Homemade Buffalo Chicken Tenders

As is my way these days with very little sunlight and very few things to do, I combined some recipes in making this dish. Some recipes I follow religiously, but this group of recipes are usually dishes I have not ever made before and/or am not sure how they are supposed to look and taste. Why not take my time and craft something the world might not have ever seen? Why not give the world something as magical as tortilla encrusted homemade chicken. tenders coated in spicy goodness? What else do I have to do? Well, tonight I have to make more core board tree silhouettes, handmade Christmas ornaments and shave my legs, but I luckily was able to squeeze these in.

We all miss being able to live free of anxieties over everything from money to “respiratory droplets” and I made this dish tonight because it invokes corner bar casual living, which for me in my care for others, has been something which I haven’t enjoyed, except outside, since March. We all deserve some credit for getting through this and for trying to be as cognizant as we can in how we’re living, moving, eating and loving during this pandemic. The heart’s for all of us, because we all need as much love as we can have this season, a season we might look forward to usually, but looks nothing this year like it usually does. I have been trying when I can to patronize restaurants which have outdoor seating, and unfortunately, it hasn’t been super frequently. I think we’re all walking a fine line now, and I owe it to the people I do see to be overly cautious.

This pandemic has thrown a wrench in my life in many ways but this dish reminded me of what I truly am missing some of those things seem small, but are real to me. They might be real to you. Yes, I miss being in the company of people I love unfettered, teaching Pilates and moving freely, but I also miss my humble routines. I am probably at my best at a corner bar, nursing a drink and reading book, and I have found comfort in bartenders. and bars which has nothing to do with drinking. It has something to do with being in the presence of people who, like as in Cheers are “ always glad I came” and “know my name” . Due to some complicated messes, in my funny life, at times, it seemed at times the people I could count on for uncomplicated kindness were people bringing me a sm bowl of fries and Corona, asking me about my day. Truth be told ,I am not actually a big drinker and I learned early since I seem to have a hole in my toe, drinking until other people are satisfied I have drank sufficiently is not a game my liver does not wish to play. While I am comfortable in presence of excess, culturally I grew to be more comfortable in the cadence and rhythm of bar laughter than perhaps many other places except mass. I find I like the ease of pub culture, more than “the buzz” and certainly more than being excessive myself. This meal filled something in me, as food usually does, and my soul was hungering for more than simply dinner. My soul apparently has been hungering for both reminders of past memories of shared meals (including meals of spicy chicken) and reassurances we have lost so much, but we’ll be ok again. In having this dish tonight, my soul was fed, perhaps more than my tum. More than I miss bar food, pub lighting, and sitting on stools, I worry about establishments and business I care about and the people whose living depends on them, and I hope if you’re reading this and are in a position to do so, to consider shopping local and small and also to consider giving gift certificates to local restaurants as holiday presents this year. For the comfort these people and places have given me, they deserve to survive this mess. I have very little in terms of finances, but I am budgeting to spend some of my Christmas gift budget this year in this way…to ensure we will eat chicken tenders or tofu tenders again!!!!

Originally I was planning on making the healthiest version of these possible and I was struck by how the elves who run the internet disagree over what constitutes healthy, so I made them using my noggin and some on hand ingredients. Instead of frying them for the obligatory crunch, I coated them in a mixture of old tortilla chips which were stale, egg, milk and flour…baked them in a hot oven. I made my own hot sauce mixture from what I had on hand, and used light store bought bleu cheese dressing for my chicken and celery sticks. Since I have cooked fish coated in crushed tortillas I knew the coating would make chewy flavorful crunch on the chicken pieces, and I was super psyched!

For people who know me, it might be funny I have grown to love food and its preparation so much, but in cooking my way through the past few years, I have found real purpose in creating healthy recipes, creating celebration food, and as in this case, cooking for my comfort.

Ingredients

lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cups of crushed crunches ( corn flakes, pretzel bits, tortilla chips, etc)

0.5 cup of flour

2 eggs whisked

0.5 cup of milk

tsp of paprika

tsp of powered garlic

For the sauce

0.25-0.5 cup of Siracha or hot sauce ( I used Siracha and Pitt Boss BBQ sauce mixture)

2 tbs of store bought sweet bbq sauce

0.5 tsp powdered garlic

0.25 tsp paprika

0.25 Mexican Chili Powder

ground pepper (to taste)

Whatever else you wanna add

Plan of Attack

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees and line your cookie sheet in parchment paper

Clean the chicken of sinew and cut into sm strips…the tinier the piece, the quicker it will cook. Cut into very similar sizes though so they cook evenly. Whisk the eggs and add your milk to the egg mixture. Crush the “crunches” either using your hands or your food processor and add the listed spices. Measure the flour and put it in your medium bowl.

Dip each piece in the flour, dunk in egg/milk, and then dredge in the crunches.

Cook in your oven for 13-15 minutes

Mix your bbq sauce and brush the chicken individually in sauce. Pick up each piece and turn over in the bowl of the sauce and place on your platter.

Cut your celery into sticks and serve with love

YUM!