Quinoa Crusted Chicken Fingers

Quinoa Crusted Chicken FingersChicken fingers are always a hit for kids but grown-ups will love this version with the added nutrition that quinoa provides. I tested these out on my “big kid” (my husband) as well as my friend Chad’s seven year old son, Luke.

Serves 4 kids or 2 hungry adults

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:139]

Comments

  1. At what point do we use the egg whites? I am guessing, before dipping in the quinona?

  2. What dipping sauce do you have pictured? Perhaps it is just ketchup? Something exotic would be nice.

  3. Oh, it’s barbeque sauce! Sure you serve it with any kind of dipping sauce you like. How about a low fat peanut satay? I’ll have to work on that this weekend 🙂

  4. I made this tonight but found it very hard to get the quinoa mixture to stick on even with the egg. Any suggestions?

    • Mmm, when I make it I press the quinoa into the bread crumbs before I bread the chicken. Or you can chill it cover in the fridge for 30 minutes. That’s a great tip for any breading to adhere better.

  5. quinoa – Where can I get this in the store. Looked in 3 of my local supermarkets and cannot find it. Is there an alternative

    thanks

    Albert

    PS the Skinny Chef Rocks!!!!!

  6. Marie E. Sarnicola says

    I recently moved from NY to North

    Carolina. They have quinoa in Whole Foods in Winston-Salem. So far, have not found it anywhere else here in the south. Can’t wait to try the chic tenders recipe. Quinoa is great in stuffed

    peppers too instead of rice, and you can put other veggies in the peppers. Surprisingly, my Italian

    husband liked it too and he loves

    rice.

  7. I’ve seen quinoa “flour” at the Dekalb County Farmer’s Market in GA. I haven’t used it yet but when I go back I will buy some to make this recipe.

  8. I live in South Carolina and have found quinoa at Kroger, they even have several varieties.

  9. Made this tonight! Very delicious.

  10. Love how you had the quinoa thing going on before it was all the rage! Delicious nuggets! And having a child that can’t eat egg or dairy, it was easy to modify and still tasted fabulous! Thanks Jennifer!

  11. I tried this with a very open mind. It was a lot of work because I made the batch 1-1/2 times the original recipe because I have a teenage boy who eats me out of the house. It wasn’t my favorite flavor but I didn’t mind it and felt like I was doing my body good by eating healthy. However, my husband wouldn’t touch it. My 2 boys at their 2 pieces but no seconds. I asked them what they thought and they said, “mom, please not again”!! Sorry, but this is always the struggle in my house with picky eaters. I didn’t think I could go wrong with chicken fingers but I guess I was wrong. Argh.

    • Hi Candice,

      Thanks for writing in, I value readers comments. Sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you! When I serve this people love it, in fact it’s a pretty popular recipe. Just out of curiosity- you did use cooked quinoa right? Using uncooked would make the coated extremely hard.

      Take care!

  12. Cooked quinoa?? I’m laughing at myself now. I have no idea if it was cooked or not but I am guessing now. How do you know if it’s cooked??? I thought I did good by finding the stuff in my store. 🙂

    • Oh no worries, I was just trying to trouble shoot 🙂 In the recipe you have to cook the quinoa (like you would pasta) first then use it for the chicken fingers. It’s also a good way to use up the leftover cooked quinoa if you make it the night before and just serve it like you would a rice dish with a little butter or plain.

  13. Well, that could definitely make a difference…and no, I didn’t cook it. No wonder! Thanks for clarifying!

  14. Kristen says

    I was wondering if you have ever baked the chicken fingers? If so how did you do it? I bake my chicken cutlets and my family loves them. But I didn’t know if the quinoa would be good baked! Thanks

    • Hi Kristen!

      I love baked chicken, but I think the quinoa would dry out if you baked it for more than 10 minutes. You could start it on the stove top in a skillet and use cooking spray and then slide it into the oven to bake through at 400F for around 4 minutes if you’re using a cutlet.

  15. I’m going to try this. Just got back from Peru where quinoa is a staple and has been for centuries. You can buy Quinoa at Trader Joes.

  16. Rebecca Lee says

    Could you freeze these????

  17. Hi Jennifer! I wanted to make this but wanted to know if there was something else that I could use in place of the egg whites (my boyfriend is allergic to anything eggs)?
    Thanks!!

  18. Hello,

    I’d love to make these but am gluten-free. Do you have an alterative to the breadcrumbs? The gluten-free versions don’t work for me either as I’m also allergic to potato, a common ingredient.

    Thank you!

    • Skinny Chef says

      Hey Meredith!

      Ahh, I see you conundrum! I would mix the cooked quinoa with one of your favorite GF flours plus crushed GF rice cereal. You could also toss in some sesame seeds for added nutrition and crunch. I haven’t tested it but next time I have chicken on hand I’ll try it out.

  19. I tried this but with sliced pork loin vs. chicken and it worked out great!

    Also made a dipping sauce of mostly maple syrup with grated frozen ginger and a dash of soy sauce, sesame oil and cayenne.

    Everyone (including my picky 2 and 4 year olds_ loved them, though they did opt for ketchup.

  20. lloyd a cohen says

    Interesting! When I worked as a kosher supervisor in a deli-butcher shop, we would marante the chicken in the egg herb sauce, then coat them with Panko and then fry them a minute on each side, drain on paper towels and finish by baking in the oven.
    Any of your products under kosher supervision?
    Thanks

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