Cornflake Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dipping Sauce

This is a leaner, healthier version of a perennial kid favorite – chicken fingers! The “ranch” dipping sauce also received a makeover. I used thick, tangy Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise to create a creamy dipping sauce with a bit of zip.

    • For the chicken:
    • 2 cups cornflakes
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1-1/2 pound chicken breast tenders

 

  • For the dipping sauce:
  • 1/4 cup 2% Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Place the corn flakes in a large zip-close bag. Seal the bag and massage the cereal with your hands until it’s broken up into a mess of uneven crumbs. You’ll have some larger flakes and some that are practically powder. Dump the cereal out on to a large dinner plate and set aside.
  • On another dinner plate, beat the egg lightly with a fork, then stir in the mustard, buttermilk, salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken tender in the eggy buttermilk mixture, then coat with the cornflake crumbs, pressing lightly with your fingers to allow as much of the cereal as possible to adhere. Place the coated chicken tenders in a glass baking dish. Bake on the middle rack for 20 to 22 minutes, removing them from the oven when they are just cooked through. They should be very crispy and golden.
  • Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by combine the yogurt, buttermilk, salt, pepper and parsley in a small bowl.
  • Serve the chicken tenders with dipping sauce on the side.
  • Quick Tips
  • 1. Since I was in sugar-avoidance mode at the time I made this, I also made a no-sugar variation using whole wheat panko in place of the cornflakes. Simply dip the dredged chicken tenders in panko rather than cornflakes and there you have it. The ranch dipping sauce is sugar free (aside from the naturally-occurring sugars in dairy products).
  • 2. If you cannot find pre-packaged chicken breast tenders, you can use chicken breasts cut into thin strips.
  • 3. I left the parsley out of the sauce for my kids. They are much more likely to try plain creamy-looking white sauce than a sauce with green flecks, of course.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

One response to “Cornflake Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dipping Sauce”

  1. denise says:
    April 2, 2012 at 6:33 pm

    Chicken Fingers!

    Reply

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