Chicken Fingers Recipe
Breaded chicken strips served with blue cheese.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Chicken and breading
Frying oil
Blue cheese dip
Garnish (optional)
Method
Prepare chicken and breading
Slice chicken
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Trim any fat and slice each breast into 3–4 even strips about 1 inch wide and 3–4 inches long. Aim for uniform thickness for even cooking.
Season flour
In a shallow bowl or plate, combine the all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Mix and set aside.
Make egg wash
In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the 2 large eggs and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth.
In a third shallow bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well so spices are evenly distributed.
Dredge chicken
Working in batches, lightly dredge each chicken strip in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess, then dip into the egg wash, letting excess drip off, and press into the breadcrumb mixture until well coated on all sides. Place coated fingers on a wire rack or plate and let rest 5–10 minutes (this helps the coating adhere).
Fry the chicken fingers
Heat oil
Pour oil into a heavy skillet so it reaches about 1/2 inch depth (about 1 to 1.5 cups). Heat over medium-high until oil reaches 350°F (175°C) or a breadcrumb dropped in sizzles immediately but doesn't burn. If you don't have a thermometer, test with a small piece of bread: it should brown in about 60 seconds.
Cook in batches
Carefully add coated chicken fingers to the hot oil in a single layer, leaving space between pieces. Fry 3–4 minutes per side, turning once, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C). Adjust heat as needed to prevent burning; lower to medium if browning too fast.
Drain
Use tongs to transfer cooked fingers to a wire rack set over a baking sheet or paper towels to drain. Keep warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven if cooking remaining batches.
Make blue cheese dip
While the chicken fries (or ahead of time), whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Fold in the blue cheese crumbles, leaving some larger pieces for texture. If the dip is too thick, stir in up to 1 tablespoon milk to reach desired dipping consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.