Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips Recipe

by Lauren Hendrickson 2

Buffalo wings are quintessential game day eats, but they're often a little hard and messy to make at home, and those premade ones from the store just never seem like a good idea. Thankfully, this recipe's perfect for Monday Night Football; it brings together crunchy, panko-crusted chicken, numbingly tangy buffalo sauce, and blue cheese dip for a classic buffalo wing combination without as much hassle.

You can make the strips even healthier by swapping the regular mayo for a lower-fat alternative, or even using sour cream or milk instead. If you find yourself with leftovers, just thin the dip with a bit more milk for a blue cheese dressing, and toss the strips into lettuce leaves to make an amazing chicken salad! Skip out on your local pub's food — we promise you won't miss the orange-tinted fingers — and make your own buffalo chicken strips when you keep reading.

From Fine Cooking

Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips With Blue Cheese Dip

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 lb. chicken tenders
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot sauce, depending on desired heat
1/4 tsp. cayenne
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 oz.)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbs. milk

Directions

1. Pour the panko into a shallow dish (like a pie pan) and toss with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Trim off any exposed tendon ends from the wide tips of the chicken tenders, if necessary. In a medium bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise with the hot sauce, cayenne, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. Add the chicken and toss with your hands to coat well. Coat each tender in the panko and arrange in a single layer on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate while you heat the broiler and make the sauce. Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element, and heat the broiler on high for at least 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise with the blue cheese, sour cream, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a small blender. Whisk until well combined and only small bits of cheese remain intact.
5. Broil the tenders, flipping once, until they are crisp and golden brown in spots on the outside and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side (rotate the pan as needed for even browning). Transfer the tenders to a platter or to individual plates and serve with the dipping sauce.

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