Chicken Fingers

A healthy take on chicken fingers: no deep frying involved.
Ingredients

• about 2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed of excess fat.
  
• Brining Solution:
  
  
  
  • 2c buttermilk
    
  • 1tsp garlic powder
    
  • 2tbsp dijon mustard
    
  • 2tsp salt, 1tsp pepper
    
  
  
• Breading:
  
  
  
  • 3c cornflakes, crushed (about 2.5c crushed)
    
  • 3/4c bread crumbs
    
  • salt, pepper
    
  • 1tsp garlic powder
    
  • 1/8tsp cayenne
    
  • 1/2tsp paprika
    
  
  

Thaw chicken and cut into "strips" of appropriate / desired size. Mix all of the "brining" ingredients together in a large bowl. Place chicken strips in bowl and let sit for at least an hour (overnight is better), covered, in the fridge.

When that's done, preheat oven to 400. Mix "breading" components and season to taste. Working one piece at a time, remove a chicken strip and cover in breading mixture, making sure to press the breading firmly into each piece and to cover completely. Arrange chicken strips on a sheet pan, giving a little space between each one. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown and done in the middle.

Thoughts: Claire and I really enjoyed these (and they're very healthy by comparison. We had to substitute buttermilk for half-and-half + skim + vinegar. It still turned out well, actually. But next time we could try the actual recipe. Also, the breading probably could have used a bit more salt (and pepper).

Disaster Index: 1/10