Panko Crusted Chicken Strips

Right now, I feel like everyone is really tired of cooking including me. There are days where I’m just like “screw it I’m ordering takeout”. I don’t think anyone could imagine that we would be cooking every day, at least 3 times a day for so long. So in times like these, you just want something a little simple but still yummy. That’s where these panko crusted chicken strips come in. Chicken strips are so easy to make, and they feel like a treat after a long and hard week. Most of the ingredients in this recipe were scrounged up from my pantry, so there is a ton of leeway on what you can include.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Skinless, boneless chicken thighs – I love to use chicken thighs because they are way more juicy than chicken breasts. Feel free to substitute for chicken breasts if that is what you prefer. Note that 1 pound equals about 4 chicken thighs.
• Panko breadcrumbs – Panko breadcrumbs provide texture to the chicken strips. You can substitute regular breadcrumbs for panko.
• Furikake (optional) – I had a small amount of furikake left over so I added them into the mix with my panko. This is an optional ingredient.
• All purpose flour – I use flour to provide the initial coating onto the chicken. I would highly recommend sticking to AP flour for frying.
• Seasonings (salt, white pepper, and garlic powder) – These seasonings are used to provide flavor to the chicken and the flour. I used white pepper, but it can easily be substituted with black pepper.
• Eggs – Helps bind the coating to the chicken.
• Vegetable oil – Vegetable oil is perfect for frying foods because it has a high smoke point, so it doesn’t burn as easily as animal based fats.

Making my panko crusted chicken strips

First cut your chicken into 1 inch wide pieces. Don’t worry about being perfect. They don’t have to be the same size. Next prepare your coating. Get 3 bowls out. Add the panko and furikake to one and mix. Next, add all purpose flour and seasonings to the second one. And lastly, add the eggs to the third one and whisk. Dip 1 chicken strip into the seasoned flour, then the whisked eggs, and lastly the panko and furikake. Repeat for all the chicken strips.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with paper towels. Set aside. Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron or dutch oven to 375 degrees F. Make sure the vegetable oil comes up 2 inches in the pan. Fry each chicken strip for 3-4 minutes until the outside is golden and the inside is cooked. Fry in batches, so you don’t crowd the pan. Once cooked, place chicken strips on the prepared baking sheet. The paper towels will drain excess oil. Serve with dip of choice.

Tips on how to make the perfect panko crusted chicken strips

1. Make sure you have enough seasoning in your flour – I think the biggest mistake most people make with frying anything is not seasoning your flour enough. That’s why some fried dishes are really bland. Here I used 1 tablespoon of salt and pepper and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder to season the flour.
2. Keep frying oil temp at 375 degrees F – Use a candy thermometer to keep your oil temperature right about 375 degrees F. Any lower your chicken won’t cook properly and any higher, you risk burning the coating.
3. Choose your own dipping sauce – You can eat these chicken strips with almost any dipping sauce. I chose honey mustard, but I also tried it with ketchup and it was amazing!

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