I think everyone has seen all the variations of this recipe on Pinterest lately.  You can have Pretzel Crusted Chicken Fingers, Doritos Crusted Chicken Fingers, Potato Chip Crusted Chicken Fingers and now Cheez-It Crusted Chicken Fingers.  Basically any crunchy snack food you can crush you can coat your chicken with.

I have always said I am not a big fan of “Kid Food.”  What I mean is my children do not get hamburgers, hot dogs, spaghetti and chicken fingers on a rotating basis because that is all they will eat.  I do not make separate dinners for them nor do I tend to leave out ingredients because I think they won’t like them, although I will admit to leaving out mushrooms on occasion because I am not a fan.  I also like adding more flavor to foods with garlic, soy, Worcestershire sauce, etc… because my family does tend to like a more savory flavor than most.

When my daughter had a friend over for dinner I knew I had to try this.  My daughter’s friend is a HUGE Cheez-It fan and I figured this would be a hit.  I was right.  My entire family loved it and the kids even had leftovers for lunch the next day.  My family has already asked that I make this again.  I may do it with the Doritos next time just to see how they like the change in flavors.

I served this meal with Parmesan zucchini crisps and salad to make a nice crispy, crunchy meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. chicken breasts cut into 3/4″ to 1″ strips
• 1 box of Cheez-Its
• 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. powdered garlic
• 1 cup of mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a large baking sheet.  Spray with non-stick spray 2 metal cooling racks and place these on the baking sheets.  This will allow the chicken to cook and stay crispy.
2. Crush about 2/3 of the box of Cheez-Its with a rolling-pin or your hands.  Do not make them too fine but leave some nice big chunks to crisp up.  Stir in garlic powder and cayenne pepper until well mixed.
3. Put the cup of mayonnaise in a medium-sized bowl.   Drop 2-3 chicken strips into the bowl at a time.  Roll them in the mayonnaise until completely covered.  Then roll the strips in the Cheez-It and spices mix until completely coated.
4. Place chicken strips on wire rack when coated.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 until all chicken strips are coated with mayonnaise and Cheez-It mix.
6. Place pans in oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your strips.  Once they are cooked through remove from oven and let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.