Chicken Strips

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (for my family of 6 I use 5 and I usually have a few strips left over to chop up over salads for lunches)

2-3 cups buttermilk (you can use regular milk and add 1 tbsp vinegar)

a few drops of hot sauce (optional)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups panko bread crumbs

2 tsp seasoned salt

2 tsp garlic powder

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1

Slice the chicken breasts into strips. I like to cut mine about 3/4"-1" thick so that they're extra moist.
2

Place the strips in a bowl and cover with the buttermilk adding as much or as little as you need to cover the chicken. Add the hot sauce. Place it in the fridge for an hour.
3

In a bowl or bag mix the flour, panko, salt and garlic powder and mix to combine.
4

Remove the chicken from the fridge. working a few at a time, take the chicken out of the buttermilk and put into the breading. Shake or turn to coat fully.
5

Then remove the strips from the breading and dredge through the buttermilk again and put them back into the breading and coat once more.
6

Shake off the loose breading and set the strips aside. Repeat steps 4 & 5 with all the strips.
7

Preheat your oil or oven to 350˚F.
8

Adding a few strips at a time to the oil so they're not crowded cook until the outside is a medium golden brown and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the strip reads 165˚F with a meat thermometer.
9

If baking, lay out on a cookie sheet, mist with oil, and bake turning once and misting the other side, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the strip reads 165˚F with a meat thermometer.
10

Drain on a wire rack over paper towels and serve hot with your favourite dipping sauce.

My grandma used to make the BEST chicken strips. She'd make them for me as a special treat when I'd done something for her (like wash her car) or if I was having a bad day. She'd put the breading in a brown paper bag and it was my job to shake the bag to coat the chicken. I'm sentimentally attached to the flavour and process she used to make these strips, right from the heart. Like most kids, mine love chicken in nugget and strip form. And they really have very little discrimination if they come out of the oven, deep fryer or drive-thru window. But these? These are chicken strips that even adults will love. The chicken is moist and tender, the coating crunchy and flavourful and there are no unpronounceable ingredients. The secret is the double dip. Whether you're making battered fish, fried chicken, battered zucchini or crispy shrimp this method will give you a crispy, crunchy coating that seals in the moisture and flavour. I deep fry my chicken strips in canola oil as I feel the once in a while treat is okay. If you're not a fan of frying, you can lay the breaded strips out on a cookie sheet and spray with a fine mist of cooking spray. This helps them get the nice brown colour and to crisp up.