Recipes for Shabbat

Chicken Fingers

By Eileen Goltz

SIMPLE CHICKEN NUGGETS (meat)

Cut chicken into nugget-size pieces, about 1x1/2-inch. Put oil in deep fryer or put about 2 to 3 inches in a Dutch oven; heat to 360°. Mix flour with salt in a small bowl. Mix vinegar with baking soda. Add vinegar mixture and water to the flour mixture; beat until smooth. Dip chicken pieces into batter; allow excess batter to drip off into the bowl. Fry chicken nuggets, 4 to 6 at a time, until golden brown, or about 4 minutes for each batch. Serves 4. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

CRISPY COCONUT CHICKEN FINGERS (meat)

Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl combine the coconut, flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dip the chicken strips into the beaten egg, then roll it in the coconut mixture. Place the coated chicken piece in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with it with melted margarine. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through, turning once. Serves 3 to 4.

CRISPY CHICKEN FINGERS (meat)

In a resealable plastic bag, place 1 chicken breast and seal bag part way. Pound chicken until flat and about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Repeat this procedure until all the chicken breasts have been flattened. Cut the flattened breasts into strips and place them in another resealable bag.

In a bowl combine the rice milk, garlic powder, and beaten egg together and mix to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the bag with the chicken and seal. Place the bag in the refrigerator and let marinate for 4 to 6 hours. (The longer it sits, the stronger the garlic flavor will be.) In yet another resealable bag, combine the flour, bread crumbs, salt, and baking powder. Seal bag and shake to mix.

After marinating the chicken, Place a few pieces of chicken at a time into the flour mix bag, seal and shake to coat meat. Repeat until all the chicken Is coated. Fry in pan of heated oil until browned, about 7 minutes usually. Remove meat and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked. Serves 4 to 6.

BEER BATTER CHICKEN STRIPS (meat)

In a bowl beat the egg lightly with a whisk. Beat in the beer, and then add the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper. whisking until smooth. Cover and let stand for 25 to 30 minutes before using. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Using tongs to hold chicken strips, dip them in the batter, allowing the excess to drip off. Remove and carefully lower, one by one, into the hot oil. After about 1 minute, turn the strips. Continue to turn the strips occasionally until they are golden, cooking for a total of 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined tray. Pat more towels on top to absorb excess oil. Serve immediately with barbecue sauce or sweet and sour sauce. Serves 3 to 4.

BOURBON MUSTARD CHICKEN FINGERS (meat)

Thread chicken strips onto 6 (5-inch) wooden skewers; place them in a heavy-duty, zip-top bag. In a bowl combine the brown sugar, mustard, bourbon and soy sauce, mix to combine and pour over chicken. Seal bag, and refrigerate at least one hour, or up to four hours, turning occasionally. Broil or grill for about 8 minutes or until done, turning once. Serve warm. Serves 6. This recipe can be doubled or tripled. I tend to double the sauce recipe but just use 6 chicken breasts.

CAJUN CHICKEN NUGGETS (meat)

In a shallow dish combine the flour, pecans, oregano, cumin, thyme, cayenne, and salt.

Melt 6 tablespoons of the margarine in a small saucepan. Dip each of the chicken pieces first in the margarine, then in the flour mixture to coat well.

Melt 3 tablespoons of remaining margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the chicken pieces and sauté until nicely browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons of margarine and the chicken. Serve the chicken nuggets with toothpicks and your favorite mustard for dipping.

NOTES: The cooked chicken can be stored covered in the refrigerator. Before serving, heat the chicken, wrapped in aluminum foil, at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

This recipe adapted from "The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook" Serves 8 to 12 as an appetizer.

And now for something different,

PINA COLADA DIPPING SAUCE (pareve)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and serve with chicken strips or fingers or nuggets.

BENIHANA STYLE GINGER DIPPING SAUCE (pareve)

Place all ingredients in an electric blender and set at high speed. Mix for 2 minutes or until ginger and onions are finely chopped. Note: If fresh ginger is not available, substitute 1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger. Makes 1 scant cup. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.