Crispy Velvet Chicken Fingers

Delicious, crispy, no-fail chicken fingers are a fast and easy snack.  Advance velveting removes all the guesswork of frying time and oil temperature.  Simply bread the precooked tenders and quickly fry 'em in hot oil. 

Voila!  No fuss, no muss Chicken Fingers!  Crispy outside, tender and juicy inside!

Here's my recipe...

Also known as... Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless Chicken tenderloins
• 1 cup Panko
• 2 eggs + 1 teaspoon water
• 1/3 cup Flour
• 2 Tablespoons dry Ranch dressing/dip mix
• Salt
• 1" Wasabi paste from tube (1/2 teaspoon)- optional- (so optional, I forgot to add it! ;-)
• Oil for frying- or- butter for sauteing. (See Author's Notes)
• Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese- optional
• Your favorite dipping sauce.  If you crave "spicy",  I think you'll love my recipe for Jalapeno Metchup sauce.

Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water. Add 1 tsp salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.

Separate the eggs.  Whisk the egg whites until frothy.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the flour over the egg whites and whisk until combined.

For chicken fingers, cut the chicken tenderloins in half lengthwise.  For chicken nuggets, cut the tenderloins vertically into 3 pieces.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg white mixture to coat.  Carefully slip the them into the boiling water.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and poach for 3-5 minutes until just cooked.  Remove immediately with a slotted spoon and cover with plastic wrap.

Whisk the egg yolks into the remaining egg whites.  Whisk in 1 teaspoon of water and a pinch of salt.  If you'd like to include the Wasabi paste I forgot, whisk it into the egg mixture now. ;-) 

Stir the flour and dry ranch mix together in a bowl.

Place the Panko in a separate bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir.

Breading:   (Hint- use a toothpick or wooden skewer to keep your fingers clean. ;-)

1. Roll in the flour mixture, tap off the excess.*
2. Dip in the egg mixture until fully coated.  Allow excess egg to drip back into bowl.*
3. Roll in the Panko until fully coated.

Set the tenders aside on a plate and continue dipping and coating until they're all breaded.  If not frying right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. 

*If you're feeling ambitious and want a thicker coating, go ahead and double-dip the tenders in flour and egg mixture (not the panko).

Heat 1" of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes.

Using tongs, carefully place the chicken fingers in the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown.

Remove to a plate and garnish with grated cheese if desired.  Let the chicken fingers cool for a few minutes before serving... and by all means... don't forget your favorite dipping sauce!  (Shameless pimping below!  ;-)

• Jalapeno Metchup
• Tortuga Island Dressing
• Pineapple-Wasabi Teriyaki Sauce
• Homemade Ketchup

This Chicken Fingers recipe is a modified adaptation of Velvet Chicken, which has been wonderfully well-received. 

It passed the Make-ahead-and-freeze Test with flying colors!  Just be sure to let the Fingers defrost before frying.

Instead of oil, I took the liberty of sauteing the chicken fingers in bubbling hot butter.  They took a little longer to cook and didn't brown as evenly (see picture below) but the taste was wonderful.  I don't know about you, but this butterholic thinks butter makes everything taste better... including these Chicken fingers. 

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Thanks for stopping by! ;-)