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My Super Versatile, Allergy-friendly Chicken Strips

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chicken strips with condiments

These Chicken Strips Are A Staple in Our House

They can be gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, grain-free, keto-friendly, kid-friendly, and husband-friendly. My husband could live on chicken strips. I don’t have to feel uncomfortable serving these to my family because I know exactly what is in them.

These chicken strips are another item that I like to batch cook. I will make enough for 3 months. It’s a great busy night type of meal that everyone will like. You can add them to salads, have them with dip, or even make chicken parm as I have done. You can add just about any seasoning to the dredge and this just furthers the possibilities with this dish. When I batch cook these, I make some with the regular dredge and some with Italian seasoning in the flour. You could totally use multiple seasonings in one batch and make several types of chicken strips. The possibilities are endless.

I never really follow the same process every time. It’s more of a technique that I want to bring to your attention/teach you about.

packs-of-chicken-from-costco-thawing-in-a-dish

The key is in the chicken.

It has to be raw, never previously frozen. There are only so many times you can defrost and refreeze food products before they lose flavor, nutrients and get freezer burn. They need to be raw to bread them.

Dredging the Chicken

ingredients to make allergy friendly gluten free chicken strips

I like to cut my chicken breasts into strips, but you can choose to leave them whole and flatten them out. The basic dredge is this:

  • Flour
  • Egg (or a substitute)
  • Panko, breadcrumbs, or chicharrones. You choose!

This is where you can add whatever seasonings you want to the flour. Have fun with it! You could add things like onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, whatever you feel like.

It’s Freezing in Here!

chicken strips in the freezer

You will freeze your raw, breaded chicken. When I freeze them, I flash freeze them on a cookie sheet for a few hours, or overnight. This process ensures they won’t stick together. I lay down parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet to make them easier to remove. After they are completely frozen, I put them in bags (these are my favorite) in the freezer.

My Two Go-To Favorites

That’s easy. I make one batch with Italian seasoning added to the flour. We love chicken parm in this house, but you could add these to any Italian pasta dish. So good! When I make the chicken parm, I just put them in a glass baking dish and top with marinara and parmesan cheese. Once cooked, I will serve them over pasta. Easy!

chicken strips used to make chicken parm

My other go-to way of using these is definitely on salads. Earlier, I mentioned we keep a sort of salad basket in our fridge (I talk about that here). With all the salad toppings and lettuce already prepped and ready to go (see how I prep my lettuce here), it is incredibly easy and quick to put a salad together.

chicken strips on a salad with dressing on counter

Sometimes I will add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the egg mix. We often eat chicken strips with my homemade honey mustard dressing or cherry barbecue sauce.

Honey Mustard Dressing
This homemade honey mustard dressing stores in the fridge for up to one week.
Check out this recipe
close-up-of-honey-mustard-salad-dressing-with-a-mixed-green-salad-with-chopped-chicken-strips
Cherry Barbecue Sauce
This sauce can range in flavor and spice levels – make it super spicy or sweet. This sauce can be made fresh when you want it, or canned for shelf-stable future use.
Check out this recipe
glass-jars-of-bbq-sauce-sitting-on-a-wooden-cutting-board-with-a-rubber-basting-brush

OK, Now Let’s Talk Allergies

Food allergies are the real reason I make these and I believe they are healthier than the ones you get from the store. 

Gluten-Free

If you need gluten-free panko, which can be hard to find, here is what I like to use. This brand is also soy-free, which is something I need. You can use any gluten-free flour. I often like to use almond flour. 

Egg-Free

Make sure the coating you use doesn’t have eggs in it. Panko often does. You can use arrowroot and cold water to make a slurry as an egg replacement. Melted butter works well too if you are only allergic to eggs.

chicken strips with fruit and vegetables

Keto/Low Carb

You can substitute chicharrones for breadcrumbs or panko. Just blitz them in a food processor to make crumbs. This is what I used to do that. 

We make homemade croutons, which can also be put through the food processor. Here is how I make those. I love to add them to one of my favorite spinach salads (Check out the recipe here).

I hope that this simple technique helps you to understand that making your own meals at home doesn’t have to be complicated and time-consuming.


chicken strips laid out on a sheet pan

Allergy-Friendly Chicken Strips

Amy Cross
These chicken strips are easy to make and easy to customize to your family's dietary needs. They are quick to make if you want to eat immediately and easy to store if you don't.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 404 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Chicken Breasts (I get the 3 pack of organic chicken breasts from Costco and there are 2-3 in each pack.)
  • 1 c. Flour
  • 2 Eggs, beaten
  • 2 c. Panko Breadcrumbs (I use gluten-free panko)
  • ½ tsp. Each optional seasoning of your choice Ex. Italian Seasoning, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic, etc.
  • ¼ tsp. Salt, or to taste
  • ¼ tsp. Black pepper, or to taste
  • Olive Oil Spray optional

Instructions
 

  • If eating immediately, preheat oven to 375℉.
  • Cut the chicken into strips.
  • Add flour to a medium bowl and completely cover the chicken strips in flour.
  • Dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture.
  • In a third bowl, mix the panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings of your choice.
  • Cover the strips completely in the panko mixture.
    You may have to use your hand to press down and make sure the panko sticks to the chicken.

IF EATING IMMDIATELY:

  • Optional: Lightly spray with olive oil for a nice golden brown look.
  • Place chicken strips in a casserole dish bake for 20 minutes.
    Internal temp of the chicken should reach 165°.

IF MAKING AHEAD TO FREEZE:

  • Place chicken strips in a single layer on a lined cookie sheet.
  • Flash freeze raw chicken strips for a few hours, or overnight.
  • Once chicken strips are frozen, move them to freezer safe bags for storage.

Notes

Again, this is how I make them, but you are welcome to use whatever substitutes work best for you and your family. 
I use tongs to dredge the chicken. I will hold the tongs in one hand and use the other hand to pat the panko down. This way, I’m not constantly having to wash my hands from touching raw chicken. 
I like to spray my chicken strips lightly right before baking with a little olive oil to get that nice, golden look. 
The Cross Legacy provides estimated nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is collected from the USDA database via Spoonacular, when available. If not available, nutrition information is pulled from other online calculators. Ingredients can vary and The Cross Legacy can make no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Serving: 4stripsCalories: 404kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 42gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 366mgPotassium: 631mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1g
Keyword allergy-friendly, chicken strips, dairy-free, dinner, family-friendly dinner idea, gluten free, keto, kid-friendly dinner, quick dinner idea

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Amy Cross
Hi, I’m Amy! I’m a wife, mom, author, speaker, influencer and Founder of The Cross Legacy. Eating fresh produce has always been important to me and my family, but during a season of my life when I struggled with... To learn more, click the 🔗 button above this bio.
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