Crispy pieces of fried chicken are a picnic staple. But they can be a lot of work to make at home. So, instead of getting bone-in chicken, pick up boneless, skinless chicken to make fried chicken strips!
My kids prefer strips anyway, especially since there’s more of the crunchy topping – their favorite part. They’re a lot easier for dipping, too.
To make these strips moist and tangy, you’ll need buttermilk. I’ve tried substituting milk soured with lemon juice, but it’s just not the same. And you’ll need to soak them in the buttermilk for at least an hour. What I do to streamline the process is when I’m making dinner one night, say a stir-fry, I chop enough chicken for that recipe and then make extra strips to put in the buttermilk for the next night.
The buttermilk is key – but so is another unexpected "ingredient." A paper bag! I place the buttermilk-soaked chicken strips into a paper bag that has a 3-to-1 mix of flour and cornstarch in it. Shake it up, and the flour sticks to the chicken. If you try doing this in a plastic bag, the flour tends to stick to the bag instead of the meat.
I often double this recipe so that I can have leftovers for sandwiches. If you do, keep in mind that you don’t need to add more buttermilk; you just need enough so that the strips are marinated.
