Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, cut into long strips

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon onion powder

• 1 egg

• 1 cup breadcrumbs or breading of your choice

• ½ cup cooking oil, or enough for shallow frying

Prepare the breading station with the seasoned chicken tenders, egg wash, and breadcrumbs.(Photo: Alan Smith)

Method

1. Cut the chicken breast into long, even strips.

The chicken breasts are cut into long, even strips.(Photo: Alan Smith)

2. Season the chicken with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, making sure each piece is well-coated.

Season the strips with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to ensure all pieces are well-coated. (Photo: Alan Smith)

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg to make an egg wash.

Crack the eggs into a separate dish and whisk them to create an egg wash.(Photo: Alan Smith)

4. Dip each piece of seasoned chicken into the egg wash.

5. Transfer the chicken to the breadcrumbs or breading of your choice and coat well.

Transfer the egg-washed chicken into the breadcrumbs, ensuring an even layer covers all sides.(Photo: Alan Smith)

6. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Fry the chicken tenders over medium heat until evenly golden-brown and cooked through. (Photo: Alan Smith)

7. Carefully add the chicken tenders and fry until golden-brown and cooked through, turning as needed.

Shanice Gore prepares a batch of chicken tenders while daughter Mila watches keenly. (Photo: Alan Smith)

8. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.

Serving Suggestion

For Mila’s lunchbox, I paired the chicken tenders with her favourite fruit, mozzarella cheese balls and her favourite dipping sauce. I like to keep the sides fun and simple while making sure there’s something I know she’ll enjoy.

The great thing about these chicken tenders is that you can add whatever carbohydrate your child likes. Serve them with potato wedges, French fries, pasta, rice or mashed potatoes. You can even add a simple salad or other vegetables if your child enjoys them. The idea is to build the lunch around foods your child will actually eat and enjoy.

Chicken tenders (Photo: Alan Smith)

Back-to-School Tip

The chicken can be seasoned ahead of time and kept refrigerated until you’re ready to bread and cook. This makes preparing lunch on busy school mornings a little easier.

You can also prepare extra chicken tenders for the next day’s lunch. Having a few homemade favourites ready to go can make back-to-school mornings feel a whole lot less hectic.