You will never guess that these Parmesan Chicken Strips are grain free. The parmesan coating is crispy, delicious and works well baked.
Chicken strips are an iconic "kids food" with a bad reputation to go with it. They can be found on most children's menus and are often deep fried, unappetising and unhealthy. However, when done correctly, chicken strips can be a delicious and healthy part of a family meal. Due to their popularity with children, parents are always asking me for healthier alternatives. These parmesan chicken strips work great baked and are perfect for kids who have a gluten intolerance. You can add in some dried herbs and spices to suit taste but they taste delicious plain too.
My other chicken nugget style recipes include these quinoa crusted nuggets (my personal favourite) and coconut chicken tenders (which the boys adore). All the recipes involve dipping and coating and I like to think of myself as a bit of an expert now. Long gone are the days that I would have more coating on my fingers than the chicken!
COATING THE CHICKEN - TIPS AND TRICKS
If you are coating the chicken by yourself then I suggest you use one hand to dip in the egg and the other hand to dip in the parmesan/almond mixture. This stops the mixture building up on your fingers with every piece of chicken you coat. When I am cooking with the boys I usually give them different tasks. One dips in the egg, the other rolls in the crumb and I place on the rack. This makes the process a lot cleaner and easier.
I like to bake these parmesan chicken strips for two reasons. 1) It is healthier 2) It is easier. My two get hangry (so hungry that the lack of food causes them to become angry) around dinner time and I like to keep it stress-free. Placing the strips in the oven is much easier than standing over them when frying.
Kids love their finger foods usually because they come with a dip! I try to serve dips that have some added goodness in them (blended veggies) like this kale pesto, avocado dip or beet dip. Pictured is a zucchini hummus recipe from Jessica Sepel. My eldest absolutely loved it but my youngest preferred to dip them in greek yoghurt.
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Parmesan Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- 500g (2 large) Chicken Breasts, cut into strips See note 1
- 60g (¾ cup) Parmesan, grated See note 2
- 60g (â…” cup) Ground Almonds See note 3
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- Light spray of Olive oil
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 200C / 390F
- Mix the parmesan and ground almonds together and place in a shallow bowl /flat plate.
- Dip the chicken into the egg with one hand and then place in the parmesan mix. Use your other hand to sprinkle and roll in the parmesan mixture. Then transfer to rack on a baking tray. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Lightly spray with oil and bake for approx 15-18 mins (depending on size of chicken strips)
- Serve straight away.
Recipe Notes
- I often use chicken tenders in this recipe to save me cutting breasts into strips. Simply replace the chicken breast with 500g / 1lb of chicken tenders.
- Â I buy a block of parmesan and freshly grate for this recipe. If you prefer you can replace with store bought fresh parmesan that you find in the chillers.
- You can replace the ground almonds with panko breadcrumbs if you do not have to worry about it being gluten free. You may need around another â…“ of a cup.Â
Gillian Weppler says
Could you freeze? Thanks!
Amy says
Hi Gillian, I haven't actually frozen these but I think they would freeze well.
kristina says
can i ask would you use this as part of baby led weaning ? my child has no teeth yet 🙂
Amy says
The parmesan could be a bit high in sodium, especially if your baby just gums the coating off! I have a coconut coated version but I found my boys struggled with chicken at such a young age (every baby is different though). These chicken meatballs have a soft texture and would be great for blw (just leave out the soy sauce if you want, to reduce sodium levels) https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/ginger-lemongrass-chicken-meatballs/
Eliza says
Are ground almonds the same as almond flour? Struggling to keep my 8 year old LCHF, she doesn’t really like meats! These look amazing. Thanks!
Amy says
Hi Eliza, yes you can use either in this recipe. I hope she likes them 🙂
Thanh | Eat, Little Bird says
I love chicken strips just as much as the kids do!! And what a great idea to use ground almonds - I must try that next time as it sounds delicious.
Amy says
Thank you!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Ooh I've never tried using ground almonds as a breading before! Great idea, must try that.
Amy says
Thanks Becca, enjoy!
chris says
Oh wow, these look super crispy and delicious! I can see me eating an entire batch to myself... *prints recipe and ignores suggested serving size*
Amy says
Ha ha, thank you! We always ignore serving suggestions too!
Kathryn Clayton says
These look perfect gluten free chicken strips, fab finger food. Love the parmesan coating, will be trying this for sure:-)
Amy says
Thanks Kathryn! Hope you love them as much as we do!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
These would be very popular with my kids! I'm always looking for healthy but tasty quick and easy meals so will add this to the meal plan
Amy says
Thanks Bintu, what is it with chicken nuggets and kids?! Enjoy!