Captain Crunch Chicken Fingers | Family Friendly Food
Years ago, I worked in Planet Hollywood in America, South Carolina to be exact. One of the days, on my break I discovered one of the tastiest appetisers I've ever eaten - Captain Crunch chicken fingers. I just could not get enough! And most days when my break came round I would order the juicy, crispy chicken strips, served with a creole honey mustard dip. The crispy coating was made from a popular breakfast cereal - Captain Crunch, which made them deliciously crunchy, with a hint of sweetness.
When I got home to Ireland I tried to make them, but there was a hitch, we don't have Captain Crunch over here. After a few attempts with different crunched up cereals and additions I've finally gotten as close as I think I'll probably ever get...
That's the back story to one of the most popular dishes in our house. Here's the recipe. I hope you love them as much as we do.
What you'll need:
- 500g mini chicken fillets
- 2 cups of Rice Krispies, crushed with your hand
- Salt & black pepper
- 1/2 cup of Parmesan, grated
- 1 cup of light mayo
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 230°C.
Put the cup of mayo into a small bowl.
In a larger bowl place 2 cups of Rice Krispies. Crush them up in your fist - or give that job to your kitchen helper..
They don't need to be all broken up. A few of the Rice Krispies won't crush up at all, others will be crushed to a fine powder. That's what you want, a mix of both. It won't take long but keep crushing until you get this consistency..
Season with the salt and pepper. Add the grated Parmesan to the Rice Krispies, and mix well.
That's the first part done - easy! Now you're ready to start coating...
With your left hand coat the chicken in the mayo one piece at a time. Take it out. Transfer it to your right hand and coat in the Rice Krispie mix. Press it down a little to get a good coating of crunch on the chicken.
Tip: Left Hand - Mayo // Right Hand - Rice Krispie mix. Keep it like that until all the chicken pieces are coated. This will stop the Rice Krispies coating your hands.
Once coated, transfer to a heated casserole dish and place in a really hot oven for 10 minutes, Turn the oven down to 180°C for the last 10 minutes. Total cooking time 20 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through remove from the oven. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a serving plate.
Serve with Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce...
What you'll need:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- Big pinch of cayenne pepper
How to make it:
Pop all the ingredients into a ramekin and mix together.
I still call these Captain Crunch Chicken fingers, I can't think of a better name! And they come highly recommended by me and the boys.