Crispy Chicken Strips with Panko Crumbs and Smoked Paprika

This homemade panko chicken strips recipe is a delightful way to enjoy crispy, flavorful chicken. Made from scratch, these chicken strips are coated in panko breadcrumbs and smoked paprika, resulting in a delicious meal perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. This savory combination of ingredients creates a texture that is crispy perfection and a flavor that will leave you wanting more.

Jump to:

• Can I use regular breadcrumbs instead of panko for this recipe?
• How do you get panko to stick to chicken?
• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Instructions
• Tips for making Homemade Chicken Tenders
• What to serve with Crispy Chicken Strips
• Storage
• FAQs
• Recipe

The next time you need an quick and tasty dinner, try this easy recipe. Use simple ingredients to turn plain chicken strips into super crispy and juicy chicken by coating them in spices and crunchy panko breadcrumbs. 

Try making chicken nuggets instead by cutting the chicken into flat chunks instead of strips - so fun for kids! 

Can I use regular breadcrumbs instead of panko for this recipe?

You can use regular bread crumbs if you prefer but keep in mind you won't get the signature crispy crunchy texture that panko bread crumbs give.

How do you get panko to stick to chicken?

To get panko bread crumbs to stick to chicken you dredge it in flour, coat in egg, and then roll it in bread crumbs before cooking. The flour helps the egg stick and the egg helps the breadcrumbs stick.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

Substitutions

Instructions

This recipe is pretty quick once you have everything ready to go. Remember to keep one hand as a dry hand and one hand as a wet hand.

I like to keep my left hand as my dry hand and my right hand as the wet hand. Doing this helps prevent having both hands coated in eggy panko crumbs.

Get your breading station ready by placing each of the following in their own small bowl:

• the flour and spices (mix them together)
• the egg (whisk it and season with salt and pepper)
• the panko crumbs

BREADING TIPS:

• place the chicken in the flour with your dry hand.
• coat the chicken with the flour with your dry hand and move the chicken from the flour to the egg with your dry hand
• coat the chicken with the egg and move the chicken from the egg to the breadcrumbs with your wet hand.
• coat the chicken in the breadcrumbs and move the chicken from the breadcrumbs to the baking sheet with your dry hand.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 20-24 minutes, until cooked through, flipping halfway.

You can bake these chicken strips on a sheet pan with a wire rack on top to ensure you get crispy chicken all over as I do in my portobello fries recipe but I always have success baking them on a parchment paper lined sheet. The choice is yours!

Tips for making Homemade Chicken Tenders

What to serve with Crispy Chicken Strips

Serve these chicken strips as a snack by themselves with your favorite dipping sauce. I like mayo and hot sauce mixed together, my honey sriracha sauce, or my honey dill sauce. 

For dinner, serve the crispy baked chicken tenders with brown butter noodles with walnuts as in the photos, lemon pepper pasta, a broccoli cheese baked potato, creamy pea and ricotta carbonara, or a tomato based pasta like penne rosa. Serve my brown sugar Brussels sprouts or roasted sesame broccoli on the side.

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Reheat gently in the microwave or, for a crispier result, in the oven at 350°F (180°C) until hot.

Recipe

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This post was originally posted on September 29, 2016.