These Quinoa-Crusted Chicken Fingers with a Turmeric Aioli are just as good as regular chicken fingers, but a little bit healthier.
Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, these chicken fingers are a healthier alternative to one of your favorite foods. I love them paired with a zesty turmeric aioli, too! You can’t eat chicken fingers without something to dip them in, right?
I used to work as a chef at a catering company and my co-worker created the most delicious recipe for quinoa-crusted eggplant. Since then, I’ve thought about what else I could crust and fry in quinoa. Let me tell you, the options are endless!
The quinoa crust for the chicken fingers is made with quinoa that’s ground up to a powder in a blender. You can also buy quinoa flour. Mix it with a little bit of whole quinoa, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Instead of the traditional breading method of flour, egg, and crumb mixture, I use a mixture of corn starch and water whisked together. It cuts down a step, makes the recipe egg-free, and works just as well!
Can I Air Fry these instead?
I did try them in the air fryer and much preferred the shallow fry method I’ve written in the recipe. The quinoa crust needs the oil or else it tastes very dry (the crust itself, not the chicken).
If you do want to try air frying them, you need to spray them with a significant amount of oil. Do it before air frying, and then again when flipping. Try it at 390°F for 6 minutes per side.
Ingredient Notes:
- White Quinoa – Not the multicolored quinoa. You can also use quinoa flour that’s pre-ground, but you’ll also have to buy regular quinoa to mix into the breading.
- Parsley – You can also substitute fresh oregano, dill, or chives.
- Garlic Powder – Nothing beats the taste of this garlic powder. I’m telling you, it makes such a difference.
- Chicken Tenderloins – You can also use thin chicken cutlets if you’d prefer, instead of making chicken fingers.
Quinoa Crusted Chicken Fingers with Turmeric Aioli
Ingredients
For the Chicken Fingers:
- 1 cup white quinoa ground to a powder in a blender
- 2 tablespoons white quinoa
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup corn starch
- 1 lb. chicken tenderloins
- Neutral oil for frying
- Turmeric Aioli recipe below
For the Turmeric Aioli:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Lemon juice to taste
Instructions
For the Chicken Fingers:
- In a shallow bowl, combine the ground quinoa, whole quinoa, parsley, and garlic powder. Season generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the corn starch and about ½ water, adding it in little by little until the consistency is just slightly thinner than heavy cream. If you need more water or more corn starch, add it. Season generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- In batches, add the chicken tenderloins to the corn starch first, flipping and coating them completely. Then transfer to the quinoa mixture, pressing lightly to adhere on all sides. Transfer to a sheet pan or a plate and repeat with remaining chicken fingers.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed skillet, heat an inch of oil over medium heat. When hot (you’ll know this when a tiny pinch of the quinoa mixture sizzles when sprinkled in the oil), add the chicken fingers to the oil, spacing them out evenly so they’re not touching (you’ll need to work in batches). Cook for 4-5 minutes total, flipping once in between, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve chicken fingers hot alongside the turmeric aioli, for dipping.
For the Turmeric Aioli:
- In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, turmeric, and garlic powder. Add lemon juice, to taste (I added about ¼ lemon for ½ cup mayonnaise) and stir to combine.
The best gluten free chicken fingers. Staple for the whole family