I’ve said it before: Mr. How Sweet could eat the exact same thing every day for the rest of his life.
That was true long before I came along and tried to expand his culinary horizons.
I still picture plain ground turkey and bland egg whites whenever I think about his pre-me phase.
I love getting feedback on my recipes. Whenever I make something new, I grill Mr. How Sweet for about ten minutes.
I won’t lie — his economy of words drives me a little crazy, except when he decides to talk about me, which is pretty often.
The honey ginger chicken nuggets and buffalo chicken fingers were such hits at our house that I couldn’t wait to try another flavor combination.
Many evenings at our house sound like this:
Mr. How Sweet takes a bite, and before he has chewed four times I’m asking, “Is it good?”
“Uh huh,” he replies with his mouth full, eyes glued to the TV.
“Uh huh? Well, is it really good? Do you love it?”
“Yes, it’s really good,” he says, still focused on some terrible show.
“Is it better than the last time I made it? Is it hot enough? Crispy enough?”
“I don’t remember what I ate for lunch, let alone the last time you made this. It’s good.”
“But just good? Not great? Is it better than ground turkey?”
“It’s very good! But… I really love ground turkey.”
“Well… is it one of the best meals I’ve ever made?”
“It’s pretty good. But I really liked that crispy sweet-and-sour chicken you made.”
“Wait — I made sweet-and-sour chicken that wasn’t crispy AND I made crispy ginger chicken. Which one do you mean?”
“It’s good! CAN YOU JUST LET ME EAT?”
This is usually the moment Mr. How Sweet picks up his plate and moves to another room. I still have no idea why.
Honestly, the safest place for him might be the coat closet — I’m convinced there are monsters in there.
Crispy BBQ Chicken Fingers
1–2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons McCormick’s BBQ seasoning
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Combine the buttermilk and BBQ sauce in a baking dish. Add the chicken and marinate for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
In a large bowl, mix the panko, BBQ seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and flour. Coat each chicken piece in the panko mixture and place them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Lightly spray each piece with cooking spray or olive oil.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, flip the pieces, spray again, and bake for another 10–15 minutes until golden and cooked through.
When the chicken is done, brush with additional BBQ sauce before serving.
These chicken fingers rank right up there with the honey ginger chicken. Don’t ask Mr. How Sweet for his opinion — he’ll just tell you they’re… good.