Honey Mustard Mayonnaise
Sweet Chili Sauce

I’ll dip pretty much anything into sweet chili sauce! HA!

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6 Kristie October 15, 2008 at 1:25 pm

I think your dipping sauce sounds pretty darn swell! I love dijon on anything pretty much.
I really like dipping my chicken fingers in some kind of sweet and sour sauce. Or at least I used to when I was younger and used to eat them all the time. To be honest I don’t think I’ve had chicken fingers in literally several YEARS. Why the heck is that?! I think I’ll need to put an end to this and just make yourse ;)

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7 ZestyCook October 15, 2008 at 1:33 pm

Thanks Megan

Wallflower – I do love Italian Seasoning on chicken – I may have to adapt my approach and test your idea out… thanks

Thanks Biz

marianne – i am a huge fan of sweet chili sauce as well…. I love it!

Kristie – You have to do it! Make these and get your favorite sweet and sour sauce and go back in time… Let me know how you got along.

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8 HangryPants October 15, 2008 at 1:48 pm

I wonder if I could make tofu fingers!!????!!!

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9 Vicki Wile October 6, 2010 at 11:16 am

Tofu would be a great idea. However, I think you would have better results if you drain tofu and wrap in plastic or foil, freeze block until solid,thaw at room temp or microwave and squeeze out excess water. I read this method in a Tofu Cookery book.This preparation changes the consistency of tofu to be more like course a protein source. I am going to try since I prefer tofu over chicken. Thanks for the idea!!

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10 HangryPants October 15, 2008 at 1:48 pm

P.S. I like honey mustard or bbq sauce.

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11 Bob October 15, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Those look wicked good, I haven’t made chicken fingers in forever. I like honey mustard the best for dipping.

HangryPants: I have a friend who has made tofu fingers with a similar method, she loves them.

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12 Michelle October 15, 2008 at 5:51 pm

I’m not sure whether they’re available in your neck of the woods, but you could just buy the raw chicken tenders instead of slicing the chicken breasts lengthwise. Saves a bit of time.

Also, I love combining a bit of grated Parmesan cheese in with the bread crumbs before cooking. Adds a nice layer of flavor.

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13 hungryengineer October 15, 2008 at 7:29 pm

These look great! I like buffalo sauce – I know it’s meant for wings, but it’s really yummy on chicken fingers too :-)

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14 Quick Dinner Recipes October 15, 2008 at 8:29 pm

Great recipe, thanks! It was definitely quick and easy. I was a little hesitant with the spices, but I think I’ll be a little more adventurous next time to give them some more flavor.

And a great Honey BBQ sauce is the way to go! ;)

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15 Culinary Cory October 15, 2008 at 9:29 pm

Dude! These look great and I’m glad to hear they are baked. Good job!

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16 Erica October 15, 2008 at 10:53 pm

These look great! I am def a bbq girl!

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17 laura October 15, 2008 at 11:06 pm

Yum! I love my chicken fingers with honey mustard.

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18 Pumpkin October 16, 2008 at 2:07 am

I like the idea of parchment paper- does it keep the fingers from getting soggy bottoms?
I’m not very sophisticated when it comes to dips for chicken fingers (or fish sticks)- I like ketchup.

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19 chimayz July 17, 2011 at 8:27 am

luv ketchup as well.eat it wiv evrything.

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20 Freya October 16, 2008 at 2:51 am

Delicious and much healthier than shop bought ones! I do a similar recipe with cod fillets to make fish fingers!

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21 mally October 16, 2008 at 6:10 am

Easy and tasty just the way i like it :) Will try these for sure :)

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22 Jessie October 16, 2008 at 4:57 pm

YUM. These look great, from the spices to the fantastically healthy way that they’re baked.

As for dipping sauces, I really like a thin Asian-style sauce with soy, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Sometimes I go embarrassingly old-school and dip them in lots of ketchup.

Yay. Thanks!

+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse

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23 Chef Tom October 20, 2008 at 12:00 pm

I’m so hungry…I’m going to make this for lunch! Who doesn’t like chicken fingers. :-p

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24 vw bug October 20, 2008 at 4:12 pm

I know what we are having tonight! Great recipe. Thanks! My boys prefer plain ol’ ketchup and I like a good bbq.

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25 andy abraham October 26, 2008 at 7:38 am

Adding the paparika is a good idea to give the chicken finger recipe some zest…thanks for the idea

Andy
http://www.recipebuddys.com

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26 wahini00 November 1, 2008 at 1:25 am

your chicken fingers look great! as a kid i used to mix mayo and ketchup, and caught myself doing it just the other day.

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27 dennis and marcy November 6, 2008 at 6:08 pm

I was only wondering if I could just grease the pan instead of using parchment paper?

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28 Suderman March 27, 2009 at 12:03 pm

I am excited to try this tonight.

My favorite dip is honey dill. You take mayo, honey and dill and mix it together. I keep adding until I think it looks like stuff you would get at a restuarant

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29 Kristie August 5, 2009 at 9:32 pm

Just putting them in the oven now, can’t wait!!! I’m sure by just reading all these posts they are going to be just amazing!

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30 Randi Mora August 20, 2009 at 6:38 pm

Ok, these were SO Good. Even the pickest eater on earth (My youngest son) loved them! Love this receipe! Thank!!

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31 ZestyCook August 20, 2009 at 7:46 pm

Thanks so much… Glad to hear you liked them.

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32 Shawna September 28, 2009 at 5:01 pm

I use Seafood Sauce for a dip, i love it.

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33 WCV September 30, 2009 at 1:08 pm

Try using seasoned Panko breadcrumbs (readily available or you can season yourself) – a little healthier and I think a non stick spray would work??

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34 AndrewsMommy[+1!] December 23, 2009 at 8:36 pm

I made these, except (tisk tisk) I fried them. I should have baked them, though. They were still good, but I think they would have been less “crunchy” if they werent fried. And it probably wouldnt have been as messy. Oh, not to mention the fact that it wouldve been healthier! :)
I am an amatuer cook, though, so it kind of freaked me out that nobody put up measurements on how much of the spices to use! I guesstimated, but I didnt put in enough. I used way too little red pepper, and I forgot the hot sauce entirely. Oh, and since I didnt have paprika, I just threw in some everglades seasoning. It wouldve been better with paprika. lol.

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35 karl February 7, 2010 at 7:57 am

Ranch is the best! for chicken fingers!!!! there are no chicken fingers in Germany! haven’t had any for like 2 years. i will def make these on fri for dinner after school.(im 14! and like cookin!)

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36 ERi May 4, 2010 at 12:11 pm

i love this recipe =)
What i do is, after i cut the chicken breasts, i dip into plain yoghurt and then into bread crumbs. that way the meal will have less fat. I usually add fresh vegetables with the chicken.
Thanks for the recipe :) its been a great help

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37 ZestyCook May 6, 2010 at 7:21 am

Erica – thanks so much. I like the yogurt idea on the breadcrumbs to give it a little richness.

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38 Jen June 7, 2010 at 11:28 pm

Made these tonight and my 11 year old has made a request to have these each night for the rest of the week!

I made a few substitions

Instead of bread crumbs, I used crushed rice crispy cereal

Nixed the hot sauce

Kept the paprika, but switched the red pepper flakes for some chili powder.

I prefried them in a very small amount of oil for about 1 minute on each side, popped them in the oven at 360 degrees for 12 minutes, turning each one half way through.

They turned out great, crispy and juciy. For dipping sauce, I made my own honey mustard, with 2 tbsp light mayonaise, 1 1/2 tsp mustard and added cornsyrup (didn’t have honey) to my liking (approx 1 1/2 tsp).

Thanks for posting this recipe :-)

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39 ZestyCook June 9, 2010 at 8:35 am

Jen – Glad you and your 11 year old loved them. nice job on the substitutions

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40 LisaBD June 22, 2010 at 2:34 pm

Just made these for lunch, delish!! My kids loved them, too!

I mixed mayo with chipotle BBQ sauce for my dip….yum!!

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41 Eri July 27, 2010 at 1:11 am

I made the sauce you listed but instead of BBQ sauce I used HP sauce. Everyone loved it.

The chicken tender recipe is amazing too!

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42 Jenny C August 10, 2010 at 11:06 pm

Instead of slicing the chicken into chicken fingers, I used whole boneless skinless chicken breast. Followed the above, but fried them for 1 minute on each side in olive oil before baking. Then, I baked them for 25 mins, took them out of the oven, covered in marinara sauce then topped with mozzarella cheese and put them back in the over for about 8 to 10 minutes. YUMMY.

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43 amber dubois November 8, 2010 at 6:15 pm

Just putting them in the oven now, can’t wait!!! I’m sure by just reading all these posts they are going to be just amazing!

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44 Jess April 14, 2011 at 6:06 pm

Hi everyone! These look amazing! I have a bit of a dilemma though.. my boyfriend is allergic to eggs! Do you have any ideas for a substitute I could use?

Email me at j.conner@live.ca

THANKS!

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45 Keneshia June 9, 2011 at 5:56 pm

Hello, you recipe was something that really caught my attention as i was looking for a recipe for chicken fingers. I am a 19 year old college student with no experience of cooking and i’m home for the summer and i’m just experimenting around with cooking things, i just put them in the oven and I can’t wait to see what they will taste like.

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46 Bette June 12, 2011 at 1:54 pm

Try evaporated milk. I’ve used it for years in my Mom’s recipe for fried chicken–even oven-fried!

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47 India Briggs July 13, 2011 at 7:39 pm

Do you have nutritinal information
Calories
Fat
Carbs, etc
etc?
thanks :)

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48 Stephanie July 15, 2011 at 12:00 am

My fav dip is Chipolte sauce

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49 Helene Dsouza August 11, 2011 at 8:18 am

Even I enjoy simple tasty dishes as such. not healthy but ohh soo yummy!!! =)

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50 Bob September 6, 2011 at 5:17 pm

BTW how long do you cook the chicken fingers

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51 zesty September 7, 2011 at 12:21 pm

Bob – I am about 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a nice crust forms

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52 Paula September 22, 2011 at 6:19 pm

Do you have a breakdown on the calories? Thx great recipe!!!

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