Chicken fingers that'll make your mouth water!

Recently, my mother-in-law came to stay with us.  Her main intent was to have time to spend with the kids, and celebrate her son's 50th birthday!  Yes...my husband is THAT old!  But while she was here...she blessed us by cooking several evening meals!  It was so nice to have some different flavors and meal styles.

While all of the dinners she made were phenomenal...her first one was the biggest hit with the kids.  She made chicken tenders.  They were juicy and flavorful.  And so simple I almost smacked myself!  Why fry?  When you can bake?  They were so much healthier than the fried chicken nuggets I usually make, and they take far less time!  So I watched...and have now copied her recipe!

When I made them...they were right on target once again.   Every kid ate them...and my husband ate them twice!  I love when I find a golden recipe!

The ingredients are few...chicken breasts, mayonnaise, Panko bread crumbs, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

The first thing I did (after preheating the oven to 450 degrees) was put 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise into a large zipper baggie.  I then added a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a half teaspoon of garlic powder and stirred that around inside the baggie.  Then I poured Panko crumbs into a pie dish (this makes it easier to dredge).  Sprinkle a little more paprika and a touch of salt and black pepper here and stir around with a fork.

Now comes the fun part!  I used 4 good sized chicken breasts.  Working two at a time, lay them out on your cutting board.  Trim the yucky stuff off and cover them both with a sheet of plastic wrap.  And here comes my favorite...using the smooth flat side of your meat clever (if you don't have one...you should get one.  Mine was hand-made for me by my amazing 16 year old!), beat the DEVIL out of those chicken breasts!  Haha!  Really, you just want to flatten them a bit.  maybe to a little more than 1/4 inch thick.

As soon as your done pounding...cut the breasts in half, and then into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Sprinkle a bit of salt straight onto the chicken. All that you've just done is going contribute to some of the juiciest chicken tenders you've ever had!

Drop your strips down into the mayo-mix and squish them around inside the baggie to make sure that they're good and coated.  I worked with about 5 or 6 strips at a time.

Pull them out of the baggie and drop them into the Panko.  I like to use tongs to coat them in the crumbs, so that I don't coat my fingers instead.

Once the strips are fully coated, place them on a baking sheet that you'll already have lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Slide those puppies into the oven and cook them for 20 to 25 minutes.  I recommend turning them about 5 to 10 minutes before they're done.  They'll get pretty crispy anyway...but your color will look a little more even.
Take up your chicken tenders onto a platter and watch them disappear!  My mother-in-law served them with just frozen french fries...which were gobbled up by the kiddos.  I served them with some oven roasted potatoes...that I've already posted a recipe for.  However you choose to accessorize your chicken tenders...I guarantee success!!