GF Breaded Chicken Fingers

Everyone on a special diet has at least one thing they miss from "the old days". For me, pizza is still my number one all time favorite food, though I don't get to eat it very often. Another thing that I miss is fried chicken. In lieu of fried chicken, I'd sometimes order chicken tenders or breaded chicken strips when dining out in my pre GF days. This weekend I found myself craving something from the old days and decided to try my hand at making a homemade version of chicken fingers.


I buy Udi's GF breads on a regular basis. I have found that taking my lunch to work is not only more economical, but my tummy is much happier as well. I buy Udi's brand because I think it has the best taste and texture. It also happens to be the one that doesn't upset my stomach. I've tried other brands and just am not able to tolerate them, so Udi's it is!


GF bread contains "heels" on each end of the loaf, just like any other loaf of bread. Sometimes I toast the ends of my GF bread and treat them like a bagel with the condiment of choice. Recently, though, I began saving them in the freezer with the intent of turning them into some pretty cost effective GF breadcrumbs. My timing was right on with my chicken finger craving since I finally had enough ends to try making my own GF crumbs. The method is really easy and the results superb, very similar to those of a traditional breadcrumbs albeit softer in texture. 


Today, I used the crumbs to bread marinated chicken thighs. Next time, who knows what my inspiration will be. I used Giada de Laurintilas' chicken tenders recipe as a starting point and spring boarded my way to a GF version that was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. I served them with the GF zucchini fritters from Smitten Kitchen. Note, I found that I should have slipped the fritters into the oven for a bit after browning them in the skillet. I didn't know to do this and found that the fritters, while very tasty, they weren't cooked through. Still, this made for an enjoyable and pretty easy Sunday evening dinner. Let me know if you give it a try at your house.


One final note. I know that 1/4 cup of hot sauce may seem like a lot, but the ratio of hot sauce to buttermilk ensures that you just get good flavor from it and not any heat. You can choose to leave out the hot sauce if you need to. I encourage you to give it a try though, my four year old had two chicken strips and doesn't like anything spicy - even black pepper is too much for her. Maybe this will help you to decide for yourself whether to include the hot sauce or not.


~Enjoy


GF Breaded Chicken Thighs

• 1lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
• 1 tbsp onion powder (not salt)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Lowfat Buttermilk

Cut each chicken thigh in half and place in a mixing bowl with tall sides. Add hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley and pepper. Pour over enough buttermilk to sufficiently cover all of the chicken. Using a fork or a large spoon, stir the chicken around in the marinade until the color is uniform and all of the seasoning appears to be well distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to a day to allow the meat to absorb the marinade and tenderize.

Meanwhile, fit the large bowl of your food processor with the chopping blade. Break frozen bread heels in half and place halves in the bowl of the processor. Process the bread until it forms a crumbly texture and the crumbs are a consistent size. You can stop the processor and restart it after stirring the crumbs with a fork or spoon to redistribute the large pieces and achieve a more consistent product. 

Put the crumbs in a dish or plate and add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp finely ground pepper. Mix the crumbs with a fork to distribute the seasoning and set aside.

In another dish (this one with sides) add 1 cup of Just Whites egg product or 3 egg whites mixed with a little (tbsp or two) of water and beat with a fork to combine. You want a loose egg white that will coat your chicken pieces as evenly as possible.


Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Add a few chicken pieces to the egg white and, using only one hand (keep the other for the bread crumbs!), turn them over in the egg to evenly coat. Place each chicken piece in the bread crumb dish after you coat it with the egg. 


Using your other hand, turn the chicken pieces over in the bread crumbs taking care to pat the crumbs into any areas that are missing breading or that need a little extra coating. When finished, place the coated chicken on a baking pan that has been fitted with a silpat or parchment paper.


Place the baking pan in the oven and allow to bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your chicken pieces. Test for doneness by cutting into the top of one of the chicken pieces. The chicken is done when cooked through and the juices run clear.


Serve with your favorite condiment.