Monday, January 11, 2010

Let Your Chicken Fingers Do the Walking

I sure hope you enjoyed that phone/Yellow pages/chicken finger pun as much as I did. The chicken finger video has finally been approved and uploaded to YouTube, and I'd love to say it will be worth the wait, but I'm not sure.

This video recipe is more of a technique tutorial (yes, some people don't know how to bread things), and you more advanced foodies may be underwhelmed. Having said that, this is a really tasty, and pretty easy, appetizer to whip up for your Super Bowl party (and be sure to check out the honey mustard sauce video here).

The secret is the panko breadcrumbs. These larger, flaky crumbs get much crispier, and stay crisp much longer than conventional breadcrumbs. By the way, I can already hear some of you grumbling about finding panko, but it's very common these days (thank you Food Network and Bravo), and you'll find them in every large grocery chain.

As far as the phone goes, I really enjoyed giving it a test run and it performed very well. It's very fast, feels great in your hand, and the voice activated feature for basically any text input field is perfect for someone like me.

I should also probably state for the record that I was kidding about the Nexus One apps – I'm really not developing smart phone programs that chop onions and peel potatoes. I'm sorry to disappoint those of you that thought that part of the video was real, but then again, if you were fooled, you have other more important issues to address. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
4 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
3 cups Japanese-style panko bread crumbs
canola oil for frying

50 comments:

Mike, Sim & Will said...

If I were to bake these 1) will it be any good and 2) what temp and time would you use?

looks great.

Kristoffer said...

I really enjoyed the video, both the tech side and the food side. I also think that it's great that your getting sponsorship for all your hard word. Big thumbs up. I would love to give a donation, but I'm currently studying with makes buying stuf like... i dont know..food, a little bit difficult. This though is perfect. How long do you estimate that it will last in the fridge? And can you freez it??

Chef John said...

thanks, never tried to freeze, but should be ok breaded but uncooked. Then thaw and fry.

Damiano Zerneri said...

very envious for the Nexus... and obviously for the chicken fingers (for the Superbowl...
I hope that Brett Favre could win it for the second time in his career. Go Vikings!

Chef John said...

to get crisp in the oven you need lots of oil and 450 degrees and they will not be as good, you might as well fry them

Tom said...

Not to sound like a fanboy or start any flamewars... but...

The iPhone has been capable of doing all of this for a long time now. Even the Google App (voice and gps).

Great recipe and blog though. Chef John, you are my hero.

Anonymous said...

You crack me up. So many comments could be made here but I will bite my tongue and say thanks for the snickers today. You have outdone yourself.

bhavik said...

Chef John,

I know this isn't the correct area for this comment but any idea when we will get a demo on Remoulade sauce? You showed it in your “Faux-Smoked” Wild Red Rock Cod – More delicious culinary cheating! demo and I really wanna make that sauce.

Thanks! Keep the good food coming :)

Greg said...

I think you should consider a "Gimersionblender" app when you get those other two up to your high standards of excellence.

Renee Weir- Fontes said...

Thanks, My teenager and friends are gonna love this!
renee

missfoxxxxxxx said...

Definitely worth the wait! We are salivating over your Nexus One and your chicken fingers. Great video, thanks :)

Thomas Andrew said...

I made these last night, but served mine with a honey-barbecue sauce. I do love honey mustard and will try your sauce next time.

Hope Street, New Jersey said...

In general, do you like to choose produce/meat that are all natural and organic, or get whatever is most cost effective?

Chef John said...

always all natural, sometimes organic, but will use conventional if i have to and don't lose too much sleep.

Chris K. said...

Making panko bread crumbs at home is really easy, if you own a heated centrifuge. Personally, I just buy them from the supermarket.

A "salad shooter" app for the Nexus One will make you millions. You're welcome.

Anonymous said...

My wife made these while I was at work. Wow! This recipe is great and I really love the crunchiness of the coating. The panko bread crumbs make this.

Keep up the good work Chef John!

Deb said...

Enjoying the blog, you're awesome. Got the Motorola Droid myself and got a total kick out of your ideas for apps! I can't believe a phone does as much as these do....

Jesse from Detroit said...

Bravo, Chef John! A well-deserved nod from Google.

Unknown said...

Chef John you are the greatest! Thank you for bringing new and great tasting recipes to my home. I came upon your blog one day and now I visit it all the time! The recipes are so simple and delicious. I just made this and the sauce yesterday and my husband loved it! Thanks again for inspiring me to cook great tasting meals again for my family.

Chef John said...

thanks, my pleasure!

Tim Morris said...

Love your new Nexus phone...I have to admit something that I did with the Other Smartphone...you know which one I am talking about (iPhone) and did a barcode scan on a paused image of your Video of the Panko Bread UPC label of your video from the Nexus screen and it worked! It brought up results on my phone of where to buy them. Actually it freaked me out!

Anonymous said...

I have made these twice since you posted this video and they are AMAZING. The only adjustment I made was to season the flour with smoked paprika, onion powder and rubbed sage. Also, instead of honey mustard, I served it with a ketchup spiked with Worcestershire sauce, honey, cumin and hot sauce.

Trufflesaurus said...

I just came across your blog really recently, so this is a tad late. But better late than never! This recipe works like a bomb, really loved it.

Will try to alter the flavor by changing condiments in the flour.

MonkeyDLuffy said...

You are now OFFICIALLY my new cooking idol.

Anonymous said...

I used this recipe to feed my family last night. They all loved it. I added some sweetened coconut flakes to the panko bread crumbs. I also baked it rather than frying it. I placed the finished chicken into your rice spring roll recipe for the added vegetables. I also made your honey mustard sauce to dip it in as well as to dip my store bought fries.
Thanks
Dan

Chef Jay said...

What I love about this recipe is its crispiness match with a good dip. Thanks for sharing this delightful appetizer. Happy holidays! :)

conishkee said...

I saw the video for this recipe just the other day and I'm still salivating from it. I intend to make these tonight and I'm sure they will taste like more once everyone samples them. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE chef John's recipes. He definitely inspires me to cook some slam dunk meals! Thanks CJ for all that you share.

conishkee said...

As I suspected, these chicken pieces were well worth doing. They were moist, tender, flavorful, and with the sauce, slam dunk good!! If any of you out there haven't yet tried this recipe, do it, 'cause it's something you and anyone you make them for will absolutely enjoy. Chef John scores again in my book!

shiromar said...

making these tonight, again. yum

Unknown said...

Why the cast iron pan? What if I don't have a cast iron pan? Should I buy a cast iron pan? So many cast iron questions! You're addictive Chef John! Thank you!

Chef John said...

Any heavy pan works, but CI hold the heat evenly. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Great video! Simple suggestion that really brings these nuggets home is some squeezed lemon or lime juice into the egg and milk mix. Makes them a real 'zinger'

Thanks Chef John!

BoBBy said...

Dear Chef John, Almighty of the Frakishly Small Wooden Spoon,

I'am a 16 yr old guy from Hungary, I first saw your videos a few months ago; now I have more than 300 which I downloaded from YouTube. I ENJOY wathcing and making them, and listening to your advices. I want to thank you.
By the way, I made your creamed cauliflower soup yesterday, made the fritters today (little modifyed version :D, formed them by hand), made your fried chicken fingers, and used the method of making caramel sauce, from your chocolate coin video.

God bless you Chef John! THANK YOU!

Steven K. said...

I've been buying my chicken breasts pre-sliced into thin slices lately just because they cook so evenly when making grilled chicken. Just for fun, I tried using this recipe to bread a couple and made some really great breaded chicken sandwiches. My only change was to soak them in buttermilk before I dredged them in the flour. Way, way better than going to buy a fast-food chicken sandwich. As always, I enjoyed.

ChefJohnsBiggestFan said...

these rocked our world tonight. So crunchy, juicy, with a kick. I was unsure of the type of oil i was supposed to use- i used good o' Costco Olive Oil (not extra virgin) and they were super. BTW i have my eye on some Costco Stainless steel set of pots and pans for 179.99...with a copper sumpnerother on the bottom. Are these quality enuf??

Chef John said...

yes, i like those pans. good value i think.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely loved these. I made them one night and my friend and I devoured them. I use the panko alot now especially since I know now how to cook chicken on the stove. Thanks alot. I am loving all the recipes I get from this site.

Anine said...

Thanks for the recipe Chef John, I love the flour coating trick in a zip lock bag. I tried it last night with some alterations to the spices and it came out great!

Genise said...

I can't wait to make these for my family. they look good.

Unknown said...

I have made these a few times and they get better and better every time I make them! I change the dipping sauce the last two times just for different flavors. I just saw you video for the Pickled Ginger and Asian Pear Coleslaw and I think that these were ment to be together!!lol Keep'em coming!

extra said...

Didn't know chickens had fingers...learn something new every day

Tina G said...

First of all, you rock Chef John!! Thanks for this amazing recipe which I will be making this weekend for a party, along with other appetizers (including your strawberry balsamic goat cheese bruschetta which has got me drooling since I've seen the video!). I just wanted to know, what temp would you keep them in the oven and about how long would they keep? Thanks again!!

Chef John said...

You mean to keep warm? As low as it will go. Like 175. How long, can't say for sure, but eventually they get dry. Maybe 30 minutes. I do in batches.

Unknown said...

Chef jon im a college kid trying to be a better chef and when i try to impress a girl i watch one of your videos about 5 times and make it in front of her... and she is impressed. I'd love to see more videos about the cooking of different types of meat.

Unknown said...

Hey chef John I love your videos and they always inspire me to cook but I have a problem with getting chipotle pepper is there anything else I could use?

Chef John said...

It's a smoked hot pepper, so anything hot would work!

Kalakap Malaysia said...

Lol, I love the last part where the nexus is doing chopping and peeling!! Hahaha..so funny!

Kalakap Malaysia said...

Lol!! Love the phone very much!! It can chop and peel !!! Hahaha!

Unknown said...

Can I use any type of oil or do I have to use canola oil for frying? Is the salt used in this fried chicken sea salt or kosher salt, which one should I use? Does the type of milk matter, like is whole milk preferred or a low-fat milk preferred?

Unknown said...

Do I have to use canola oil for frying or is olive oil is just as fine?