Who doesn’t love chicken fingers?  I realize it’s a very kid friendly food but secretly, we adults love them too.  I’ve done different variations of chicken fingers in the past but when I ran across this recipe where the panko crumbs were already toasted, I knew I had a winner.  My kids enjoyed it although my four year old was curious as to why the breading would flake off.  It’s no Chickfila but you can feel good about a homemade healthy option.  The homemade honey mustard is really easy and is a tasty dipping sauce.

Baked Chicken Fingers

Recipe Adapted From:  Everyday Food Magazine

• 1.5 lbs chicken tenders
• 1 cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• Coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• Honey Mustard, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spread the panko crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a shallow dish, then add Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon salt; drizzle with oil and stir to combine. Place flour and eggs in separate shallow dishes. Increase temperature to 450 degrees.
2. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet; lightly coat rack with cooking spray. In batches, coat chicken in flour, shaking off excess, dip in egg, then coat with panko, pressing to adhere. Place on rack. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve chicken fingers with sauce.

Note: To make the honey mustard, combine 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons each mayonnaise and honey.