Popcorn-Crusted Chicken Tenders

The perfect finger food, popcorn-crusted chicken tenders are flavorful and crunchy with a buttered popcorn coating. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

If you have been reading here for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of Costco and shop there regularly when I am in the States but I must confess that, IMO, their microwave popcorn is terrible. So many kernels left unpopped that it’s ridiculous. 

I bought my husband their enormous box of microwave popcorn a few years ago as a surprise treat and we ended up throwing most of it away. Did we have an old batch? The expiry date said otherwise. Truly, I didn't know what to think. If you’ve had a different experience, I’d love to hear about it. Maybe it's improved?

After trying many brands (Act II, Pop-secret, Orville Redenbacher, Jolly Time, etc.) we’ve finally decided that Orville Redenbacher original butter is the best value for money with the number of kernels that actually pop vs price and flavor. (Also no PFAS in the packaging these days.) So that’s what I used in this recipe. If you use a brand that tastes good and pops more reliably, I’d love to hear about that too! 

That said, you can also use stovetop popped corn but then you won't have the buttery flavor in the crust. 

Popcorn-Crusted Chicken Tenders

This recipe was adapted for one on All Recipes that was meant to be cooked in an air fryer but having baked similar dishes in my oven, like my oven-baked butterflied shrimp and salt-and-vinegar-chip crusted cod fingers, I cranked up the temperature and it worked great. Crunchy chicken outside, tender tenders inside.

Ingredients

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon mustard powder

Several generous grinds black pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

14 oz or 397g chicken tenders (about 8)

1 bag Orville Redenbacher butter microwave popcorn or your favorite brand

1 large egg + pinch sea salt

Method

Use a sharp knife to remove the thick white tendon from the tenders. 

Dry them thoroughly with paper towels then season them with them with the salt, paprika, mustard powder and black pepper. 

Toss them with the cornstarch to make sure they are seasoned all over and completely coated. 

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a baking pan with baking parchment or a silicone liner. 

Pop the bag of popcorn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Open and leave to cool then measure out 4 cups or about 35g of popcorn into a plastic bag and crush it into crumbs. 

In a large bowl, beat the egg well with the pinch of salt. 

Dip the seasoned chicken pieces into the beaten egg.

Then add to popcorn crumb bag and shake to coat.

Place the coated chicken on your prepared baking pan. 

Bake for 8 minutes in your preheated oven. 

Turn the chicken over and cook for an addition 6-8 minutes or until golden and cooked through. 

Serve hot and crispy with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for and/or with popcorn in celebration of National Popcorn Month! Many thanks to our host Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Beurre Noisette Popcorn Balls, A Bubbly, and Other Popcorn and Wine Pairings by Culinary Cam
• Bourbon Popcorn Trio by Our Good Life
• Caramel Popcorn by Sneha's Recipe
• Nacho Cheese Popcorn Seasoning by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Parmesan Thyme Popcorn with Browned Butter by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Popcorn-Crusted Chicken Tenders by Food Lust People Love
• Popcorn Granola Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sweet and Salty Popcorn Snack Mix by Making Miracles

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Artisan Bread Bowls #BreadBakers

These artisan bread bowls are crusty outside and tender inside, the perfect accompaniment/vessel for your favorite thick soups. (I served mine with New England style clam chowder.) And bonus: Serving soup in a bread bowl means no bowl to wash up either! 

I am the odd person out in my house. My husband and both daughters are massive bread fans but unless it’s hot out of the oven or, in the case of my favorite fromage jambon-beurre sandwich, filled with slices of jambon de Paris and Comté cheese first spread thickly with French butter, I can take it or leave it. 

Fortunately for my family, despite not eating it much, I love baking bread. I enjoy the process, slowing down and allowing the yeast or sourdough starter to do its work transforming flour and water. Like magic. And I especially love the wonderful aroma that wafts through the house when the bread is in the oven. It brings the family right downstairs and into the kitchen like a magnet. 

When I told my younger daughter that I was hosting this month’s Bread Bakers event and that I had chosen “bread to pair with soup” as our theme, she immediately said, “Make bread bowls!” So I did. 

Artisan Bread Bowls

Start the bread bowls a day before you are wanting to serve them to allow for an overnight stay in the refrigerator. The long, cold rise allows more flavor to develop. This recipe is adapted from one on the King Arthur Flour website.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups or 295ml lukewarm water

1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 cups or 375g flour

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/3 cup or 40g whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup or 28g coconut milk powder (or sub powdered cow's milk)

Rice flour for sprinkling before scoring - you can sub regular flour but it will brown more than rice flour so the definition on the bread bowls won't be as obvious. 

Method

Add the warm water and 1/2 cup or 63g of the flour to your mixing bowl. Stir well and then sprinkle on the yeast. Cover and set aside for about 5-7 minutes. The yeast should activate and begin to bubble and foam.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining 2 1/2 cups or 313g flour. 

Mix and knead them all together until you've created a smooth dough.

Cover the bowl and put it in a warm place. Leave the dough to rise for about 45 minutes. 

Prepare a baking pan by lightly greasing it or lining it with parchment or a silicone liner.

Punch it down and divide the dough into 4 pieces. My big ball of dough weighed 752g so I divided by four and each ball weighted 188g. I'm a little anal like that but if you are not, just eyeball it. 

Tuck under and roll each piece into a nice tight ball.

Place the balls on your prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with a little flour.

Cover the bread bowls with greased cling film.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Mine were in the refrigerator for about 20 hours. The longer the slow rise time, the more flavor is created. 

When you are ready to bake, remove the bread bowls from the refrigerator. Uncover, and let them sit for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F or 218°C. 

Place one oven shelf in the middle of the oven and one under it at the bottom. While the oven preheats, put an ovenproof cast iron or metal pan on the bottom shelf. 

Just before baking, sprinkle the tops with rice flour and use a sharp blade to slash the top surface of the bowls in a circle to allow them to expand. 

Put the kettle on and boil enough water to fill the empty heated pan up halfway. 

When the oven reaches temperature, put the baking pan with the bread bowls in on the middle shelf and then quickly add boiling water to the hot pan on the bottom shelf. Close the oven door as quickly as you can to keep the steam in.

Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until the bowls are deep brown, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Once they are completely cooled, use a serrated knife to cut the top off at an angle then cut around the inside and use your clean hands to remove the bread inside. 

I hate to waste good bread so I pulled the innards apart into small pieces and toasted them in a hot oven (375°F or 190°C) for about 12 minutes, to use as croutons for our soup. (This is two innards. I saved the other two bread bowls for another day and repeated the process.) 

Or you could make fresh breadcrumbs. Or stuffing. Just don't waste good bread, okay? 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it’s my Bread Bakers group post day, as it always is on the second Tuesday of each month since August 2014! I’m hosting and our theme is “Bread to pair with Soup.” Check out the many great recipe links below. 

• Artisan Bread Bowls from Food Lust People Love
• Brazilian Cheese Bread from Passion Kneaded
• How to Make a Crusty French Baguette from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• No Knead Bread from Making Miracles
• Pao de Milho from A Messy Kitchen
• Skillet Corn Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Soft Bread Rolls for Soup from Sneha's Recipe
• Sourdough Breadsticks from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Whole Wheat Rolls for Soups and Sandwiches from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Leftover Pizza Pizza Salad

Leftover Pizza Pizza Salad is a lovely meal, with croutons from leftovers and other fresh ingredients with pizza flair, like pepperoni, tomatoes, olives, anchovies and mozzarella.

We have a family tradition that Friday night is pizza night or at least it almost always was when our girls were young and still living at home. These days we do pizza night way less often but it’s still a mostly Friday night treat when we do. 

We always order extra because leftover pizza makes the best breakfast. It also makes fabulous croutons for snacking on or sprinkling on salad, especially  Domino’s thin and crispy extravaganza, which is what I used for this salad. 

Leftover Pizza Pizza Salad

Use the ingredients list as a jumping off point for your leftover pizza salad. Hate anchovies, leave them out. Don’t like olives, try artichoke hearts instead. Whatever your favorite pizza toppings are, they will probably go great in a salad!

Ingredients

1-2 slices leftover pizza

1 romaine heart, chopped 

2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges

12 slices pepperoni

1 small shallot, finely sliced into rings

10 black olives, pitted and chopped

3-4 anchovies in oil, drained, cut into pieces

1/4 cup or 60ml Caesar dressing – from this recipe https://www.foodlustpeoplelove.com/2013/03/caesar-dressing-with-anchovies-or-capers.html or store-bought

Method

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and prepare baking pan by lining it with baking parchment or a silicone liner. 

Use a sharp knife to cut the leftover pizza into small pieces. 

Bake them on the prepared pan in your preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes or until they are browned and crunchy. 

Slice the pepperoni into strips. Pit and chop the black olives. 

Peel and slice the shallot into thin rings. 

Chop the lettuce and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Arrange them both on a large serving platter. 

Scatter the pepperoni strips, black olives, shallot rings and cheese over them. 

Blot the anchovies on a paper towel to remove the excess oil and cut them into pieces. Dot the pieces around the salad. 

Serve the pizza salad with the leftover pizza croutons and the Caesar dressing. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for pizza or a twist on pizza ingredients. Many thanks to our host, Amy of Amy’s Cooking Adventures. Check out the links below. 

• Cheeseburger Pizza from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Keto Cottage Cheese Pizza from Sneha's Recipe
• Leftover Pizza Pizza Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Pizza Dip from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Potato and Rosemary Pizza from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Puff Pastry Pizza Pockets from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Roasted Garlic Alfredo Pizza from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• The Elusive, Enjoyable Gluten-Free Pizza from Culinary Cam
• Turkish Pide from Sizzling Tastebuds

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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