Cheddar Crusted Chicken Fingers with Whole Grain GoldFish Crackers

We all have our go to tailgating party recipes, buffalo chicken dip, hot wings, cocktail meatballs, and other party food goodness. The spicy dips are always my favorite and I could make an entire meal on that alone! So many football foods aren’t very kid friendly though, and without some options for the kiddos, you will probably find your child with an entire plate of chips for dinner! I think for many people, at least in the area where I live, Buffalo Chicken Dip is everyone’s favorite party dip. This recipe is my deconstructed, kid friendly, and healthy version of that dip! I took all of the components of the dip, chicken, buffalo sauce, cheddar, and ranch, and put them into chicken finger form!

I think in most families of toddlers and small children, the Goldfish cracker is the king of snacks. My daughter can put down some serious amounts of these crackers, and to be honest, my husband can too! So when thinking of how I could replace the tortilla chips that normally go into Buffalo Chicken Dip with a healthier swap, Goldfish crackers came to mind! The crackers make these chicken fingers a hit with kids, but with the addition of the buffalo cheddar dipping sauce, appeal to the adults as well.

I headed out to WalMart to pick up my Goldfish crackers and purchased the big carton because its a steal for the price! They are on RollBack right now, so it is a good time to stock up! I purchased the Whole Grain Cheddar, but this recipe would be delicious with the regular cheddar and I think they would also be divine with the pretzel Goldfish crackers!

You can find Goldfish crackers in the cracker and cookie aisle at Walmart.

I tested this recipe during one afternoon and while I was taking pictures, I stopped to get a drink of water. When I returned to my photo set up, one chicken finger was missing! I found one mischievous two year old sitting in the living room noshing on her prize! While I was upset to lose one of my photo props, I was so glad that my little one loved it so much! I finished off the other two fingers after taking the pictures and have to agree with her, these are delicious! I almost felt guilty eating them all before Ryan got to try them…almost. Although our favorite team lost last weekend and is out of the running, I will definitely be making these for the whole family to enjoy during the Big Game next month!

I paired these with a delicious dipping sauce where I combined all of my favorite flavors, garlic, buffalo, and cheddar! Check back next week for the sauce recipe. It is lick the bowl good!!

Do you have a favorite party food?? I’d love to hear about it!

Whole Grain Cheddar Crusted Chicken Fingers 

Ingredients:
Chicken breast tenders, about 1 lb
1 cup of smashed Goldfish crackers
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a cooking sheet with non stick cooking spray.

In a shallow plate or bowl, place your one beaten egg. In a separate bowl combine the smashed crackers, panko, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix with a fork to combine.

I like to pound my chicken tenders thin to reduce cooking time. Once pounded, dredge the chicken through the egg, shaking off an excess. Then dredge through the cracker mixture and then place on cooking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Bake for 7 minutes on one side, then turn and cook for another 6 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Make ahead directions: After breading chicken, refrigerate, covered, until ready to bake!