Potato Chip Chicken Strips

My potato chip chicken strips are an extra crispy, extra whimsical take on a classic finger food, and a fun appetizer or snack for “kids” of all ages. Prepared with a crunchy coating of kettle cooked potato chips, these delectable chicken strips are utterly mouthwatering when plunged into a cool sour cream and onion ranch dipping sauce!

Chicken Strips With an Extra Crispy Potato Chip Coating

Getting out the fun and tasty finger foods on a movie watching Saturday evening is one of our favorite things to do.

For us, the snacking typically consists of some sort of yummy and crispy chips-n-dip situation.

Or, if we're feeling like we're craving something a bit more substantial, then we opt for some homemade chicken strips, freshly shallow fried. (You can check out my Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips, or my Tortilla Crunch Chicken Strips, if you'd like.)

So when I had a hankering recently to create a new finger food for us to enjoy when we're craving something delicious and whimsical, I imagined that “mashing up” two of our favorite snacks/appetizers would be an extra tasty way to go.

My potato chip chicken strips were an instant hit for my hubs and I, and we fell in love with how tender and juicy they were on the inside, with an incredible crunch from the kettle chip coating!

And because we love sour cream and onion dip with our chips, I created a cool sour cream and onion ranch dipping sauce to go with these irresistible little strips to tie all the flavors together.

Talk about a terrifically tantalizing match made in appetizer heaven, perfect for a fun night in!

My Recipe For Potato Chip Chicken Strips

When it comes to the potato chip coating for these chicken strips, what you're going to want to use is an extra crunchy style of chip...

For this, I'm opting for kettle cooked potato chips that are lightly salted—they can hold up really well as a coating and not lose their crispy-crunchiness.

I'm using a reduced fat kettle cooked potato chip (I like the 40% reduced fat), because they are lighter and contain less oil, which is ideal for this preparation.

I like to crush my potato chips fairly finely so that they adhere well once the seasoned chicken strips are dredged in flour and then in whisked eggs.

Then, it's off to the skillet to fry 'em up for a few minutes on each side until golden-brown and extra crunchy!

Here's a sneak peek at my potato chip chicken strips recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I season my chicken tenderloin strips and allow them to marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes, or even longer, for added flavor.
2. While the chicken marinates, I whisk together my sour cream and onion ranch dipping sauce, and keep that chilled in the fridge.
3. Next, I use the standard method of lightly dredging each chicken strip in flour, whisked eggs, and finally give each a firm press in the crushed potato chip coating.
4. I heat enough oil in my large skillet for shallow frying (about 1 ½ to 2 cups worth), and heat that until simmering. I add a batch of my coated chicken strips into the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden-brown and cooked through.
5. After frying, I allow the potato chip chicken strips to drain for a moment on a wire rack, sprinkling with a touch of salt and pepper fresh out of the oil.
6. I serve with my sour cream and onion ranch on the side for dipping, perhaps even garnish with a sprinkle of chives.

Recipe

Potato Chip Chicken Strips

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These potato chip chicken strips are a crunchy little appetizer, made utterly irresistible with sour cream and onion ranch for dipping!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 4

Nutrition Info: 436 calories per serving (with ¼ cup of dipping sauce)

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Potato Chip Chicken Strips Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds chicken breast tenderloins, sliced in half lengthwise to create thinner strips
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ½ teaspoon granulated onion
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 5 ounces reduced fat, sea salt kettle cooked potato chips, finely crushed (I used “Cape Cod” 40% less fat)
• Vegetable oil, for shallow frying (about 1 ½ to 2 cups)

Sour Cream and Onion Ranch Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• ¼ cup minced chives
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pinch black pepper

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your chicken strips ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Add the strips of tenderloin to a bowl, and add a couple of generous pinches of salt and pepper, along with the granulated onion and garlic. Toss to coat, and allow the chicken to sit for 10 to 15 minutes (or more) to absorb the flavor.
3. While the chicken marinates, gather and prep all of your sour cream and onion ranch dipping sauce ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
4. To prepare your sauce, add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk or fold together until completely combined. Set aside in fridge to keep chilled.
5. Next, set up your dredging station by having the flour ready in a shallow bowl, whisk your eggs in another shallow bowl, and add your crushed potato chips to another large, shallow bowl.
6. Take each chicken strip and gently dredge in the flour, next dip in the eggs, then dredge in the crushed potato chips, pressing firmly to coat the strips well. Set the strips onto a large platter to hold, repeating with all of the chicken until coated.
7. Add enough of the vegetable oil to a large skillet to shallow fry (about 1 ½ to 2 cups), and heat on medium to medium-high heat until shimmering (you can test the oil by dropping in a piece of coating, and it should sizzle).
8. Working in batches, add some of the chicken strips into the hot oil and fry for about 3 ½ minutes on that first side, until a deep golden brown. Flip the chicken strips and fry on the other side for another 2 minutes, or until a deep golden brown, and the chicken strips are cooked though.
9. Place the fried chicken strips onto a wire rack to drain, and repeat with the remaining chicken strips.
10. Once all are fried, give an extra sprinkle of salt and pepper, and serve with the sour cream and onion ranch on the side for dipping.

Tips & Tidbits for my Potato Chip Chicken Strips recipe:

• Chicken breast tenderloins for juicy strips: When making homemade chicken strips, I typically like to go for chicken breast tenderloins as they are the most tender part of the chicken breast. They're easy to slice in half, lengthwise, and always yield tender, juicy results. However, feel free to sub skinless, boneless chicken breast and cut those into thin strips, if that's what you have on hand.
• Kettle cooked potato chips for crunch: Kettle cooked potato chips are extra crunchy, so these are what I love to use as my coating for these strips. They are hearty, which is helpful, as they become extra crispy once shallow fried. I prefer to get the reduced fat kettle cooked chips, since they're less oily (love the Cape Cod brand's 40% reduced fat version).
• Marinate the chicken for extra flavorful chicken strips: While you don't need long for marination, I'd recommend at least 10 to 15 minutes to allow the chicken tenderloins to absorb the seasoning, for more flavorful strips. You can even go as long as 30 minutes, if you'd like, for even more flavor.
• Reheating potato chip chicken strips: When we have a few leftover strips, we simply reheat them in our toaster oven at 350° for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through. They regain their crispiness very well this way!

Craving more yummy appetizers? Check out these Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips, these Tortilla Crunch Chicken Strips, this baked Popcorn Chicken, these Shrimp Tostada Bites, or these Thai Nachos!