I have a new addiction…panko bread crumbs. Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb traditionally used as a coating for deep-fried foods such as tonkatsu. The big difference between panko and standard breadcrumbs is that panko is made from bread without crusts. The crustless bread is coarsely ground into airy, large flakes that give fried foods a light, crunchy coating that tends to stay crispier longer and doesn’t absorb as much grease. I’ve replaced my usual breadcrumb mixture with panko lately because I just adore the extra crispy golden crust it creates and these chicken strips are my latest panko victim. And of course the kids just love anything crispy especially chicken!
And these chicken strips are loved because of their gorgeously moist, tender and succulent white meat surrounded by golden, crispy and crunchy panko crust.
Along with the crispy chicken strips I decided to roast some sweet potato wedges. Grace loves these wedges, they’re lovely and sweet and I chop them into a kid friendly size so it’s super easy for her to grip them with her little hands and gobble them up. I always leave the nutrient filled skin on the sweet potato, not only does it save me time with no peeling required, but I know Grace is getting all of the wonderful vitamins, minerals & goodness from the vege. I roasted these little orange wedges with a drizzle of olive oil in a hot oven for thirty minutes and they emerged golden, crispy and ready to be nestled alongside the crispy chicken strips.
To serve I dressed a little greenery with Grace’s favourite salad dressing, extra virgin olive oil & lemon zest and added a little chopped tomato and with plenty of chicken left I am excited to get creative with the left over’s & whip up some chicken wraps filled with plenty of salad for lunch tomorrow.
Crispy chicken strips, sweet potato wedges and tomato salad
INGREDIENTS
2 large sweet potato, cut into wedges
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly whisked
½ cup plain flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Tomato salad:
2 cups mixed salad leaves
1 tomato, diced
Extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place sweet potato wedges on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle wedges with a little olive oil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, set up your bread crumbing station by placing flour, egg and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. Coat 1 strip of chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg mixture. Coat in breadcrumb mixture. Place on a baking tray and repeat with remaining chicken, flour, egg and breadcrumb mixtures.
Heat vegetable oil in frying pan to medium-high heat. Cook chicken pieces for 5-6 minutes each side, or until golden and crispy and cooked through. Drain on paper towel and serve with sweet potato wedges and tomato salad.
Tomato Salad:
In a medium bowl place mixed salad leaves, tomato, olive oil & lemon zest and toss to combine.
Is this okay for a 7 month old? Im a ftm &im not sure what is okay for him to eat.
Hi! Apologies for my delayed reply! Your little one will love this meal! I fed it to Grace at around the same age! She adored the sweet potato wedges and tomato salad and did her best with the chicken strips (thanks to her 4 toothy pegs). Happy cooking and please report back, I’d love to know how you go x
I just made this for my 8 month old daughter (with only 2 teeth). She loved it!!!! She also really enjoyed squeezing the chips when she was finished eating 🙂 My husband saw it cooking and asked if he could do the taste test. We both tried it too and it was yummy. Next time I’m making it for the whole family! Thank you for sharing! X
I fed my 9 month old this last night… wow it didn’t last long! She loved it, although I must admit a fair amount ended up on the floor too! thanks for sharing