oven-baked chicken fingers with honey mustard

Let me tell you, I had a happy husband when these came out of the oven.

And what's even better? They're actually good for him. Usually, when Chad orders chicken fingers at a restaurant, all I can think about is that giant vat of oil in the back that's frying them up.  Meanwhile, he thinks he's making a healthy choice -- sigh.

So one of the things I put on my Labor Day weekend recipe list was a homemade chicken finger recipe, and I will say, crusted with panko and dusted with a little garlic powder, they are a major step up from those greasy, deep fried slabs of dried out meat you'll order at restaurants (you *know* they don't save the good parts of the chicken for the fried dishes).

If you have picky kids and are concerned about them developing unhealthy food habits, these are easy to make and completely delicious.  The panko mimics the crispiness that usually comes from frying, so these turn out crunchy out the outside, hearty on the inside, and totally delicious.  One trick for getting extra crispiness when you're baking these  instead of frying: bake them on a wire rack so the air can circulate above and below the chicken fingers -- that way you won't have mushy spots where they sat on the baking sheet. Serve them with this homemade honey mustard, or your favorite barbeque sauce!

Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken Fingers:

1/2 pound chicken cutlets, pounded thin and cut into strips

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup panko

1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

For the Honey Mustard:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS

For the Chicken Fingers:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the beaten egg on one plate for breading, and the panko on another plate. For each chicken strip, dip it first in the egg, and then in the panko, and place it on a wire rack over a baking sheet (like what you would use to cool cookies). If you don't have a rack, just place the chicken directly on a baking sheet, but you will need to turn them halfway through baking. Sprinkle the garlic powder and salt across the chicken fingers.

Bake the chicken fingers for about 10 minutes, and then increase the heat to 450 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve warm, with honey mustard.

For the Honey Mustard:

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and honey, and serve immediately or chill until ready to use.

Serves 2.