Chicken Tenders

Ok, enough with the breakfast foods! It's nearly impossible to get GF fried foods, save for french fries at a very few places that have dedicated fryers. Not that fried foods are particularly good for you, but they are pretty tasty and we DO live in the south, after all. We made homemade chicken tenders a few times in college, but, given the mess they create, hadn't attempted them in a few years.

My amazing email group introduced me to Choice Batter. I found it at HEB for $7.99 (!), but it was worth every penny! I was able to use one bag for 4-5 different meals (chicken tenders twice and french fries twice). Instead of using egg and then flour to coat the chicken, you mix the powder with water to make a liquid batter to coat your chicken/potato/etc. It's also pre-seasoned which is quite handy!

We buy the pre-cut chicken tenders because it's easier than cutting them yourself. I used our electric skillet to heat about 1" of vegetable oil at 375º, but a deep fryer would work even better (Christmas present, anyone?). Prepare the choice batter as directed on the package- you can halve the recipe depending on how much you're cooking. The first time I used Choice Batter, it didn't stick to the chicken very well.  This time I dredged the chicken in GF flour before dipping it in the batter and it seemed to do a lot better.

Fry the chicken in the oil for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and browned on the outside. I let them sit on some paper towels to soak up the extra grease before serving them. Another great thing about this batter is it absorbs less oil that traditional batters so it's almost good for you. :)

I like cream gravy with my chicken tenders and mashed potatoes and followed the typical recipe you find online:

Cream Gravy
3 Tbs. oil with meat drippings from frying pan
3 Tbs. flour (I used GF Pamela's flour mix)
1-2 Cups of milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix drippings and flour until well blended. Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil until gravy is thick and smooth, stirring constantly. You can add more flour or milk to change the consistency to you liking. Season to taste.

Yum!