Hearty Appetizer | CookingSecond.com

Italian Chicken Sticks

Written by admin on January 10, 2009 – 3:33 pm -

I just got done telling you about my family’s recent Appetizer Fest. Well, I was really excited when my cousin told me we were going to do this because I love appetizers, but I was having a hard time deciding what I wanted to bring. I knew that most of my family was bringing a dip of some kind, so we’d be covered in that area. I wanted to bring something a little bit more hearty or substantial so it would feel a bit more like a meal.

Then, the morning before the Appetizer Fest, I was watching Paula’s Home Cooking and she was making an appetizer spread too! She made these Italian Chicken Sticks and they looked really good. I realized that I had everything on hand for this recipe (one of the great things about this recipe). I made it for our Appetizer Fest, and it was a huge hit! I made a double batch and both batches were literally eaten within minutes of being taken out of the oven! And like I said they really helped to round things and make it feel more like a meal, which I know all the men appreciated.

Italian Chicken Sticks

1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan (I just used the stuff you get in a bag by the other shredded cheeses)
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Pinch ground red pepper
8 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 c. (1 stick) melted butter
Marinara sauce and/or honey mustard, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a pie plate or platter, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, thyme, basil, oregano, salt, garlic powder, and red pepper.**
Dip the chicken strips in the melted butter, then dredge them in the bread crumb mixture.
Place the chicken strips in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve the chicken sticks hot with marinara sauce (I just used jarred spaghetti sauce!), or serve hot or cold with honey mustard.

To prepare ahead of time:

I was going to my cousin’s house to make these, so I wanted to do as much as I could ahead of time. So, before we left for my cousin’s house I:

Mixed all the dry ingredients together in a gallon size ziplock bag.
Cut the chicken up into strips, and mixed it with the melted butter in a tupperware container.
I called my cousin a few minutes before we got to her house and had her preheat her oven.
When we got to her house I put the chicken in the microwave for a few seconds to reheat the butter. Then, I dropped a handful of chicken strips into the ziplock bag with the breadcrumb herb mix and shook it up…then baked. It saved a ton of time doing those extra steps ahead of time.
**Come to think of it, you could do all the steps, even bake them, ahead of time….they’d taste GREAT at room temperature! I think I’ll just do that next time!