Name: Gluten-Free Crispy Chicken Fingers
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 6 slices (about 6 ounces) gluten-free sandwich bread , torn into quarters; 1/2 cup cornstarch; Salt and pepper; large eggs; 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed and cut lengthwise on slight diagonal into 3/4-inch-wide strips; 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

For a gluten-free coating that cooked up crisp, flavorful, and perfectly browned, we took a few tricks from our Gluten-Free Eggplant Parmesan recipe. We started by processing store-bought gluten-free sandwich bread in the food processor (we knew store-bought crumbs would cook up dry and taste stale). And because these crumbs break down into fluffy, sticky clumps, we then toasted them to dry them out for fine, dry crumbs that coated the chicken more evenly. Still, there were some bare spots. Adding some cornstarch to the crumbs ensured an evenly browned coating. The same breading method—dipping in cornstarch, then egg, then the bread crumbs—that we’d used for our Gluten-Free Eggplant Parmesan worked equally well here (although we skipped adding cheese to the crumbs for a simpler coating). As for the cooking method, pan-fried won out over oven-baked, delivering chicken fingers with a crispier exterior surrounding perfectly moist, flavorful chicken.

Before You Begin

Bread may clump together during toasting; make sure to break it apart into fine crumbs before breading.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Process bread in food processor until evenly ground, about 30 seconds. Spread crumbs in even layer on rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees.

Transfer crumbs to shallow dish, breaking up any large clumps into fine crumbs. Stir in 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Beat eggs in second shallow dish. Place remaining cornstarch in large zipper-lock bag.

Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with half of chicken at a time, place chicken in bag of cornstarch, seal bag, and shake bag to coat chicken. Using tongs, remove chicken pieces from bag, shaking off excess cornstarch, dip in eggs, then coat with bread-crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Place breaded chicken on prepared wire rack.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. Drain chicken briefly on paper towels, then transfer to paper towel–lined plate and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining breaded chicken. Serve.