These crispy chicken fingers are baked in the oven and so delicious and flavorful. This chicken strips are a healthier version so you can feel great about serving them to your family.
If you love easy chicken dinners as much as we do, be sure to check out a few more of our favorites – Chicken Stir Fry, Chicken Parmesan Casserole, and Chicken Tetrazzini.
Healthier Option
Who doesn’t love a good crispy chicken finger? My kiddos are obsessed with them and order them pretty much every time we go out to eat. I confess that I love them too, but I don’t always love that they’re deep fried and greasy and fattening.
I’ve been on a quest to make my own chicken strips at home that are crispy and delicious without being deep friend. These crispy ranch chicken fingers were so easy to make and are pretty darn near perfect!
How to Make Chicken Fingers
Preparation – While you’re prepping the chicken strips, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. You’ll also want to line a baking sheet with parchment paper for cooking. Slice your chicken breasts into evenly cut strips.
Make The Breading – Pour the buttermilk into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together bread crumbs, panko and ranch dressing mix until blended completely.
Coat The Chicken – Dip each strip of chicken into the buttermilk and then roll it in the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated.
Cook – Place each chicken finger onto the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until it is cooked throughout.
The chicken comes out of the oven crispy and golden and delicious! I love that so little effort can make something so tasty. I am all about the easy meals around here! 🙂
We ate our chicken fingers dipped in Homemade Ranch Dressing with some fresh fruit and veggies on the side, and they were delicious! They’d also go wonderfully with a street corn salad or oven roasted vegetables.
Recipe Tips
Use Two Hands – One tip that I’ve found helpful when breading chicken is to use one hand for the wet ingredients and one hand for the dry ingredients. I use my left hand to dip the chicken strips, drop them into the bread crumb mixture, and use my right hand to dredge them and place them on the baking sheet. It results in a lot less mess!
Keep It Even – By cutting your chicken into uniformly-sized strips, it will help the chicken to cook evenly.
Double Up – I made a double batch of these chicken tenders so I could some to use later in the week for topping salads, and it made for some delicious, easy lunches. You definitely have to try them – they are delicious!
Other Healthy Chicken Recipes
- Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry
- Baked Italian Chicken
- Barbecue Baked Chicken
- Fajita Grilled Chicken
- Asian Chicken Salad
Chicken Fingers Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breast, cut into 3-4 strips each
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups panko
- 1 packet , 1 ounce ranch dressing mix
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
- Pour the buttermilk into a bowl or shallow dish. Whisk together the bread crumbs, panko, and ranch dressing mix in a bowl or shallow dish.
- Dip each piece of chicken breast into the buttermilk, then roll in the bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Spray the chicken with cooking spray and bake 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve hot with ranch dressing for dipping.
Nutrition
Other Notes
What an awesome recipe! This will make a great family dinner for tonight! Yum!
My kiddos loved these chicken fingers! So much better than the store-bought kind!
I’m so glad they liked them so much!
My kids loved these chicken fingers! The best chicken recipe for the family to enjoy!
I’m so happy to hear it!
I know my kids are going to love these!
They definitely will!