Description
Make these high protein chicken fingers for a delicious and satiating weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
For the dip/dressing:
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or grated
- 3 anchovies
- 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ¾ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
For the chicken fingers:
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Celtic sea salt, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1/3 cup gluten-free flour
- 3 large eggs
- 6 ounces Quest Protein Chips (Chili Lime or Salsa Verde), crushed into crumbs with a rolling pin or in a food processor
- Olive oil spray
For the salad (optional):
- 5 ounces arugula
- 5 ounces baby romaine, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely shaved
- Celtic sea salt
- 2 avocados, sliced or quartered
- Lemon wedges
- Marinated red onions and oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Make the dip/dressing: To a blender or a wide mouth mason jar, add cottage cheese, chives, lemon juice, shallots, parsley, basil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, anchovies, hot sauce, lemon zest, and salt, and blend on high or with an immersion blender until thoroughly combined. Add 2 tablespoons of water if you’re making a dip or ¼ cup water if you’re making a dressing and blend to combine. Cover and refrigerate to allow the dressing to thicken before use.
- Make the chicken fingers: Pat the chicken tenderloins dry with paper towels and lightly season with ¾ teaspoon salt and the poultry seasoning.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl and set aside. In another shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with a splash of water and set aside. In a third shallow bowl, combine the crushed chips with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and set aside.
- With one hand (this will be your dry hand), grab one chicken tender and lightly coat it in the flour. Using your dry hand, place the tenderloin in the bowl with the egg. With your other hand (this will be your wet hand), flip the tender in the egg to coat then place in the bowl with the crushed chips. With your dry hand, turn the tender in the chip mixture to coat, pressing down slightly to make sure the chips stick to the chicken, and set aside on a cutting board or large plate. Repeat this step with all of the chicken tenders. When all of the tenders are coated, spray the baking sheet lightly with olive oil spray and place the tenders on the baking sheet so they close but not touching.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the chicken tenders for 20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces, or until golden, crispy, and cooked through. At 13 minutes, lightly spray the tops of the tenders with olive oil spray and flip and, if you have the option, turn the convection oven on. Remove the baking sheet from the oven when done and set aside.
- Serve the chicken tenders with the dip alongside.
- (Optional) Serve with a salad: On a large serving platter or bowl, arrange the arugula, romaine, and fennel. Season with salt, arrange the chicken fingers throughout and nestle avocado slices between the greens and chicken fingers. Squeeze a few lemon wedges over the salad and drizzle a little marinated red onion oil then top with marinated red onions. Drizzle the dip/dressing over everything. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3-4 chicken fingers
- Calories: 392
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 1126.2 mg
- Fat: 8.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.4 g
- Protein: 63 g
- Cholesterol: 216.1 mg