Crispy, crunchy and utterly delicious, my tortilla crunch chicken strips take traditional chicken strips to a whole new level! Chicken tenderloins are coated in a zippy seasoning and then in crushed white corn tortilla chips for lots of flavor and crunch, then served with a mouthwatering guacamole ranch dipping sauce for extra zestiness!
Chicken Strips with Tortilla Chip Crunch
Friends, if I had to a name a favorite comforting “finger food” that's truly tough for me to pass up, it's chicken strips.
I love chicken strips, and have had a mighty fun time playing around with different versions of them here on the site, with my famous coconut crunch chicken strips and my potato chip chicken strips—a couple really yummy examples.
I see chicken strips as a wonderful canvas, because I can season the chicken with a myriad of flavors.
And the coating?
The sky's the limit when it comes to experimenting with that too!
For these really good chicken strips (even if I do say so myself), I'm taking things in a zippy and zesty direction by marinating the chicken tenderloins in lime and warming spices, then dredging them in crushed white corn tortilla chips before a quick trip into hot oil for frying.
And since no chicken strip worth its salt is complete without an accompanying dipping sauce, I love to serve these crispy, crunchy and ultra flavorful tortilla crunch chicken strips with my homemade guacamole ranch dipping sauce—so zippy, and so finger-licking good!
My Recipe for Tortilla Crunch Tortilla Strips
To create the maximum amount of flavor in these fun and whimsical chicken strips, I start by marinating my chicken breast tenderloins in some flavorful ingredients...
For a bit of zip and warmth, I use both lime zest and lime juice in this recipe, as well as cumin, granulated garlic and black pepper.
Once the chicken is marinated, I use a standard dredging method of first dipping in flour, then whisked egg, then the crispy outer coating.
And speaking of that outer coating...
These chicken strips are unique because I like to use crushed white corn tortilla chips as the coating, which makes these strips extra crunchy!
I do this by simply using my food processor to quickly process the corn chips until they're fairly fine, about the texture of panko breadcrumbs. Then, the marinated chicken tenderloins are dredged and pressed into the chip crumbs until well coated.
A quick trip into a pot to fry make the strips nice and golden, with lots of crunch.
Then, all that's left is to serve these up with that creamy, zesty guacamole ranch dipping sauce, for the ultimate chicken strips platter!
Here's a glance at my tortilla crunch chicken strips recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To get started, I marinate my chicken tenderloins for about twenty minutes to impart lots of flavor.
- While the chicken marinates, I prepare my guacamole ranch dipping sauce to have ready and on hand to serve with the strips.
- Next, I dredge each chicken tenderloin in flour, then in whisked egg, and finally press into the crushed corn tortilla chips to coat well.
- I fry the tortilla crunch chicken strips in batches for a couple of minutes in hot oil until a deep golden-brown, then drain on a wire rack.
- Finally, I plate up and serve with the guacamole ranch dipping sauce on the side. (You can even make a more complete meal out of these by serving with rice, black beans, and my avocado salad.)
Recipe
Tortilla Crunch Chicken Strips
by Ingrid Beer
Deliciously zesty, these tortilla crunch chicken strips are ultra flavorful and crunchy, served with a zippy guacamole ranch dipping sauce!
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Southwest
Yield: Serves 4
Nutrition Info: 697 calories (with 2 tablespoons of dipping sauce)
Prep Time: 45 minutes (includes marination time)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Tortilla Crunch Chicken Strips Ingredients:
- 6 ounces white corn tortilla chips (will yield roughly 1 ½ cups crushed)
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken tenderloins, cut in halves or thirds lengthwise to create thinner strips
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- ¼ teaspoon (heaping) salt
- Pinch or two black pepper
- ¾ cup flour
- 2 eggs, whisked
- Pinch or two cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Vegetable oil or avocado oil, for frying
Guacamole Ranch Ingredients:
- 2 ripe avocados, skin and pit removed
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled of paper
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1 tablespoon (generous) lime juice
- ½ cup loosely-packed cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your chicken strip ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- To make your tortilla chip coating, add the white corn tortilla chips to the bowl of a food processor and process for a moment or two just until the chips are fairly fine (similar to panko breadcrumbs), with a bit of texture still left. Pour into a large, shallow dish for dredging, and set aside.
- Next, place the chicken strips into a medium-size bowl, and add in the lime juice plus the remainder of the ingredients up to and including the black pepper, and toss to coat the strips well. Allow the strips to marinate for about 20 minutes.
- Then, gather and prep all of your guacamole ranch ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- To prepare the guacamole ranch, add all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and process until completely smooth and well blended. Cover and keep in fridge until ready to use.
- Prepare your dredging station by adding your flour into a bowl, having your whisked eggs there in another bowl, the crushed tortilla chips, along with the pinch or two of the cayenne pepper and the paprika, in a small ramekin.
- Add about 4 cups or so of the vegetable or avocado oil to a medium-sized heavy bottom pot, and clip on a digital thermometer. Slowly heat the oil, bringing it up to 360° to 365°.
- While the oil heats, add the marinated chicken strips to the flour, and toss to coat them well. Next, dip individual strips into the whisked eggs, allowing any excess to drip off, and then dip the strips into the crushed tortilla chips, pressing them in to coat them well.
- Repeat until all strips are well coated.
- Once your oil is hot, add about 3 to 4 strips into the oil at a time (you'll work in batches), and fry them for about 2 minutes, until crispy and golden. Remove them and allow them to drain on a wire rack, and sprinkle over some of the cayenne and paprika mixture, plus salt, while still hot. Repeat with all the strips.
- Enjoy while fresh and hot with the guacamole ranch on the side for dipping.
Tips & Tidbits for my Tortilla Crunch Chicken Strips recipe:
- Chicken breast tenderloins for tender, juicy chicken strips: While you can certainly use skinless chicken breasts cut into strips here, I love to use chicken breast tenderloins and simply slice them in half (lengthwise) to create a slightly thinner chicken strip. They're also naturally very tender, and make for ultra tender and juicy chicken strips.
- White corn tortilla chips: I'm opting for white corn tortilla chips here, because they become a nice golden brown once fried. While you can use yellow corn chips just as easily, they will become much darker once they are fried. To crush the chips, simply use a food processor and do a quick whirl to create a fairly fine, panko-like texture. You could even add them to a large ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush 'em up as well!
- Guacamole ranch dipping sauce, or use your favorite: What I appreciate about this mouthwatering sauce is that it adds freshness and zip to this recipe, and it's easy to prepare in the food processor in just minutes. However, feel free to use store-bought ranch dressing, or your favorite dip here, if pressed for time.
- Make a complete meal out of these tortilla crunch chicken strips: If you'd like to make these more of a dinner than an appetizer or snack, you can serve these tortilla crunch chicken strips with a side of rice, black beans, a refreshing tomato-cilantro salad, or even my avocado salad!
Hungry for more cozy finger foods? Check out my recipe for Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips, Potato Chip Chicken Strips, Crostini with Grilled Steak, Shrimp Tostada Bites, Mexican Corn Dip, or even my recipe for Chicken Taquitos!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015, and has been updated with even more love!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Love these chicken strips.. they look perfectly crunchy and golden.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Thalia, thanks!
Liz
Nice recipe - thank you.
The Cozy Apron
Thanks, Liz! 🙂