Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Holidays
  • Cooking 101
  • Healthy Living
  • Shop
  • News
  • Good.Food.Fast
  • CL Diet

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Register/Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Logout
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More Next
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More Next
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More Next
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    • New Year, New You
    • Super Bowl
    • Valentines
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • Shop
  • News
  • Good.Food.Fast
  • CL Diet

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Register/Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

CookingLight diet CookingLight diet
  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Recipes Chevron Right
  3. Chicken Finger Recipes

Chicken Finger Recipes

September 20, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Forget takeout or the frozen variety. Our chicken fingers are easy to make, tender, juicy, and made with ingredients you likely already have at home. Even better, they're lower in sodium and free of questionable ingredients. A universally loved dish, adults and kids alike will enjoy these chicken fingers. Crispy and crunchy, yet moist and flavorful on the inside, a good chicken finger is equal parts great crust and plentiful seasoning. Serve with a homemade dipping sauce on the side, and you’ll wonder why you ever went out for your chicken baskets.
Start Slideshow

1 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chicken Fingers and Green Beans with Tahini Sauce

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Claire Spollen
View Recipe: Chicken Fingers and Green Beans with Tahini Sauce

Easy to eat on the run, pair with tasty sauces, and pull out of the freezer in a pinch, chicken fingers are a weeknight staple for the whole family. Dress them up or down by customizing the flavors and spices to your preference and serve with your favorite dip. 

Chicken fingers aren't just for kids. Savory-sweet and addictive, the tahini-tomato dipping sauce offers a palate intrigue adults will love but enough flavor familiarity to keep it kid-approved.

1 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Quinoa-Crusted Chicken Nuggets

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
View Recipe: Quinoa-Crusted Chicken Nuggets

These crispy nuggets are worth nibbling—and a great way to use leftover quinoa. Kick the sauce up a notch with a dash of Sriracha, if you like. Garlic powder is great here, as it evenly distributes garlic flavor without having to worry about any mincing or the garlic burning in the oven. It's also important to chill the quinoa so that it adheres to the chicken. Rice flower keeps these nuggets gluten-free, but you can use whole-wheat or all-purpose instead.

2 of 13

3 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Homemade Chicken Fingers

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Homemade Chicken Fingers

Sorry drive-through: This version of the kid favorite is better than yours. 

3 of 13

Advertisement

4 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breast Tenders with Garlicky Dipping Sauce

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breast Tenders with Garlicky Dipping Sauce

A crunchy coating from a snack time favorite is sure to win big with the kids—especially when paired with a creamy garlic dip. Honey mustard would be good, too.

4 of 13

5 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chicken Tenders

Credit: Photo: Jen Causey
View Recipe: Parmesan Chicken Breast Tenders

We call for chicken breast tenders here to keep things easy, but you can also use skinless, boneless chicken breasts (which are less expensive). Just cut each breast lengthwise into 3 strips.

5 of 13

6 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chicken Nuggets with Crispy Potato Chips and Honey Mustard

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Chicken Nuggets with Crispy Potato Chips and Honey Mustard

Chicken nuggets populate almost every kid’s menu in America, but it’s safe to say that adults are fond of these little crispy bites as well. When fries and sauces are added, your meal can rack up to almost 700 calories. We’ve managed to get that same great chicken nugget taste, yet shaved off over half the calories in our lightened-up version.

6 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Coconut and Chia-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Coconut and Chia-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Our oven-baked chicken tenders are breaded with panko crumbs, shredded coconut, and chia seeds. The three create a satisfying, crunchy crust without ever touching oil. It’s the perfect finger food for game day or a quick weeknight dinner with far fewer calories than its fried version. 

7 of 13

8 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Parmesan-Panko Chicken Tenders

Credit: Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Parmesan-Panko Chicken Tenders

Most kids are hooked on breaded chicken of some sort.  So here’s a pan-fried version that’s much healthier than drive-through or frozen food options. Using chicken breast tenders makes these look like fast food, but you’ll feel so much better about feeding them to your kids. The crispy, crunchy panko breadcrumbs lend incredible texture. 

8 of 13

9 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Potato-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Potato-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Crunchy potato chips create a crisp crust when pan-fried in a small amount of canola oil and coated with a mixture of baked potato chips and flour. Don't skip a step in the breading process. The sticky egg and flour mixture makes a paste that helps the potato chips adhere to the chicken. Serve with broccoli and buttered penne for an easy weeknight meal. Low on ketchup? 

9 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Coconut Chicken Fingers

Credit: Photo: Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Coconut Chicken Fingers

Kids love the sweetness that the coconut adds to the coating of these chicken fingers. This recipe uses rice flour instead of wheat flour for the coating, making it allergy free.

10 of 13

11 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chicken Fingers

Credit: Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Pan-Fried Chicken Fingers with Spicy Dipping Sauce  

Ah. The chicken finger. A child’s best friend and so often a parent’s nutritional nightmare. Not any more. We did a number on this kid favorite and made it over in our Pan-Fried Chicken Fingers with Spicy Dipping Sauce. Instead of batter-coated, deep-fried chicken drowning in fatty sauce, our chicken gets a crunchy exterior from cereal.

Our recipe calls for a spicy dipping sauce made with mayo, hot chile sauce, lime juice, and soy. Try reducing or eliminating the hot sauce for kids, or feel free to serve with ketchup or homemade honey mustard by combining ¼ cup honey with ¼ cup mustard.

11 of 13

12 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Oven "Fried" Chicken Fingers with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

View Recipe: Oven “Fried” Chicken Fingers with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

These chicken fingers will have your loved ones—especially the kids—begging for an encore. The crunchy coating of lightly breaded chicken and the sweet and slightly tangy zing of the dipping sauce are a perfect paring.

12 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Oatmeal-Crusted Chicken Tenders

View Recipe: Oatmeal-Crusted Chicken Tenders

Using oatmeal in the breading adds crunch to these chicken tenders, which are sure to be a hit with adults and children alike. Serve with commercial honey mustard or light ranch dressing for dipping.

13 of 13

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 13 Chicken Fingers and Green Beans with Tahini Sauce
2 of 13 Quinoa-Crusted Chicken Nuggets
3 of 13 Homemade Chicken Fingers
4 of 13 Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breast Tenders with Garlicky Dipping Sauce
5 of 13 Chicken Tenders
6 of 13 Chicken Nuggets with Crispy Potato Chips and Honey Mustard
7 of 13 Coconut and Chia-Crusted Chicken Fingers
8 of 13 Parmesan-Panko Chicken Tenders
9 of 13 Potato-Crusted Chicken Fingers
10 of 13 Coconut Chicken Fingers
11 of 13 Chicken Fingers
12 of 13 Oven "Fried" Chicken Fingers with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
13 of 13 Oatmeal-Crusted Chicken Tenders

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Cooking Light

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Cooking Light Diet this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Cooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

View image

Chicken Finger Recipes
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.