Parmesan Baked Chicken Fingers

Wow! My 100th post! It's only taken me a couple of years to get here. Had I realized this would be my 100th, then maybe I would have chosen something more glamorous to share with you! Maybe for my 150th, I'll do something fancier.

On to the recipe...You can never have too many ways to cook chicken breasts. This is one I'll add to my "make frequently" recipe box, because it comes together so easily and the results are great! I found this recipe browsing a favorite food site, SeriousEats.com. Usually I browse that site for finding a great burger or slice of pizza wherever it is I'm travelling to. But, this recipe popped up in my google reader last week, I had all the ingredients on hand, and only a short amount of time to make dinner, so this was perfect.

The key here is Panko crumbs. These extra crispy breadcrumbs allow you to get a crispy exterior by baking, and not frying. The night I made these, I served alongside spaghetti and marinara. But these would also be great with a green salad and ranch dressing to dip the chicken fingers in.

The original recipe on seriouseats.com was prepared with roasted brussel sprouts and mushrooms, which I obviously replaced with delicious carbs. It also makes a LOT of chicken fingers (roughly 20 4-inch fingers), so I threw half of them in the freezer for another day. Don't feel limited by the thyme in the recipe. Italian seasoning works great as well.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup panko or plain dried breadcrumbs (USE PANKO!)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan (2/3 ounce)
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh chicken tenders, or boneless, skinless breast cut into strips
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or whatever herbs you have on hand. I used italian seasoning)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then toss in a bowl with one tablespoon of the oil and thyme. Allow to sit while preparing other ingredients.
2. In another small bowl, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan with a pinch of salt.
3. Toss chicken in the breadcrumbs and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast until cooked through, 15-20 minutes.