Doritos Crusted Chicken Fingers

Can I admit something to you guys? I love Doritos. Like, love them. That's why I don't buy them. Seems counter-intuitive I know, but if I have Doritos, I will eat Doritos. No leaving them on the shelf until I need a snack or something. That bag will be gone in a day.

This is not a Doritos sponsored post or anything. I'm just sharing. This is one of the reasons why my brother says I don't count as a foodie-- left to my own devices, my food choices will almost always be rather pedestrian by any food snob standards. Hence these chicken fingers. Not only are they chicken fingers, which are pretty commonplace, but I skipped the panko and the fancy, homemade bread crumbs, and I breaded them with crushed Doritos. And it was awesome.

(I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of food snobs suddenly cried out in terror...)

Crushed Doritos actually make a really great breading for baked chicken strips. The chips stay crisp while baking and add a great crunch that can often be lacking in baked chicken. And of course, they add a ton of flavor. I used the Nacho Cheese flavor for these, but you could really use any flavor you want. Or, if Doritos aren't your thing, any corn tortilla chips would work in it's place. But then you wouldn't have that orangey nacho cheese powder of goodness to all over your fingers, and we all know that's half the fun.

They're also super easy to make. Flour, egg, Doritos, oven. Dinner's ready in half an hour.

Serve these up with a little ranch dipping sauce and you're good to go. Bonus, you'll have the rest of the bag of Doritos to snack on while waiting for dinner. It's a win win.

Doritos Crusted Chicken Fingers
Yield: Approx. 8 chicken fingers

Ingredients

7 tbsp. all purpose flour (use rice flour for wheat free)

1 tbsp. cheddar cheese powder (or just use more flour)

1 tsp. chili powder (optional)

½ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

1 lb. chicken tenderloins (or 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips)

2 cups crushed Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos

2 eggs

1 tbsp. milk

Directions

In a large zip-top freezer bag, add the flour, cheese powder, chili powder, black pepper, and salt. Shake well to combine. Add the chicken and shake until well coated. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and fit with a wire rack. Spray well with cooking spray.

Take 2 wide-mouthed shallow bowls. In one, beat the eggs with the milk. Place the crushed Doritos in the second.

Working with one strip at a time, dip the chicken in the egg wash, allowing the excess to drip off. Toss in the crushed Doritos, pressing the chips into the chicken to make sure it is well coated. Place the strips evenly on the prepared wire rack and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (an internal temperature of 165 degrees F). Serve with ranch dipping sauce

Recipe by Kim

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