Crunchy, oven baked chicken fingers with a Mexican seasoned crumb, designed for stuffing in tacos. Or dipping in your favourite sauce!
Crunchy chicken taco fingers
Not that we could ever get sick of tacos – not even old school beef mince ones (shredded iceberg and crispy taco shells a must!) – but sometimes it’s nice to do something a little different.
So here I am today, with an offering from something different. Specifically, something crunchy inside our tacos, rather than the usual saucy or shredded or grilled, something baked rather than fried (yet wow, look how golden they are!), and something that is in long finger-form designed to neatly fit one inside each taco so that the cook (that’d be you, and me) only needs to crumb 16 long strips rather than a gazillion little pieces.
My, what a long winded way to say we’re making Mexican chicken finger tacos today!! 😂
Truthfully, regular chicken fingers has been on my “to publish” list for a long time. But chicken finger tacos are so much more fun, don’t you think!?
Golden baked crumbed things – unusual but effective!
There’s a handful of my “great golden baked crumbed things” tricks on show in today’s recipe:
Oven toast the panko first – it will never go golden in the short bake time to cook the chicken. Don’t kid yourself, like I did for many years;
Streamlined single extra-strong dredge batter, for better breadcrumb adherence (rather than egg-then-flour dredge);
Touch of mayo in the batter to replicate “frying” from the inside of the breadcrumbs; and
Left-hand-right-hand crumbing technique – for clean fingers!
None of these are new. I’ve used them time and time again for baked crumbs things, like crumbed tenders, baked Filet-O-Fish and fish fingers, to name a few. The idea of chicken fingers in tacos, however, is new!
Ingredients in crunchy chicken taco fingers
Here’s what you need to make these taco chicken fingers:
1. Chicken tenderloin
Chicken tenderloins are a handy choice for this recipe because the natural shape is already “finger-like”. So all we need to do is cut in half lengthways to make thinner chicken fingers – the perfect taco stuffing size!
However, breast can be used in a pinch – just cut into thick slices then into “chicken fingers”. Bear in mind that chicken tenderloins are – as the name suggests – more tender than breast.
2. TACO-SEASONED CRUNCHY CRUMB
Panko breadcrumbs (for extra crunchy!) and a simple homemade taco mix is what we need here.
Panko breadcrumbs – Japanese breadcrumb that makes things extra crunchy because the crumbs are larger than regular breadcrumbs. A staple at supermarkets in Australia these days, usually the Asian section (but, cheaper at Asian stores!). Substitute with regular breadcrumbs, though it’s not as crunchy.
Taco seasoning spices – Everyday spices – you never knew it was so easy to make a homemade taco spice mix! Cayenne pepper is optional, it adds the tiniest background warmth. By no means spicy. (PS If you’re tempted to substituted with a packet taco mix, that’s totally fine. But I can’t tell you how much to use. This mix makes up 8 teaspoons, if that helps).
Oil spray – To spray the panko when we pre-toast it, and to generously spray the chicken fingers once crumbed.
3. a stronger DREDGE BATTER
Traditionally when crumbing, recipes will call for dipping the chicken in flour first, then egg then breadcrumbs. Today, I’m combining the flour and egg into a single batter which coats the chicken a little thicker so the crumbs adhere better. It’s not necessary for deep frying or pan frying as the crumb adheres better with more oil (instant heat = crumb attaches quickly). But it’s a highly technique when baking.
Here’s what you need:
2 eggs – I always think “surely one is enough!”. It’s not. 🙂
Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour.
Mayonnaise – My little secret ingredient for crumbed baked things, a touch of oil helps replicate the frying effect from the underside of the crumb. I only use 2 tablespoons, but if you’re strongly opposed to mayonnaise, that’s ok, just use oil instead (halve the quantity).
*** Things I forgot TO PHOTOGRAPH!***
I forgot to photograph the tortillas and Taco Slaw – oops!
How to make crunchy chicken taco fingers
As mentioned above in the blue box above outlining unusual but effective steps in this recipe for Great Golden Crumbed Things, we start off by toasting the breadcrumbs before coating the chicken. It’s extremely effortless using the oven. Pan-toasting is much more hands on and requires considerably more oil too.
1. Toasting the breadcrumbs
See FAQ for the consequences if you skip this step!
Toss the panko breadcrumbs with the homemade taco seasoning.
Spray with oil – Spread on a tray and spray with oil. Aim directly down and spray from a distance to minimise panko-leaf-blower situation! Spray fairly generously – I do about 3 seconds. It still works out less then teaspoon of oil.
Bake for 7 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced) until golden brown, stirring once to twice.
Now that the panko is toasted – lovely golden brown colour, crunchy, and also the raw flavour of the spices is cooked out – we can bake the chicken for the very short 10 minutes it takes to cook through without drying out without having to worry about getting colour on the panko!
Transfer breadcrumbs into a 20cm/8″ square pan or a similar container/dish so you can lay down and coat multiple chicken fingers at the same time (crumbing efficiency!).
2. Crumbing and baking
Note the left-hand-right-hand approach to crumbing to keep your fingers from getting caked with a build up of batter and breadcrumbs!
Cut the chicken into fingers about 1.5 – 2cm / 0.6 – 0.8″ wide* to make 16 pieces. You should be able to get away with just cutting them in half lengthways though if yours are very big, you might want to cut in 3. If using breast, cut into strips first then batons.
Exact size doesn’t matter here, some can be longer than the tacos/tortillas (crunchy chicken sticking out of tacos is a good thing!).
Dredge batter – Whisk the dredge batter ingredients in a bowl. Whisk vigorously – it will seem a little thick at first but then it will thin out. It should have a maple syrup consistency ie thinner than honey, but thick enough to visibly coat the chicken.
Dredge chicken – Transfer all the chicken into the batter and toss to coat.
Crumb – Using tongs or your left hand (I’m right-handed), pick up a piece of chicken. Let the excess batter drip off then lie it down on the breadcrumbs. Do another 2 or 3. Use your right hand to sprinkled breadcrumbs on the surface of the chicken then, once coated, press and turn to adhere and fully coat.
Place crumbed fingers on a rack set over the same tray you used to toast the panko breadcrumbs. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Bake – Spray generously with oil. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes – yes really, this is all it takes for the crumb to adhere (it’s already golden and crunchy, remember!) and for thin chicken fingers to cook through to 67°C/152.6°F. If you doubt me, check with a meat thermometer.
Baking time – If they are all on the thin side (~1.5cm/0.6″, I stick with 10 minutes. If they are a bit wider (2 – 2.25 cm/0.8- 0.9″), I do 12 minutes.
Serve – Stuff inside warm taco shells with fixings of choice! The pictured tacos have what I call Taco Slaw (heavy hitter in my tacos – see below photo for my hard sell!), avocado slices, drizzle of sriracha (puts this into grown up territory) and pinch of coriander/cilantro leaves.
See below for more options – it can be as simple or as loaded as you like!
Taco fixings for these Crunchy Chicken Taco Fingers
The tacos are pictured throughout this post and in the tutorial video with what I call my Taco Slaw. Heavy hitter in my taco world because it plays multiple roles – good hit of vegetables (cabbage wilts so much!), juicy/floppy enough to fill the role of a sauce/salsa (ie less taco fixings to make), and makes a nice bed for the crunchy taco chicken fingers to nestle in.
Also, it lasts for days like regular slaw, and it’s made with sour cream not mayonnaise. I know there’s a whole world of mayonnaise-shy people out there!
Other taco fixings
Taco Slaw aside, you should absolutely feel free to use whatever taco fixings you want because I can’t think of anything that wouldn’t work. Good ole’ plain shredded iceberg lettuce with tomato slices and sour cream and/or guacamole or avocado sauce. Pico de gallo (tomato salsa), a smooth salsa dip (restaurant style – this is so fresh it’s great) or taco sauce. The quick pickled cabbage bed I use in fish tacos.
And I always endorse shredded cheese. It always has a place in tacos. Shame on me for not including it. 😂 – Nagi x
PS Not sure if this goes without saying, but these Mexican chicken fingers are also very worthy of eating without tacos, like regular chicken fingers. For a dipping sauce, my picks would be a smooth Salsa Dip, Avocado Sauce, Pink Taco Sauce (1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1 tbsp sriracha or ketchup), Nachos Cheese Sauce, Queso (Mexican Cheese Dip). I personally would also use Honey Mustard Sauce (sweet/savoury totally works), ranch would be fabulous, and even ketchup or BBQ sauce!
Crunchy baked chicken tacos FAQ
Of course you don’t! But please don’t come back here and complain that your chicken fingers are pale instead of golden and they aren’t really crunchy. 😊
Also, do not continue baking for ages and ages to try make them golden and crunchy – they won’t, they will get kind of splotchy patches instead, and your chicken will taste like cardboard!
I haven’t tried this exact recipe but based on recipes I did make during my air fryer ownership period, I know it will work, and the cook time can be slightly less and temperature should be about the same ie 200°C/400°F for 10 minutes (I’d turn halfway).
If you skip the breadcrumb toasting step, the crumb will not be quite as perfect golden as you see but it will be much better than a 10 minute bake (which is zero colour). It’s your call!
Spray generously, and bake in batches as needed, keeping the chicken in a single layer.
I am a fan from a function perspective, it was just that I felt I couldn’t justify the countertop real estate for the amount of food that could be made in one batch. Essentially, you need a family size one to make a meal for two, else you have to cook in batches which is often not practical! And most of my dinner recipes serve 4 to 5.
That’s why I decided – for now – not to pursue air fryer alternatives for all my recipes (which was a thought I entertained for a while). I will revisit if air fryers become a little more space efficient – like reliable double decker versions!
Easy one! Use gluten free breadcrumbs and gluten-free flour in the dredge batter, and corn instead of flour tortillas.
A rack keeps the underside of the chicken from getting sweaty and soggy. If you don’t have one, try this Japanese cooking hack I learnt from my mother who uses this to grill fish – use a large piece of foil, scrunch into a ball, unfold out but keep it wrinkly – see photo halfway down in this Grilled Whiting recipe from my mother’s recipe website, RecipeTin Japan. The dozens of little pointy bits keeps the chicken elevated and it will not stick to the foil.
Of course! Heat oil to 180°C/350°F and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden. They really will not take long.
I don’t recommend that for this recipe because the dredge will soak the crumbs a bit and the bake time is so short for these thin chicken fingers, there’s not enough time to properly dry the crumbs out too make them crunchy again.
3 to 4 days in the fridge, though the crumb does soften, and lean chicken meat is never as juicy the next day. Resurrect with 5 minutes in a hot oven (200°C/400°F (180°C fan)) – it will never be like freshly made but it does go a long way to make the crumb crunchy again without overcooking the chicken.
It’s actually a tendon. It’s edible, but sometimes it can become tough and rubbery when cooked. If you don’t overcook your tenderloin, it is usually soft enough that you don’t notice it.
Most of the chicken brands at grocery stores here in Australia have that tendon removed. If yours has it, try to cut along the tendon when cutting the tenderloin in half lengthways for this recipe. Then it’s easy to tug or cut off.
If you miss, just pinch the thick end and tug off as much as you can or cut it out. Just aim for the thicker part – it tapers off into a thin string in the middle of the tendon, and you really don’t need to worry about that.
Not too bad for this one, because the method is based on a tried-and-tested baked crumbing technique that I’ve used for years and I know readers love! I just made it for dinner several times over the span of a couple of months, then once I was happy I decided to share it with you.
It was mainly just fiddling with the seasoning quantity, to get enough flavour in the crumb. I tried splitting the taco seasoning across the dredge and breadcrumbs, but didn’t think it was worth doing so I just put it all in the panko (highest impact flavour). Then it’s just little details, like making sure there’s enough but not too much wasted panko.
Nice easy one to create, actually! Wish I had more like this. 😅
Watch how to make it
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Crunchy chicken taco fingers (baked!)
Ingredients
- 500g/ 1 lb chicken tenderloins , cut in half lengthways into 16 x 1.5-2cm / 0.6-0.8" strips (or breast, Note 1)
- 2 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs (Note 2)
- Olive oil spray
Taco seasoning:
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika (regular or sweet, not hot or smoked)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (sub onion powder)
- 1 tsp onion powder (sub garlic powder)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt)
Strong dredge-batter:
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp flour , plain / all-purpose
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise or 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
For tacos (Note 3 for other fixing options):
- 12 – 16 taco-size soft tortillas (Note 4)
- 1 batch Taco Slaw
- 1 large avocado , sliced
- Sriracha , for drizzling (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Toss panko with seasoning, oil spray, bake 7 min at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan). Coat fingers in dredge then crumb, spray generously, bake 12 minutes on rack. Use for tacos – or munch dipped in Avocado Sauce!
FULL RECIPE:
Toast panko:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced).
- Mix and spray – Mix the panko and Taco Seasoning in a bowl. Pour onto a tray, spray with oil, spread out, then spray again (from height, directly down, so the panko doesn't blow off).
- Bake for 7 minutes, mixing once, until golden brown. Scrape into a 20cm/8" pan (or similar, ease for crumbing multiple pieces).
Crumb and bake:
- Rack – Put a rack on the used tray and spray the rack with oil (Note 6).
- Dredge batter – Whisk the Dredge ingredients in a bowl until lump free (it will seem too thick at first, trust, it will thin to maple syrup constancy). Add all the chicken, toss to coat.
- Crumb – Pick up a piece of chicken with one hand, let the excess batter drip off. Lay it down in the crumbs. Repeat with 2 – 3 more pieces. With your clean hand, cover with breadcrumbs, press to adhere, lay on rack. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Warm tortillas – Separate tortillas into 2 stacks, wrap with foil.
- Bake – Spray generously with oil. Put in the oven with the wrapped tortillas. Bake for 12 minutes – thin strips cook fast! (Note 7).
- Serve – Serve, stuffed in tortillas with fixings of choice. My assembly order: take a warm tortilla, pile in a generous amount of Taco Slaw. Top with 2 avocado slices, crunchy chicken finger, drizzle with sriracha, sprinkle with coriander. BITE!
Recipe Notes:
- Breast – cut into strips then cut each strip into fingers.
- Other chicken cuts – works but the finger shapes will be interesting!
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I worried he was losing his sense of smell then I realised the wind was blowing the wrong way.
(Also – how many comments will I get on the state of my car? I will never show you the inside! 😂)
Wow! Nagi always has secrets that push food over the top: baking the panko crumbs=super crispy, mayo in dipping batter=crumbs that stick securely. Didn’t really need tortillas…my husband was eating them right out the oven!!
I made this recipe (complete with taco slaw) and it was absolutely delicious!! We had leftovers and the next day did the chicken in the air fryer on reheat for 7 minutes and it was oh so wonderfully crunchy! Thank you Nagi for another wonderful recipe!
This is the second time we have had these. My family all love it. The crumb is super crunchy and I had soft and hard tacos so the kids could pick which they liked. I had 600g of tenderloins and that worked fine, still had enough crumbs without changing the recipe. We had lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and avocado plus Mayo and siracha. 5/5 stars thanks Nagi
I used chicken tenders as instructed but forgot to cut them. They still came out perfectly cooked! It’s possible my tenders were smaller than others (they were from organic chickens). Also made the taco slaw and guacamole also from Recipetineats. Everything was so delicious! I made the slaw a couple of days beforehand and it kept very well.
So good, and the baked chicken was perfectly crunchy! Definitely will be making again!
Such a huge hit with the whole family. I will definitely be making these again, so quick and easy with ingredients I already have on hand.
These were yummy! We ate them without the tortillas and just dipped them in avocado ranch dressing. The pieces I originally thought I had cut too thin were everyone’s favorites.
Such a simple yet absolutely delicious recipe! Love the taco slaw with it and the tenderloins really make it because they are so nice and tender!
These tasted great, so easy to make and delicious! Leftovers reheated well for dinner the next day. A new recipe to be regularly made 🙂
Made these for Super Bowl dinner. These were AMAZING!! The chicken was so tender! We decided to dip ours in queso instead of a tortilla w/ a side of avocado, pinto beans and Mexican rice.
I will be making these again!! Thanks Nagi!!!
I was intrigued by this breading and dredging cooking method of these and if it would really result in a crispy baked chicken. I was shocked how well this really worked. Toasting the panko first was genius and the dredge sounds insane, but was magical. I was so impressed with the texture and the actual crunch. I also think layering the slaw under the chicken instead of on top, helped keep it crispy. I would definitely make these again and want to experiment with this breading and dredging method with other chicken recipes too!
I can’t believe how good the chicken turned out-just like I fried it-but without the mess yaaay. These tacos were great, and I also think the chicken would be great for dipping in honey mustard or similar dip. Me and hubby loved them. Thanks!
Oh – and being gluten free, I used sorghum flour in place of AP flour. And for those that can’t have eggs, I have used brushing with mayo for panko fish – this method is better but mayo works.
Made with Taco slaw. I can’t have dairy, gluten or nightshades, so I used avocado mayo & almond yogurt. Didn’t have quite enough yogurt, so I added mango to make it wetter. WOW! I also use Gluten free panko. I didn’t have cilantro & I used chicken breasts but cut them weirdly – but I got it figured out for the future. I also make my own GF tortillas with press. I LOVE how I can adapt your recipes. Had the taco slaw, avocado slices, fresh mango & lime. My hubby said the addition of fresh squeezed lime in the tacos made all of the difference. The mango/lime/avocado was next level delicious!!!!
Another winner with the kids. Not just my kids but also with their friends who were over for a play date and stayed for dinner. I made a double batch and the kids took leftovers to school the next day. They declared their lunch the best ever! Nice one Nagi and team 👏🏽!
Really nice recipe – I made them in the morning giving them 20 minutes in the oven. Then I reheated them in the air fryer for 4 minutes on max power (240c for my AF) and they were perfect – the chicken was moist and the coating was crunchy. We really enjoyed them.
Best crumb ever. I will be using this method for all crumbing. I didn’t need to add further oil when I used the air fryer. Looked great tasty and so crunchy. I wish I had a bigger stomach.
Could you substitute the chicken for fish?
I made these last night. 10/10.
I left the tenderloin whole and 12min cooking time was perfect.
I made half as per recipe for the kids, and did some grown ups version by adding white pepper, celery salt and the cayenne pepper.
We have an egg intolerance in our family. Is there an egg substitute for the batter?
Morning Janet! I haven’t tried with egg subs like flaxseed, I’m sorry! N x
Another egg allergy in our family – for schnitzels, I use milk instead of egg in the crumbing. (It’s not as good as egg, but still basically works.) Would this work in the dredge, do you think?