These healthy homemade frozen chicken strips can go directly from the freezer into your oven! You’ll never want to buy the processed store-bought ones again.
I was asked this past week where do my recipe ideas come from?
And most of the time, the answer is ‘I don’t know!’, because I get inspiration from everything that I read, everything around me, produce at the grocery store, something I saw on Pinterest, etc. It all just kind of soaks into my brain, and a recipe idea comes together!
However, in the case of this recipe, I can tell you: inspired by a true story. And that story involves a 5-pm OMG what’s for dinner moment by your’s truly, a bag of processed chicken strips, followed by feelings of remorse.
In all truthfulness, those store-bought chicken strips are delicious. Salty deliciousness, with that crispy breading and always perfectly tender interior.
But I’m always left wondering what exactly I just ate, why do they taste so $%^& delicious?! And do you want to read the ingredients on the packaging? No. Trust me, just don’t.
So this recipe is inspired by my attempt to see if I could make a healthier version of those chicken strips, using real ingredients and chicken breasts.
I tried out a similar breading technique as I did for these Lemon Parmesan Chicken Strips, and guess what?? I CAN!
You guys. These chicken strips turned out way better than I could have imagined!
They have the crispy exterior, and are soooo moist. Ben and I were both astounded at how moist these stayed!
These healthy homemade frozen chicken strips were SUPER easy to make: roll in some flour, toss in some egg, then coat in a seasoned Panko mixture. I froze mine on a plate for 3-4 hours before transferring to a large plastic bag. It’s really that simple!
I hope you love them as much as I do!
Healthy Homemade Frozen Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup whole wheat Panko regular works fine as well
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1.5-inch wide strips.
- Place in three separate shallow bowls the flour, the eggs, and in the third bowl, combine the Panko, salt, pepper and garlic salt.
- Working in batches of 2-3 strips, first roll in the flour. Tap gently to remove excess.
- Dredge in the egg, then in the Panko mixture. Place on a plate.
- Freeze for 3-4 hours, then transfer the chicken strips into a large plastic bag.
To Bake
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- When oven is heated, arrange the chicken strips on the baking sheet, leaving a few inches between each one.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then bake for another 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Patsy
Looked nothing like the picture. Batter didn”t cook. Looked just like it did when placed in the oven. Ended up having to brush oil on them.
Denise
Hi Patsy, that’s strange to hear. Did you use Panko breadcrumbs?
Patsy
Yes. When the chicken cooks there is so much coating on them so no moisture to help cook the breading. By brushing with olive oil, they brown nicely. We do like the taste of them though!
Teresa
I found this recipe a month or so ago and just popped a few in the oven – delicious!
Have you done this as chicken chunks or “boneless wings”? If so, do you have the cooking time/temp?
Thanks!!
Denise
Hi Teresa, glad you enjoyed! I don’t have any experience cooking boneless wings, unfortunately. This recipe suggests 375 for 20 minutes, so that might work?
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
Call me weird, but I love homemade oven-baked chicken nuggets/strips waaaaay better than the deep-fried takeout stuff. They’re seriously SO good and you can eat a zillion of ’em without feeling guilty! Love that these can be popped in the oven straight from the freezer!
Denise
I feel like after cooking all day we should have dinner figured out, but sometimes us food bloggers can get a little burnt out around 5pm…ha ha! Thanks Ashley!
Ashley@CookNourishBliss
This is SO smart to make and then freeze for later! And so much better than the store-bought kind! I love it!
Denise
Thanks so much Ashley! They have already save me from a 5pm meltdown once this week…ha ha!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
I love the idea of having these stashed away in the freezer for ‘chicken emergencies’, Denise! I never would have thought of doing that, so thanks for the idea!
Denise
Thanks Helen! They are such a lifesaver!
Izzy @ She Likes Food
I’m kinda obsessed with the color of that basket lol! It’s so pretty! These chicken strips also look really good! My husband is a sucker for anything that is coated with bread crumbs and baked so I know he would love these! And, yes, it’s usually better not to read the ingredients on processed food lol!
Denise
It was the Oh Joy! line from Target…before Target left Canada 🙁 THanks, Izzy!
olivia - Primavera Kitchen
I love this recipe, my dear. It is perfect for a healthy appetizer. Pinned it 😉
Denise
YES! Thanks so much, Olivia!
Rachel @ Bakerita
Yeeees I love how quick and simple these are – such a perfect weeknight meal, and they look SO good! I’ve got to prep some of these soon to keep on hand 🙂
Denise
Thanks Rachel! I was pleasantly surprised at how moist they ended up 🙂
Kelly
These chicken strips look perfect and so much better than anything from a package! Love this healthier and freezer-friendly version. They would be a hit at our house!
Denise
Thanks, Kelly! It’s so much better knowing what ingredients are in them!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Homemade chicken strips are SO much better than the take-out kind! I’m loving this freezer version. So perfect for when the cravings strike!
Denise
Totally! I am just happy to know I can make them ahead and freeze them!