I was a really picky eater growing up, like sort of embarrassingly picky looking back…but I was always up for chicken strips or nuggets. In fact, even if they weren’t on the menu, I’d do my best to find a way to order them. At Chinese restaurants, for example, I would order sweet and sour chicken without the sauce and dip the fried chicken pieces in ketchup – yep, I was that kid. In high school, I always inhaled a plate of chicken tenders with my girlfriends at our favorite hangout, T.G.I. Friday’s. And even though I enjoy just about every kind of cuisine now, I still love chicken strips, and recently decided it was finally about time to make a grown-up version at home!
I coated my chicken strips with ground walnuts and bread crumbs. While they were baking in the oven, I whipped up a fall-inspired dipping sauce with apple cider. I stuck a spring of rosemary in the juice and simmered it on the stove under it reduced a bit. Then I added in some mascarpone cheese and a roux of butter and flour to thicken it up. The sweet sauce complimented the walnut flavor really well! I served the meal with some roasted butternut squash, but I think sweet potato fries would be even better!
Walnut Chicken Strips with Rosemary Cider Sauce
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
Walnut Chicken Strips:
1 1/2 cups walnuts, pulsed in the food processor until finely ground
3/4 cup bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into strips (I had 4-5 per chicken breast)
3 eggs, beaten
Rosemary Cider Sauce:
1 cup apple cider
1 small sprig of rosemary
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
To make the chicken strips, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix ground walnuts, bread crumbs, and salt in a shallow pan. Put the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in it. Place the beaten eggs in another shallow dish and dredge both sides of the flour coated chicken in the egg mixture; place chicken in the walnut mixture and coat well on all sides. Place coated chicken strips in a greased 13×9-inch baking dish and bake at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the apple cider and rosemary sprig in a small pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain mixture into a small bowl and whisk in mascarpone cheese until smooth. Heat butter over medium high heat in a small pan until melted. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one minute or until mixture starts to brown. Add in apple cider mascarpone cheese mixture and salt and whisk until smooth. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture thickens, whisking constantly. Serve sauce with chicken strips. Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition: 591 calories, 33.2g fat, 2.7g fiber, 47.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.58 per serving
The cider sauce sounds delicious with mascarpone cheese, and I the chicken strip is tempting too.
Kerstin! This sounds INCREDIBLE! The chicken strips are so nicely-coated…if only I can sink my teeth into them! I love that you used walnuts here…the earthy flavor will marry really well with that rosemary cider sauce!
As always, your culinary ingenuity blows me away! My husband loves chicken fingers, and the rosemary cider sauce sounds like something I could drink 😉 I think I’ll go with your suggestion and make these with sweet potato fries. What a great fall meal!
I have done a version where I dredge the chicken in mustard, coat it in crushed peanuts and bake. It is a great way to add a little extra flavor to chicken tenders!
I’ve never thought about combining marscarpone and apple cider. How unique. It’s so funny to think of you being a picky eater when you are now so adventurous with your flavors. I think the key is that you broadened your palate.
I had my fair share of chicken nuggets growing up as well. I was another picky eater and they were pretty much my go-to order. Along with fettuccine alfredo. The horror.
This dipping sauce has me drooling! I love how this whole dish screams fall.
I always ordered chicken fingers at every single restaurant my parents took me to as a kid! They used to get so frustrated when would go to a nice seafood place or steak house and I would order chicken fingers! These definitely look like a delicious grown-up version of a child-hood favorite.
(Raises hand) Can I get mine with a side of mac and cheese? I’m still 6, really.
It sounds delicious especially with the apple cider sauce.
ooh, loving this grown-up version
i was pretty similar as a kid, i’m sure my parents would agree!!
This sounds wonderful! I eat chicken probably 5 out of 7 meals, and this one sounds fabulous and not too difficult. I am adding the ingredients to my next shopping list!
That rosemary cider sauce sounds so interesting! I always find the most creative recipes on your blog. Hope you had a nice weekend!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Apollo Sinkevicius and Kerstin Sinkevicius, billy tooberish. billy tooberish said: Walnut Chicken Strips with Rosemary Cider Sauce | Cake, Batter …: I was a really picky eater growing up, like so… http://bit.ly/cKVMvH […]
I didn’t grow up eating chicken fingers but I still find them delicious. Your grown up version sounds better than the original!
Definitely a superb version of a childhood favorite! The walnuts and sauce must complement each other really well.
My husband and I love rosemary–these sound (and look!) delicious!
Kerstin, love the dipping sauce! And my daughter was just like you were. I think from the age of 4 to 16, chicken fingers were the only things she would order – we would tease her when she would look at a menu, because invariably, she would always order chicken fingers!
Love the addition of walnuts to the coating too – I am putting it on my list of things to make! 😀
Can’t wait to try this! You remind me of my best friend- she only ate chicken strips when we went out in high school! That apple cider dipping sauce sounds wonderful
Delicious looking grown-up chicken strips
Love the walnut coating and the sauce with cider & rosemary, fantastic!
What a lovely & autumn meal!! I love the walnut chicken strips & to add this lovely cider & rosemary sauce,..That combo must go so well together!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,…love it!
I love pecan chicken but have never used walnuts on chicken strips. with sweet potatoes- yum!
How fun. I was a big chicken fingers kid growing up too. Ever since I got my hands on almond meal, I’ve been wanting to use it to coat some chicken for Josh. I will have to follow your recipe but replace the walnuts with almonds. And the sauce is perfect for the fall.
[…] Kerstin’s walnut chicken fingers with rosemary cider dipping sauce – looks amazing! […]
Kerstin, I wasn’t even thinking when I saw this recipe, but I host a weekly recipe contest called BSI (Blogger Secret Ingredient). This weeks secret ingredient is apple cider – you should enter your recipe!
It’s being hosted here:
http://errign.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/bsi-apple-cider/
You have until October 17 to enter 😀
Oh this sounds so perfect for fall. Love the combination of the apple cider flavor and walnut crust on the chicken!! Delish!
Haha! I love that you ordered sweet and sour chicken without the sauce
So cute! I’ve made a vow that when I have kids I will never feed them the pre-packaged chicken nuggets and that I will always make my own (easy to say now!). These look fabulous for kids and grown-ups alike 
Crunchy breading with nuts is so great–and nutritious. Your dipping sauce sounds fantastic too!
The walnuts sounds like a great addition and I like the sound of that sauce!
Just had a thought–have you ever had Katie Joel Lee’s cornflake strips? They’re so good!
So creative and tasty! The sauce sounds amazing.
I was picky too Kerstin – give me a plate of fries for dinner and I was set. Your tenders look so crispy! And I love the dipping sauce!
Wow, Kerstin, you have truly elevated chicken strips to elegant gourmet – these are GORGEOUS!! I love the idea of rosemary and cider simmering together – what could be more heavenly for fall? *blissful sigh*
ground wanuts in the breadcrumbs, what a great idea. the sauce looks heavenly!
[…] where we visited the Dole Plantation. I initially wasn’t so excited about this excursion, being a picky eater and all, but when I saw my brother inhale a huge plate of the fresh fruit in about two seconds, I […]
Very unique dipping sauce! I’ll have to try it.
I was really picky growing up, too. I absolutely love crusting chicken with nuts. SO good. The dipping sauce sounds amazing!
I never pass up a good chicken tender recipes and these look absoluitely perfect.
Your creativity always amazes me! A rosemary cider sauce?! Awesome! I had a friend in college who was still that picky kid – he ordered sweet and sour chicken w/o the sauce or veggies and dipped them in ketchup too! We always thought it was funny that he claimed to like Chinese food when it was really just a different form of chicken nuggets
Thanks to all! I’m glad I wasn’t the only picky eater that somehow became a foodie