Chicken Fingers & Mozzerella Sticks.

Hello everybody. It’s the weekend and it’s finally raining ~ thank GOD! I can sit with my windows slightly ajar and my dog is not dying from the heat. In the distance I can hear something resembling a rave party; the poor sods. They should’ve started the summerfest party last week when it was blisteringly hot and dry. Now I suppose they will have to party in the rain.

As for me and my household, we are staying in this weekend. On a usual Saturday it is customary for R, Doopey and I to head down to our regular cafe for a spot of lunch and then head off to do the weekend shop for groceries. R only ever orders two things off the menu : Bitterballen and Chicken Strips. Everyweek without fail the waitress humours him and asks for his order, and it will be the same as the one last week and the week before that. However, considering we have now broken the bank with our impromtu trip to the Mediterranean Coast when my sister was here a few weeks ago, I have decided that we should cut back where we can. So instead of going to the cafe and ordering a plate of chicken + coffee and paying three times more, I told R that I’d make him a homemade version that’s exactly how his favourite cafe does it.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you don’t need a bunch of ingredients and it can be whipped up in a jiffy ~ 30 minutes, tops. So here is what you’ll need :

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 or 2 whole chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 log of fresh mozzerella cheese
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 cups Japanese panko crumbs
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• oil for deep-frying

1. I used a saucepan for deep-frying coz I do not own a deep frier machine. Put about 3 cups of peanut oil into the saucepan and keep it on medium-high.

2. Place the chicken strips into a bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper. Then set aside.

3. Prepare your dredging station : Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, and place the Panko crumbs in another. Season the Panko with salt, garlic powder and the oregano. You can season it with whatever you like ~ cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, chicken salt or onion powder. I like to keep mine simple, so I just used simple flavours.

4. When the oil is hot enough dip the chicken strips into the egg and then into the panko crumbs. Roll it around to coat evenly, dust off the access and then gently dip them into the hot oil. It shouldn’t sputter coz the panko will absorb some moisture. They will cook very quickly, about 2 – 3 mins only so keep an eye on them. Adjust the heat so that they do not brown too quickly.

5. Do the same for the mozzerella by first cutting them into logs. Then dip in egg then Panko, then egg and Panko again before frying them. They will take even less time to cook and they should hold their shape nicely in the hot oil.

6. Drain on a wire rack to keep them from getting soggy bottoms. Place old newspaper or kitchen towels beneath the rack to catch oil drippings. Once they have drained sufficiently transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately with dipping sauce of your choice.

These make a great snack for kids parties or simple fingerfood when you’re entertaining casually … or in my case it’s a great way to keep the boyfriend happy and fed without having to spend the extra dough at a cafe.

~ ENJOY! ~