Quick and Easy Menu – Homemade Chicken Tenders
Tips:
- Cool weather is on its way, which means yummy soups and stews. If your children’s soup is too hot for them, add a few frozen vegetables to it. The veggies cook and, at the same time, it cools down the soup.
- For a quick and different dessert, top a brownie with ice cream. Then top it with chocolate syrup mixed with chunky peanut butter. You can add as little or as much as you want.
Menu:
Potato Flake Chicken Tenders*
Easy Vegetables*
French Fries
Soda Cracker Pie*
With football season here, this recipe will come in handy to serve not only for dinner but while watching the game.
Potato Flake Chicken Tenders
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 (7.6 oz) pkg instant garlic flavor potatoes
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders
While oil is heating in skillet on medium heat, beat egg and milk together in a bowl. On a piece of wax paper or a small plate, mix potatoes and seasonings. Dip chicken into milk mix; then roll in potato flakes. Fry 7-10 minutes, until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Note: You can add some Parmesan cheese or other seasonings you might like to the potato flakes. You can use regular instant potatoes and just add garlic powder to season them.
Easy Vegetables
Broccoli florets
Cauliflower florets
Green beans, with the ends trimmed
Red Pepper, cut into strips
Italian Dressing
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Take any amount of first three vegetables you want and drop into boiling water for 2 minutes or until they are bright in color and still crisp. Do not overcook. Drain immediately and rinse in cold water. Drain well. Add pepper strips, cover and chill. Before serving toss with dressing and cheese.
You can serve this pie with just whipped cream or you could leave out the nuts and top with lemon, blueberry, cherry or any other pie filling. You can also use Ritz, graham or saltine crackers in place of soda crackers or add chocolate chips. Someone suggested spreading it with jam and sprinkling with brown sugar.
Soda Cracker Pie
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
20 soda crackers, finely crushed
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecans or nuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (165 degrees C). Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold in all the rest of ingredients. Spoon into a greased 9 inch pie pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool.
For lots more quick and easy home cooked recipes, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.
Photo By: Robert Banh
I like that potato chicken recipe. I am getting hungry just reading it. Also, that pie seems unique, frugal and yummy.
Does the Soda Cracker Pie really call for 3 cups of egg whites? How many dozen eggs would that take?
No Donna. Thanks for catching my big boo boo. It’s suppose to be 3 eggs. I average dealing with about 15-20 recipes a day sometimes and so I do make goofs even though we try to proof read and proof read so thanks.
My family loves the soda cracker pie. I usually serve it with sweetened strawberries on top, it is a great alternative to shortcake.
Soda Cracker Pie – change up.
A friend made one once in layers with vanilla pudding, strawberries and whipped cream. Delish and I was shocked at how the soda crackers didn’t taste like soda crackers.
Yummy!!!!
Thanks for the chicken tender recipe. My husband can’t eat wheat and some brands of potato flakes have only potatoes (no other ingredients), so not only will I be able to use them but they are much less $$ than what I’m using now if I make breaded chicken. Looking forward to trying this on fish, too!
Last weekend I made your ham/potato dish. This weekend, I’m going to have to try those chicken tenders. They sound wonderful. Thanks for great meal ideas!
Thank you for posting the chicken recipe with potato flakes. A friend had made me something similar to this, but baked in the oven, years ago (15 or more now) and I loved it. Now, I will be able to make it for my husband and kids. Thanks so much! By the way, I’ve got both Dining on a Dime and Not just beans and recommend both to all of my friends.
My mom has been making the Soda Cracker Piecrust for over 40 years. She’d always fill it with whole strawberries (drain them on a paper towel after you wash them, you don’t want a soggy crust!) then top it with Cool Whip. This was usually only done for special occassions or family reunions. MMMMMmmmmmMMMMMM! I’d even ask for this as my birthday pie instead of cake!
There is a Mock Apple Pie you can make with Soda Crackers too.
Mock Apple Pie
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/4 tsp cream of tartar
18 soda crackers broken up
pie crust for top and bottom (unbaked)
Boil all ingredients, except crackers, for 5 minutes. Let cool. Break up crackers and place in pie crust. Pour the rest of cooled ingredients on top. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with more sugar, and either add crust on top, or make a crumble topping. Bake at 400 degrees for about a half hour.
My great-grandmother used to make a pie very similar to this but instead of sugar, she used sorghum as the sweetener. I hadn’t thought about it in years. I’ll have to dig out her recipe box and make one for my boys (ages 9 & 13). Thanks for the chicken tender recipe! We love homemade chicken strips at my house. I use crushed cornflakes a lot.
are soda crackers just plain saltine crackers?
Yes Gwen they are.