This post is sponsored by Sabra Dipping Co. The ideas and opinions are my own. I love sharing products that fit into my family's busy healthy eating lifestyle. Thank you for supporting brands that make it possible to keep Half Her Size running.
Chicken strips used to be my most often ordered greasy diner foods. I always ordered the strips with a big basket of fries and ranch dressing for dunking. Post weight loss, crispy chicken strips are still a favorite treat. Now I know how to bake them at home for a much healthier alternative to the fried restaurant version.
- Make a healthier alternative to a fast-food favorite at home!
- Marinating chicken breast strips in ranch keeps them juicy and tender and the ranch flavor gets baked right into the crispy chicken strips!
- Recipe makes a filling game-day snack or light anytime entree with less than 300 calories and 37 grams of protein per serving.
My youngest was not much older than two the first time he pointed excitedly at the television and yelled, "football"! It didn't actually sound like "football" but in context it was very clear what got him so excited. In many homes this is a celebrated right of passage, baby's first moment in sports. In our house it was a surprise! Mike and I are not against professional sports (Did you hear that, family?) but we aren't regular followers of any particular game - except Formula 1 racing but that is a subject for another day.
In the months since the first football shout-out he started specifically noticing home team gear. I wasn't completely sure he was identifying the logo all on his own until New Years Day. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were out for a walk in one of our favorite neighborhoods. At one point a beanie clad man strolled down the street toward us. From his perch on Mike's shoulders he perked up and pointed, "he has a Seahawks hat!" Well that did it; I was convinced. We officially have a football fan in the house and he is rooting for the home team.
Once again this enthusiasm seems to have grown up all on its own. It is pretty adorable to see him get excited about the Seahawks and he is in very good company. These days, it is hard to go anywhere, watch any show, or open an internet browser without spotting a Seahawks logo.
Sadly, we won't be cheering for The Hawks at the Super Bowl this year. It sure was fun to watch them play the last two years (I'm not a super fan but I do enjoy a big game). We will be keeping an eye on the rest of the play-offs and hoping for a great match-up. Come Super Bowl Sunday we will be watching the teams take the field, nit-picking the commercials, and thinking about our family in the Bay Area whose cities get to host the big weekend. And, because I love any excuse to make a meal out of snacks, we will be noshing and nibbling through the game.
As I mentioned I used to love ordering a big helping of crispy chicken strips, fries, and ranch to dip everything in. I have been making chicken strips (and nuggets too) at home for a few years. Of course they are not exactly the same. My homemade strips are coated rather than battered and baked rather than fried. Still, I really like them and the family makes a lot of happy sounds when chicken strips are on the menu. That said, I have missed a bit of zesty ranch on the side - "healthy" ranch dressing just isn't the same so we usually dip in mustard.
Sabra's Farmers Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip is super creamy with a mellow ranch flavor. I really appreciate the very readable ingredient list. Best of all, the kids love dipping and will eat more veggies if they have some ranch on the side. I am happy to let them dip to their hearts content when the dip is plain yogurt, seasoning, and more vegetables.
The yogurt base reminded me of recipes that start by marinating chicken in yogurt before cooking to make the meat super tender and flavorful. It also made me think of my ranch dunking days. Hooray!
Sure enough marinating in Farmers Ranch and a bit of salt was just the thing to make the chicken tender and juicy with a mild ranch flavor baked right into the strip! Of course I went for the full experience and dunked into more ranch dip before savoring every bite.
Do you love a deal!?! Super Bowl 50 sponsors, Sabra & Stacy's (chips and dip for the Super Bowl - totally makes sense) have teamed up to give you a rebate for the snacks you were already going to buy for the big game! The rules are pretty simple, make your purchases between 12/1/15 and 2/15/16, text DIP to 811811, and follow the directions. There is some additional fine print on dipzone.com regarding text rates, number of times you can enter (3), and licenses. Thanks for the snack-time love Sabra & Stacy's!
Parmesan Ranch Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- 2 lb 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ½ cup Sabra Farmers Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- black pepper
Instructions
- Divide each chicken breast into 8 equal strips about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long. Place the chicken strips into large zip top bag then add the Farmers Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip and salt. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag while sealing it tightly. Massage the bag to evenly coat the chicken with ranch dip. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven 425F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set them to one side of your cooking area.
- Combine the panko crumbs, Parmesan, and a sprinkle of pepper in an even layer in a shallow dish. Working a few pieces at a time, coat the yogurt covered chicken strips by rolling them in the crumbs. Evenly space the coated strips on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the crumb coated strips for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the coating is crispy. Allow the chicken to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan.
More yummy game-day recipes with Sabra dips!
Grilled Shrimp with Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce from Jane of The Heritage Cook
Creamy Tuna Cucumber Boats with Guacamole from Olga of Mango & Tomato
7-Layer Greek Cups from Laura of Momables
Guacamole Bacon Burger Dip Recipe from Diana of Eating richly even when you're broke
Jane, The Heritage Cook
This is a fabulous idea Rose and I will definitely be including it on my Super Bowl grazing menu! I love chicken strips too and the ease of baking instead of fussing with frying them makes them perfect for busy days. I can't wait to have these! And thanks for including my recipe, you're a doll! :-)
Rose McAvoy
Yay Jane! I'm glad you are inspired to include these with your Super Bowl snacks. I hope you like them as much as we do! Of course I included your recipe those shrimp sound fantastic!