Chicken strips are a restaurant standard, but they taste so much better prepared at home. Add these Fried Chicken Strips to your meal planning rotation.
Fried chicken strips are certainly a crowd pleaser, as many a restauranteur can attest. They appeal to diners of all ages, a ubiquitous player on the kids’ menu.
What most people don’t know is that it is super easy to make fried chicken strips YOURSELF — for a fraction of the price you’d pay at your local McDiner.
These Fried Chicken Strips are also the protein building block for a number of recipes, including Chicken Parmesan, fried chicken salad, chicken piccata, chicken and noodles, or just plain eatin’ with a side of fries and some BBQ sauce.
Therefore, it’s in your best interests to learn how to cook breaded chicken pieces yourself! Don’t ya think?
Making Fried Chicken Strips at Home
At first it might feel intimidating to make fried chicken strips at home. But with all things, a little practice will get you feeling like a pro in no time. If you’ve never done this before, you might have a few questions. Happily, I’ve got answers.
Do you need a fryer?
The good thing is that you don’t need a fryer. In fact, you don’t have to use a ton of oil, either. I prefer to fry chicken strips in a shallow amount of oil to reduce the fat in the finished product.
Can you fry chicken in olive oil?
Use an oil that can handle high heats without smoking. That makes avocado and grapeseed oil good choices. Other options include lard, vegetable shortening, or peanut oil. You can use olive oil, but it’s best not to use virgin or extra-virgin oil as they aren’t at their best at high heats.
How do you make fried chicken strips?
Scroll down for the complete recipe. The Cliff Notes’ version is this: Bread the chicken by dipping it in beaten egg and then a combination of bread crumbs, flour, and seasonings. Fry the chicken in hot oil in a skillet until the coating is crisp and the meat is no longer pink. If you can take an internal temp, that’s ideal. I let it get to an internal temperature of 160 degrees and then let the residual heat finish the cooking for me.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the prices of chicken can help keep the price down. Buy low whenever you see a great price and stash the chicken in the freezer. It’s a great way to save money on your groceries without clipping a single coupon.
- Make your own breadcrumbs. I never buy commercial breadcrumbs. Not when I have children who eschew the heels of the bread loves. It’s one of the things I always have in my freezer. Whiz a few slices of bread through the food processor and you’re set for breadcrumbs.
How I make this recipe easy:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- cooking tongs – These are great for moving the chicken pieces in the pan.
- a great skillet – I love this one so much, I have TWO!
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
- 4 to 6 tablespoon olive oil
- In a shallow dish, beat eggs until well combined. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, flour, parsley flakes, salt, pepper, and sage.
- Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and then roll in the flour mixture.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 4 Tablespoons olive oil until very hot. Fry the chicken strips, working in batches. Don’t move them around too much in the pan. Flip after about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove to a cooling rack set over paper towels to drain. Serve hot or cold.
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A little trick for lower-fat tenders (or chicken cutlets for bigger folks) is to substitute buttermilk for the eggs. I dip mine in flour for a light coating the buttermilk can hang on to first. So I have 3 bowls: chicken into flour, then buttermilk, then crumbs (I use panko crumbs).
I’m new to freezer cooking and found this link under your freezer category on another page. How do you go about freezing these and reheating/recooking them so they stay crispy? Thx!
You can flash freeze them on a parchment lined tray after they have cooled and then store them in a freezer bag. Bake them at 350 for about 10 minutes.
Made these for the first time yesterday and they are sooo good! I made them to put in the freezer, but of course I had to sneak a couple first. Small ones. 🙂
@P Reis, glad you liked them!
So, this post is like 5 years old, but I wanted to let you know that I made these the other night after trying a billion different chicken breading recipes and my husband said “Stop trying new ones, this is it! You’re done!” So, yay! Thank you! 🙂
YAY! I love to hear that. Wonderful!
“Updated February 27, 1017″….oldie, but goodie, indeed LOL.
Haha. Good catch! 😉
Do you use trader joe’s frozen tenders for this recipe? If so, do you let them thaw before breading? Thx! Love your blog and your books. 🙂
I use either TJ’s or Costco’s Kirkland, and yes, I thaw first. Thanks for your kind words! 🙂
Jessica, do you think this method would work if I cooked them in the oven? Would I need to mist them with Pam or some olive oil in a misto?
Yes, absolutely!
I’ve been using this recipe for a long time but I bake them. I either spray them with cooking spray or drizzle them with melted butter. They aren’t quite as crispy as fried but my family doesn’t seem to mind!
Great tip. Thanks for sharing, Pat!