Mardi Gras Chicken Fingers are an easy addition to your celebratory Fat Tuesday table!
Mardi Gras is here early this year, so it's time to get celebrating!
King Cakes fly off the shelves starting in January, and purple, green, and gold everything adorn windows, stores, wreaths, and trees. I've seen school bands practicing in my neighborhood to get ready for marching the parade route, and I passed floats driving down the interstate with full police escort.
Mardi Gras never fails to bring out the fun in the city.
Even if you don't live in a city that celebrates Mardi Gras, you can celebrate it at home!
Mardi Gras Day -- or Fat Tuesday -- is on February 17th this year, but the Mardi Gras season is celebrated for a few weeks leading up to Mardi Gras Day.
These Mardi Gras Chicken Fingers are a tasty way to celebrate. No, they aren't the healthiest things to come out of my kitchen, but it's all about balance. Restriction is not healthy, and it's ok to enjoy "fun foods" every now and then.
There's a reason Mardi Gras is only a few weeks; one cannot indulge for weeks on end without feeling the negative results.
These Mardi Gras Chicken Fingers are breaded in Zapp's Potato Chips Mardi Gras Cajun Crawtators flavor. If you don't have those in a store near you, then just use any kettle cooked potato chip.
They are based off this recipe for Potato Chip Crusted Fish I did a few summers ago, and they are both oh-so-delicious.
Not much to them since the chips are nicely flavored — just soak the chicken in milk and an egg, then drain and bread with the potato chips. Feel free to add some seasoning if you are using plain kettle cooked potato chips. Once the chicken fingers are breaded, just pop them in oven and bake until they’re done.
You won’t use the entire 5 ounce bag of chips for the recipe, but it’s easiest to crush the whole bag for breading; you can even bread the chicken directly in the potato chip bag {#lazy #resourceful}. These chicken fingers are best eaten soon after preparing {the chips can lose their crunch} but can be reheated in a 300°F oven for 10-15 minutes if needed.
Since you'll be strolling the streets catching beads and trinkets, you'll need your protein and these chicken fingers give you that. You might also want to consider whipping up some Bananas Foster Protein Pancakes for breakfast, a Mardi Gras Smoothie for a boozy snack, and/or Boozy Mardi Gras Cupcakes for a celebratory dessert 😉
Mardi Gras Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce optional
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 5 ounce Zapp’s Potato Chips preferably Cajun Crawtator
- 1 tsp olive oil or avocado or coconut oil
Instructions
- Whisk together milk, egg, and hot sauce and add to a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Soak chicken in mixture for about 30-60 minutes.
- Crush potato chips into crumbs {easiest in a food processor}. Put in a shallow dish.
- Preheat the oven to 375*F. Rub oil over large baking sheet {for easier clean-up, line with foil}, and put the baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
- Take chicken out of milk and let drip dry. Put chicken in bowl with chips and press lightly to coat the entire chicken in chips. Carefully remove hot baking sheet from oven. Put coated chicken on the hot baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken fingers.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is done and cooked through. Enjoy!
Notes
Meme
Vasu Thorpe says
Yum! This is my love language = mardi gras + food. Love it!
Meme says
Haha! This is why we're friends, Vasu! Happy Mardi Gras lady 🙂