Chicken Tenders: Part III?

I believe one of the rules of blogging is not to repeat a post, but I am pretty sure I am allowed to improve upon a post. Take this past post on chicken tenders for example. Could use some photos and a little more instruction don't you think?

So I made chicken tenders recently and decided to make a huge batch of them to have leftovers for lunch this weekend. Harris Teeter is running a Buy 1 Get 2 free boneless skinless chicken breast special this week, so I picked up 3 packages to start with the intent of going back later to get more. In fact I will also share here that I bought all the meat and items I need for 6 meals this past grocery shop for a grand total of $43.24...I saved $45.50....yep over $88 worth of groceries for $43! Anyway, back to the chicken....

Although time consuming, it is more economical to make your own "tenders" versus purchasing them precut in the store. I also like cutting my own because I can make them in different sizes for the kids.

This instance of tender making, and since I was making such a large quantity, I actually set up a dredging station: flour (seasoned with season salt and pepper, beaten egg and panko plus a wire rack over a baking pan. I just bought this particular wire rack and it is quickly becoming a favorite!

I also decided to make some spicy ones, so I added wing sauce from a favorite local place to the egg wash after I made all of the regular flavored. When I was done, all of the chicken looked like this:

The ones darker in color were the spicy ones!

Then, in the frying pan they went! I use canola oil and only enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Once they are browned on both sides, back on the wire rack they go and I keep them in a 200 degree oven until all of the chicken is done!

Chicken Tenders Part II

I usually reserve experimenting with food when my husband will not be having dinner with me. I suppose it's also good practice for a cook to try things out on herself before she subjects her family to it!

Background on this experiment: We keep tortilla chips in the house at all times and inevitably the broken chips and crumbs at the bottom of the bag get thrown away. I have said to myself many times: garnish for soup or chili! or use in a casserole! Then after my post on chicken tenders it occurred to me I hadn't thought about using them in place of breadcrumbs. Sure, i have eaten many things at restaurants with the phrase "tortilla encrusted" but never got out there and did it on my own. Then by chance, reading a copy of Rachel Ray magazine, I cam across her fun tip of the day: "try using crushed tortilla chips in place of breadcrumbs." so with the blessing of the chef who coined the term "Yummo!" I set my sights on something simple: chicken tenders.

I didn't want to just bread tenders and be done so I went back to some staples and favorite flavors. First I seasoned the tenders with my favorite Mexican seasoning. Next my "wet" ingredient was ranch dressing. Then I placed them in a plastic bag with the finely crushed tortilla chips and fried them in a skillet until golden brown. I think they would do very nicely if baked and I think next time I may increase the spices a little more because the salt from the tortilla chips can overwhelm the flavor in some bites. However, the chicken came out extremely moist and since I had some leftovers, they were fed to and got the husband seal of approval when he returned from work travel last night.