Recipe Week! - Homemade Chicken Strips

It feels appropriate to close out the work week with a recipe from an online source. My recipes, you see, come from the following places - cookbooks (see Monday and Wednesday), Friends and Family (see Tuesday), my own head (Thursday) and the internet! One of my favorite recent discoveries is Pioneer Woman (aka Ree Drummond). She is based right here in Oklahoma and even has her first cookbook - The Pioneer Woman Cooks - came out this week. Tracie went to the book signing last night at Full Circle Books and said there was a BIG turnout. I enjoy the simplicity of her recipes and how fabulous the resulting food tastes. I love Chicken Strips and had long been hunting for a way to quickly duplicate my favorite ones from Crest. These are slightly less spicy, but otherwise very similar and just right for me. They are a fan favorite here and definitely part of our rotation. (Although not entirely WW friendly... estimate 1pt per ounce, roughly).

You can find the original recipe here along with wonderful photos and storytelling. I'll just cut to the basics here for you, but her version is much more fun!

Homemade Chicken strips:

1lb chicken tenders (or buy boneless, skinless, chicken breasts and cut them into strips.
Buttermilk (minimum 2 cups)
1 1/2c. flour
2-3 tsp Lawry's seasoning (or spices, herbs, etc... as you like)
Oil (for frying)

Rinse chicken tenders and place in a casserole dish covered with buttermilk for 15-20 minutes (or longer).

In another bowl, combine flour and seasonings. Add to this 1/4 -1/2c. of buttermilk very slowly while stirring with a fork. You are looking for little clumps to form, but not big chunks (see her pics-- this stage is key for crispy goodness).

Heat about an inch of oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Test heat by dropping tiny bit of flour mixture in the oil. You are looking for an immediate sizzle and plenty of bubbles.

Dredge all the chicken strips and place on a plate. (I often just dredge a few as I go, but this would be better)... Add to the hot oil a few at a time, trying not to crowd the skillet. They will need to cook 1-2 minutes per side until a nice golden brown. It might take slightly longer if your tenders are thicker. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and cook the remaining tenders. Enjoy!