Cornflake Chicken Strips

Who doesn't love chicken fingers? As soon as kids are old enough to chew, it tends to be a favorite, and a classic that adults love to come back to. 

Of course, the best ones are the ones that just came out of a deep fryer, but in the interests of not frying something at every meal (as tempting as it is), I went looking for a nice crunchy baked alternative. Bread crumbs just do not get crispy in the oven. The laws of physics just won't allow it to happen. Corn flakes, however, have a nice crunch to them, especially when drizzled with a smidgeon of oil, and they have great flavor to boot.

This recipe is easy to scale up or down to feed just a couple of people or a crowd. Just don't crowd your baking sheet so they stay nice and crunchy!

Cornflake Chicken Strips
Adapted from food.com
Serves 4

You'll need:
2 1/2 cups cornflake crumbs (this is important: measure AFTER they're crushed!)
1/4 c flour
1/2 t seasoning salt, like Lawry's
1/4 t pepper
1 egg
1/2 T water
4 chicken breast fillets, cut crosswise into about 1" strips
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely crush the cornflakes (I like to use a plastic bag and a rolling pin), then measure them, and combine with the flour, seasoning salt, and pepper.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg and water. Set up your breading station.

Dip each chicken strip in the egg, then dredge in the cornflake mixture, pressing firmly to make the crumbs adhere. Place the strips on a baking sheet.

Yes, I could have done a better job crushing my cornflakes. I'm impatient.

Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil on each strip (a few big drops on each one will do it).

Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your strips. I'd recommend starting at 20 and check for doneness; you don't want to bake these to death or they will be dry, dry, dry.

And there you go. Wasn't that easy? Serve with mashed potatoes and barbecue sauce, or sliced on a salad with honey mustard, or toss with hot sauce and dip in ranch dressing... Be creative.