For Real Week Night Recipe #1: No-Guilt Chicken Fingers

Now that I'm spending time with more moms in the land of the burbs (where the most terrifying sight in my everyday life is no longer a taxi driver barreling down First Avenue, but a mom in a Ford Expedition, Starbucks in one hand, cell phone under her chin, going 50mph through a crosswalk) I've been listening more to their food issues. Specifically, the eternal conundrum that is weeknight dinner. It seems that, despite the many books and magazine articles that provide dishes that can be made in 3 minutes or less, or instruct you to spend an entire Sunday cooking up a week's worth of meals (because really, don't you have time to roast a chicken, simmer a pot of ragu, and bake a healthy flax seed loaf for a week of sandwiches?), every parent I know has a few days a week when they still don't know what to make, get overwhelmed by indecision, end up guiltily putting some frozen organic chicken nuggets in the oven, and then wonder if they are the only mom/dad that isn't defrosting a container of homemade ragu for dinner.

If you are this person then I'm here to tell you that, you're not alone!

And I've decided to take on the plight of weekday dinner guilt by figuring out the easiest, most delicious, kid friendly dishes I can.

First up: chicken fingers not-out-of-a-box.

I learned to make my chicken cutlets from my Belgian grandmother, who made the best all time fried chicken cutlets—I swear there was no equal. Her method was key: chicken is first dredged in flour, then a mixture of egg and milk, then covered with bread crumbs. Despite the fact that she made pretty much everything from scratch (from jam to ice cream), she actually used seasoned Italian bread crumbs for her chicken, which my mother would send her from the States via air mail.

I use these too, but sometimes make my own if I have a loaf of day old bread kicking around. Lately though I've been into panko crumbs—and isn't everybody? It seems you can't open up a food magazine without seeing a recipe using the Japanese bread crumbs, which are now pretty easy to fine at the supermarket. Because they are airier than typical crumbs, they make a lighter crust, but they come unseasoned so you need to add your own. Once I put the packet of crumbs on the plate I always add salt and pepper; sometimes I'll also add grated parmesan cheese and parsley; and for one of my favorite recipes I add a dash of cayenne pepper and melted butter, which makes for a stickier crust. For my easiest weekday version I use panko crumbs mixed with salt, pepper, and a little parmesan cheese, and then an egg/milk mixture that has a tablespoon of dijon mustard and chopped thyme mixed in.
You can skip the flour step, just do egg, then panko, and right into a hot pan. You are not deep frying so the pan only needs a thin cover of oil. My grandmother used regular vegetable oil, I prefer peanut oil (if you have allergies in the fam, then use canola instead). I cook them at around medium heat, enough to get them crispy but not to burn the crust, about 4 minutes on each side, depending on how thick your pieces are cut.
If you find chicken already cut into tenders, even better, but I also just buy boneless chicken breasts and use kitchen shears to cut them into finger shapes.  I always buy a couple of pounds because you'll be surprised how many your family can eat in one seating, and once you get frying you might as well keep going for an extra ten minutes so you have some leftovers for next day lunch or dinner. But again, this is about easy, so if you just have time for one meal's worth then that's fine too.
They even make a nice after school snack, for those days when Belle pops off the bus fully ravenous. In those instances I make a dipping sauce of Greek yogurt, sweet relish, and chili sauce (it's like Russian dressing). But of course a simple honey and mustard mixture is nice as well.

As for dinner sides: if my kids ate salad I would just serve a nice green one on the side, but they don't, so I usually roast some carrots or sweet potatoes while I'm cooking the cutlets (just preheat the oven to 450 as soon as you get home with the baking sheet inside, and add the chopped root vegetable of your choice, tossed with olive oil, and salt and pepper; they will be done in 15 minutes). I think some moms worry that they need one other side, but the crunchy chicken and a salad with a nice ranch dressing or soft and melty roasted vegetables seems satisfying enough to me.—Caroline