Potato and Cheddar Crunch Baked Chicken Strips

This recipe came about after one of THOSE trips to my local warehouse store. You know the ones that I'm talking about. The trips where the kids want everything on the shelf.  Enter the ginormous multiflavor package of chips. Never mind the fact that a good portion of those bags were the plain chips - which of course, neither one of them eat... But they assured me that wasn't the case, and they would eat every flavor in the pack. I had my doubts, but figured Hubby would probably eat them if the kids didn't. Well long story short (too late, I know), It's been over a month and NOBODY has eaten the plain chips. So, as I hate to see food go to waste, I decided to try something new...  

I crushed up those chips, mixed in a few seasonings and a little cheese, then used it as a 'breading' for chicken strips! Let me tell you, It turned out sooo good! They were full of flavor and moist on the inside. The chips added a taste and crunch that was just delightful. What a great new twist for chicken strips! Try it out and let me know what you think.

...and lookie there, they did eat those chips after all. ;) 

 Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:

• 2 cups Crushed Plain Potato Chips
• 3/4 cup Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Parsley Flakes
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
• 2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with tinfoil and spraying the tinfoil with cooking spray.

In a gallon zipper bag, combine all of the ingredients except the chicken and mayonnaise. Set it to the side. (I figured the chips had plenty of salt, so I didn't add any more.) 

Prepare your chicken breasts by trimming off the excess skin and fat, and cutting them into strips. (You can also use chicken breast tenders for this, if you prefer. Just remove the veins with a knife.) Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over all sides of the chicken strips. Now, place them into the bag with the crumb mixture, one at a time, and shake until they are fully coated. 

Lay the 'breaded' strips on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure they do not touch. Bake in the pre-heated 400 degree oven until they are golden brown and the middles are no longer pink, approximately 20 - 30 minutes, depending on the size of your strips.

Serve with any dip you like, or enjoy by themselves. They are so flavorful on their own, you really don't need any dip. 

Serves 4 

Enjoy!