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Letโs eat fancy kid food!!
Well, these arenโt really fancy, but they are definitely not your average chicken finger either.
What is it about chicken fingers thatโs such fun? I actually never ate all that many chicken fingers while growing up, but when I did, I remember it as being summertime. I was either at the pool snack bar OR out to lunch with my grandma (where chicken fingers where about the only option on the menu that Iโd eat). Speaking of that, anyone ever eat at Houlihanโs? I used to go there occasionally with my grandma when my grandpa was out-of-town and weโd spend the night together and go out to dinner. I remember Houlihanโs as having the best chicken fingers.
So wait, maybe I did eat my fair share of chicken fingers growing up. I guess I just never ate them ate home because my brothers would always cook those frozen Tyson ones, and even back then they short of gave me the creepsโฆbut I was a super weird child and snacked on carrots instead of chips, drank water instead of soda and would never go near fast food.
Yeah. Odd.
Anyway, today I made use a super healthy chicken finger. One my brothers would be disgusted with. Especially my eldest brother who literally has a fear of all things quinoa.
He doesnโt think he likes it, but you see, he does. He actually loves itโฆhe just doesnโt know it. I sneak it in his food whenever he comes to visit and he raves about the dish. MahHHHha. Picture me with an evil little face rubbing my hands together like an evil mastermind cause thatโs currently what I am doing.ย MahHHHhaโฆ
Also, they should have an emoji for that. Thatโd be awesome.
Ok, but these quinoa dukkah crusted chicken fingers, they are coated with all the good things. And by that I mean all good for you. Even the pesto is a step up from sugar filled ketchup (but donโt get me wrong, I love ketchupโฆespecially the fruit spiked one I just made. YUM).
Dukkah is anย Egyptian spice/condiment made up of different nuts, seeds and herb. Itโs uses are almost endless. You can use it on meat, add it to olive oil for dipping bread, stir it into sauce for extra flavor, sprinkle it over hummusโฆ I mean I could keep going, but I think you get the idea, you can use it for a lot of different things. Cool!
For my Dukkah, I used dry toasted quinoa and pistachios. I know I just posted a quinoa recipe yesterday and all, but these chicken fingers just sort of happened unplanned one day and I could not wait to share them.
So here they are! They are so easy and quick to make and maybe if you live with non-picky eaters you can get them to eat these too (or just add some extra butter and donโt say anything)! They taste so good. And when served with that sun-dried tomato pesto (that I can literally eat with a spoon) โ YUMMERS!!
And since chicken fingers fill me with goodย summertime vibes that means the snow is going to stop, right? Yeah โ not, there is a winter storm warning for 12-24 inches tonight and tomorrow!
Pistachio Quinoa Dukkah Crusted Chicken Fingers with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup roasted pistachios
- 1 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
- 1 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, 8.5-
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray or brush it with the olive oil.
- In a bowl combine the buttermilk and the chicken, toss well.
- To make the dukkah, heat a heavy large skillet over high heat, add the quinoa, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds and coconut. Dry-toast until slightly browned and fragrant, being careful that the ingredients don't burn. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
- To a blender or food processor, add the cooled quinoa and seeds, pistachios, salt and pepper. Pulse until finely ground, but be careful not to turn the mix into a paste. The leftover Dukkah and be stored in a sealed jar for up to 1 month in a cool place.
- Add half the Dukkah to a shallow bowl and stir in the parmesan. Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, and dredge through the Dukkah, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. Make sure not to crowd your pan, if necessary use two baking sheets. Lightly spray the fingers with cooking spray or a mist of olive oil.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, then gently flip using kitchen tongs and spray the other side. Bake for 10-12 minutes more, then remove from oven and serve with the sun-dried tomato pesto (recipe below).
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
- To a blender or food processor, add the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, then add the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and basil. Blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato pesto to a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Wishful thinking I guess.
I use halfbaked harvest for recipes all the time , but this is my first comment. My family has loved everything I’ve cooked from here. This recipe was so good. I used thighs instead of breast because we only like dark meat. I cooked it with kale sautรฉed with garlic, and rice. I sprinkled the dukka over it all and mixed in the pesto. Sooo good. Happy kids and husband ๐
OH my gosh, this makes me so happy! THANK YOU! ๐
Could I use ground coriander and cumin?
Sure, that will work well for you!
Chicken fingers are the best! This spicy, crispy crust sounds just fantastic. I bet there would be excellent with a super-green dipping sauce too — maybe a chimichurri?
Girl you still have snow?!!! Lucky you!!! These look to die for and so so delicious!!