Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Strips

I forgot to give you guys your clue last post. Sorry dudes. I was just trying to bang out a post before work and I got caught up in the ranting.

...What? Of course I've been giving you clues. I promised didn't I? I just didn't make them obvious. You saw, but you did not observe.

Sorry, no. It's not a Sherlock surprise (although I've been thinking about doing something to celebrate the start of the filming. But I don't know if I'll ever actually do it. It's a bit out of my wheelhouse)

So to make it up to you, I'll give you an obviously obvious clue right now.

Clue: The series is based on something that I love very, very much. (And you already know it's not Sherlock. So that's like 2 clues right there. You're welcome)

Onto the noms!

This recipe, found in Fast Food Fix, was originally meant to be sort of a healthified copycat version of the KFC Twister, which used to be my very favorite fast food sandwich before they stopped carrying it. It was just a wrap with fried chicken strips and this creamy peppercorn sauce (which totally made the whole sandwich), along with a little lettuce and tomato.

So when I was flipping through my copy of Fast Food Fix, I was excited to see that the Twister was one of the recipes included in the book. I could have my Twister again, and I didn't have to confront my frying phobia to do it.

Except, it didn't really taste like the Twister. The sauce (again, the thing that made the whole sandwich) was way too sweet, and I couldn't get that signature peppery taste, even though I drowned it in freshly cracked pepper. And the chicken was missing that signature KFC blend of spices.

But, taken on its own-- without trying to compare it to that beloved sandwich-- the chicken was delicious. Crispy and juicy and tasty and ready in under half an hour, using only basic ingredients. It wasn't the Twister, but it was too good not to share

Yes. Those are snowpeas in my wrap. I didn't have lettuce, and I needed something green. besides, it was pretty tasty that way.

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Strips {Printable Version}
Yield: About 4 servings (2 strips per serving)

Ingredients
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
½ tsp. onion powder
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast strips
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups unseasoned panko bread crumbs

Directions
In a zip-top bag, add the flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder, and shake to mix well. Add the chicken breast strips to the bag, and shake to evenly coat each piece in the flour mixture. Place the sealed bag in the refrigerator and chill at least 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 475°F and lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Take two wide-mouthed, shallow bowls. Place the beaten eggs in one, and the panko in the second. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Take one strip and dip it in the egg, making sure to coat it completely. Allow the excess to drip off before dipping in the panko. Coat the strip completely in the panko, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake the chicken for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the strips over, and bake an additional 4-6 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Fast Food Fix