If you’re in the mood for Chicken Fingers, you should consider making this recipe at home. These crispy Chicken Fingers are super easy to make, and you can dip your Chicken Fingers in some simple, quick-to-make honey mustard sauce too.
Why make chicken fingers when you can just order them up so easily at a restaurant? Because they’re so much better when made at home, that’s why! Imagine eating them freshly fried. And dipping them in honey mustard sauce, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing or ketchup. Have a good visual? You need to try this recipe!
Plus, kids are super happy when you tell them you’re making these for dinner. In their world, what could be better? They might react by saying, “Oh, I thought you could only order those in a restaurant!” Imagine the hero you’ll be for showing them that chicken fingers can be made at home too.
Why are they called chicken fingers?
Let’s talk about how these got their name. Since chickens don’t have fingers…not to worry…these are not the fingers of a chicken. Chicken Fingers are boneless, skinless pieces of chicken breast that have been cut into long strips. The strips are breaded and deep fried. Some people say they look like “fingers” because of their shape. They are also called chicken strips or chicken tenders.
How do you make chicken fingers?
It’s really easy to make chicken fingers! This recipe has a short list of ingredients. Chicken breasts are cut into strips (sometimes you can buy chicken tenders already in strips, so get those if you want). The strips are dipped into flour, then egg and then panko breadcrumbs. They are fried in hot oil until crispy and cooked through. Then they’re drained on paper towels so they’re not greasy.
At this point, the chicken fingers are ready to eat and can be eaten with any desired sauce. I’ve included a simple honey mustard dipping sauce recipe for you here, but you can certainly eat them plain or with another sauce of choice. My son loves these, and he would most definitely recommend that you make his recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing and use that instead of the honey mustard sauce! I might agree with him. I love his ranch dressing recipe!
These Chicken Fingers turn out crispy and perfect. They’re not greasy. And they’re so much better than something you order in a restaurant. Plus, I’m always a little suspicious that the restaurants just buy frozen chicken and try to pass it off as a “menu item” because kids don’t really seem to care. I’m always doubting that sort of thing!
If you’re looking for more kid-friendly recipes, you might like to try some of these:
- Corn Dogs
- Easy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken Cheese Steak Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork
And here are some honey-mustard themed recipes you might enjoy too!
- Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
- Honey Mustard Pale Ale Chicken
- Honey Mustard Fried Chicken Sliders
- Honey Mustard Game Hens
Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Recipe Details
Ingredients
SAUCE:
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 6 tablespoons honey
- salt and ground black pepper
CHICKEN:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1½ pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips
- salt and ground black pepper
- ¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
Instructions
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- In a small bowl, mix the mustard and honey together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
PREPARE THE CHICKEN:
- Place the oven rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 200°F. Line up three shallow dishes in assembly-line fashion.
- Place the flour in the first dish, eggs in the second dish and panko in the third dish.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with one chicken strip at a time, use tongs to dredge the chicken strip in flour, then dip into the egg and then coat with Panko. Press on Panko to make sure it sticks. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken strips.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken fingers and brown thoroughly on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes total.
- Drain the chicken fingers briefly on paper towels, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in the oven. Return the skillet with oil to medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook the remaining breaded chicken. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Notes
- *Panko can be found in the Asian aisle of your market. These are highly recommended over regular breadcrumbs for this recipe.
- *When making the sauce, add more Dijon for additional spice or more honey for additional sweetness.
