One of the favorite meals in our house is Chicken Tenders…yum, yum, yum.
I make mine by baking them in the oven, rather than frying, and the coating on them is any kind of cereal that I have on hand. Just about any cereal will work – in the past I’ve used sugary cereals like Captain Crunch (I have no problem admitting that these are GOOD), but lately I use cereals such as Fiber One or Total – which everyone in my family gobbles up too. I’ve even used Shredded Wheat or Cheerios. The cereal I use is always something I have stockpiled that I’ve been able to pick up for cheap with coupons. And using cereal doesn’t cost me much as I try to never pay more than $1 for a box of cereal, but I usually pay much less.
Here’s how I make them:
Any Cereal Chicken Tenders
2.5 lbs Chicken Breast or Tenderloins, boneless, skinless
6 oz of cereal of your choice (approximate)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1-2 teaspoons seasonings of your choice
I buy chicken breast or tenders from Sam’s Club. If using breasts, they will need to be cut into smaller strips. Sometimes the tenderloins a bit big too and they might also need to be cut in half, but that’s up to you.
I usually take a whole box of whatever cereal I am using – tonight I used a 10.6 oz box of Whole Grain Total. I dump the whole box into my food processor and pulse it until it’s fine crumbs. Then I add some seasoning. I use a “hamburger” seasoning I have on hand called Weber Grill Creations Gourmet Burger Seasoning (I think we got this at Sam’s Club) and carefully mix it in. Then I put half of the cereal crumbs into a shallow container or dish. I also put Egg Beaters into another shallow container. I take two forks and put into each dish (one for the egg and one for the cereal crumbs) that will help me to coat the chicken without getting my fingers all icky.
I line a cookie sheet with foil which I then spray with non-stick spray. Oven is preheated to 375 degrees.
Using a fork, I pick up a piece of chicken and dip it in the egg. Coat both sides and allow the excess to drip off. Drop into the cereal crumbs and using a fork that is just for the cereal pan, I use it to pick up the chicken and coat each side. When coated, move the chicken to the baking sheet.
Continue to refill your cereal pan with the crushed cereal if you have more chicken to coat. As I mentioned, I always crush the whole box and if I have leftovers that I did not add to the coating pan (in other words, that did not come in contact with the chicken) I will put it in a container and save it for the next time I need crumbs.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Serve with dipping sauces of your choice. David, Wellie, and I love honey mustard. We also picked up a spicy Southwest mustard (Walmart brand) that was pretty good too if you like spicy stuff. DJ likes barbecue sauce, and Mattie goes for ketchup.
Note: Some people swear by dredging their chicken in flour first, then into the egg, and then into the crumbs. I do it both ways, but to save the time (and a dirty dish), I didn’t. Not that I won’t do it occassionally, but this time I didn’t.
pTsaldari says
Dear B,
This sight was such a pleasure to visit. Well presented, clean clear and beautiful photos. I shall be returning for another delicious bite. Thank you for sharing,
Cheers,
PT
You can visit me at http://ptsaldari.posterous.com