Kid-friendly Cashew Crusted Chicken Fingers

Jonah, my 4-year old son, has gotten used to grocery shopping with me on Sunday mornings.  A month or so ago he adopted the, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mantra and has been making grocery lists and picking up produce items saying "I need this for my recipe".  

Last Sunday, he grabbed a bag of cashews in the bulk food section at Meijer.  I didn't stop him, because, well, I love cashews. Then when I picked up some chicken breasts, he told me "I'm going to smash the peanuts (cashews) and put them on the chicken." Good idea!! I quickly searched for a cashew crusted chicken recipe and I found this one from Emeril. See my slightly modified version below.  

Today we tried it, and he did most of the work. I prepped the three 'stations' and he did all the dredging. They turned out delicious and beautiful.  He even took the photo for the post.

Cashew Crusted Chicken Fingers

1/2 cup ground unsalted cashews*
1/4 cup cashews, chopped (or put into a plastic baggie and let your child smash with a meat mallet)
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch thick strips and patted dry
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup dijon mustard

Mix well.

DIRECTIONS

In one shallow bowl**, combine the ground cashews, bread crumbs, and chopped cashews and mix well. In another bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, beat the eggs with the water to make an egg wash.

One at a time, lightly dust the chicken strips in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg wash, and coat with the cashew mixture, turning to coat on all sides.

Place the chicken strips on a cookie sheet lined with foil, then cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, but as long as 3-4 hours. 

In a large saute pan or heavy skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken strips in batches to prevent overcrowding and cook, turning, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Place on a cookie sheet or paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat with the remaining strips, adding more oil as needed to coat the bottom of the pan.

I served this with creamed corn, white rice, and the dipping sauce.  

* If you can't find "unsalted" cashews, go for lightly salted and refrain from         adding salt to the flour. 

**I use glass pie plates.  I really never use them for pies, only for dredging!