My least favorite part about making breaded cutlets is standing at the stovetop frying them. Even with two large pans going, I can never get away with cooking all of the pieces at once. Stovetop frying demands monitoring — adjusting the temperature here and there, replenishing oil as needed. This is why I love the chicken fingers recipe in A New Way to Dinner, the latest cookbook from Food52’s Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. The breaded strips of chicken bake on briefly preheated sheet pans. After 20 minutes (with a flip at the 10 minute mark), they’re done — there’s no monitoring, no oil replenishing. Why have I never done this?! In the recipe notes, Amanda describes these as “the best chicken fingers on earth,” crediting the use of thighs (as opposed to breasts) for more flavor and the inclusion of both parmesan and oregano in the seasoning. I have to confess I’ve yet to use the oregano — the little people in my house might protest — but even without it, these chicken fingers are utterly delicious. The crust gets incredibly crispy thanks to both panko and parmesan, which browns so nicely, and the meat remains juicy. I’ve been making a “special sauce,” A&M’s suggested condiment if you intend to make sandwiches — for the adults and squirting ketchup out for the littles, who would be happy if I never made them anything else for the rest of their lives. Winner winner chicken finger dinner!
Special sauce: 5 from 7 reviews Note: The original recipe calls for the traditional flour-egg-breadcrumb assembly, but I’ve combined the flour and the eggs with a little water — my friend Holly taught me this trick, and I use it often when breading to save time. I’ve also adjusted the quantities of panko and parmesan to account for using 2 lbs. of chicken thighs, but know that you can’t really go wrong here. If you want to follow the recipe exactly, it’s here on Food52. Also, if you want to make the chicken fingers ahead of time, you can. Store them in the fridge, then reheat on a baking sheet at 300ºF uncovered until heated through. This book, if you are unfamiliar, is all about preparing ahead — making lots of things over the weekend to use in various meals throughout the week — so it’s filled with lots of good information in this regard. One of the suggested uses for these chicken fingers are a sandwich with pickles and a special sauce, which sounds incredibly delicious.
