Healthy Mustard Chicken Fingers

 Growing up chicken fingers are a staple in every child’s diet. Back in the 90s these things were served at every sleepover, birthday party, post game tailgate, or restaurant table. It is the only thing every single kid enjoyed eating and a food that parent’s could guarantee their child would finish. Now that I have grown older and more focused on what ingredients are going into my body, I cannot remember the last time I ordered chicken fingers. While chicken is still a staple in my diet, there is no need for the excess batter and fried oil that comes along with this order. It wasn’t until my Whole30 experience, where I actively was restricting all fried food, that I realized I kind of missed them. You always want what you can’t have, right? It wasn’t even necessarily the grease aspect, but mainly the crunchy and crisped factor that encases the chicken and the option to dip them in delicious sauces. With the evolution of my taste palette steering away from fried foods, as I got older I also fell in love with an ingredient that I grew up despising: mustard. As a kid, I used to hate when my mom would spread mustard on a Philly pretzel at a sports game and now I would do just about anything for that combination. I mean it, in my kitchen, mustard goes on everything. Not only is mustard a great dipping option for these healthified (making up words) chicken fingers, it is also a main ingredient in the batter to make sure every bite has that spicy and tangy taste.

Ingredients (serves 2):

• Chicken breasts (2)

• Egg (1)

• Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour (¾ cup)

• Sir Kensingtons spicy brown mustard (2 tablespoons & ¼ cup)

• Sir Kensingtons ketchup (¼ cup)

• Avocado oil

• Salt & pepper

Special Equipment: cast iron skillet

Directions:

1. Crack and whisk an egg in a bowl and stir in the 2 tablespoons of spicy mustard

2. Pour the 3/4 cup almond flour into a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper

3. Cut the chicken breast into 1/2-inch-wide strips and pound them to even thickness

4. Place each chicken strip into the bowl with the egg mixture and then onto parchment paper

5. Once done, use a dry hand to then place the egg-wash covered chicken in the other bowl to coat it with the flour mixture

6. Heat a cast iron skillet and add, once hot, add avocado oil

7. Once the oil has heated, slowly place down the coated chicken into the skillet

8. Once browned and crisped on one side, flip and cook for similar length on the opposite side

9. After the chicken is fully cooked through and crisped on the exterior, remove from the skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil

10. Serve hot alongside the remaining 1/4 cup of spicy mustard and ketchup