Ballpark Boom Chicken Strips
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Chicken strips live or die on the crust, and the crust lives or dies on moisture management. Pound your chicken to an even thickness so every strip finishes at the same time, dredge it properly, and let the coated strips rest on a rack for five minutes before they go into the oil. That rest is the thing most people skip. It gives the breading time to hydrate and grip the meat, which is the difference between a crust that holds and one that slides off at the table. TGCS Co Ballpark Boom is your dipping sauce here, but it also goes into the dredge itself as a mustard layer between the chicken and the breadcrumbs, which is a move that builds flavor from the inside out. Serves 4.
What you need
Food:
700g boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 3 large (pound to an even 1 cm thickness before slicing into strips. Uneven strips cook unevenly, thicker end stays raw while the thin end dries out.)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tbsp TGCS Co Ballpark Boom, stirred into the beaten egg (this is the flavor layer that goes between the chicken and the breadcrumb coat. Don't skip it.)
1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs (panko gives you a coarser, crunchier crust than regular breadcrumbs. If you only have regular breadcrumbs, mix in 2 tbsp cornmeal to add texture.)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper
Neutral oil for frying, at least 2 cups (avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable. Enough to come at least 2 cm up the side of your pan.)
For dipping:
4 to 6 tbsp TGCS Co Ballpark Boom, in a ramekin or small bowl at the table
Equipment:
Large heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron pan (cast iron holds temperature best when the cold chicken hits the oil. A thin pan will drop temp and you'll get soggy strips instead of a crust.)
Instant-read thermometer (oil temp matters. You want 350 F. Too low and the crust drinks oil. Too high and the outside burns before the chicken is cooked through.)
Wire rack set over a sheet pan (for resting the breaded strips before frying and draining them after. Paper towel traps steam underneath and softens the crust.)
Three shallow bowls or plates for the dredging station
How to cook it
1. Set up your dredging station: flour in the first bowl seasoned with 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper, the beaten eggs mixed with 1 tbsp Ballpark Boom in the second bowl, and the panko mixed with garlic powder, smoked paprika, and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt in the third bowl.
2. Pound the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap to an even 1 cm thickness using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Slice each breast into strips about 2.5 cm wide. Personally I try to keep them roughly the same size so they finish at the same time, but don't stress about perfection.
3. Working one strip at a time: dredge in the flour and shake off the excess, drag through the egg-Boom mixture letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the panko on both sides. Set each breaded strip on the wire rack. DO NOT STACK THEM. Every strip needs air around it or the coating goes gummy where they touch.
4. Let the breaded strips rest on the rack for 5 minutes before frying. This is the step that keeps the crust on.
5. Pour the oil into your skillet to a depth of about 2 cm. Heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350 F on an instant-read thermometer. (If you don't have a thermometer, drop a small pinch of panko into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and floats, you're close. If it sinks and sits there, the oil is not hot enough.)
6. Fry the strips in batches, leaving space between them. Do not crowd the pan. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and steams the crust instead of frying it. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden brown. (Internal temp should hit 165 F at the thickest part. Cut into one if you're unsure. No pink, juices run clear.)
7. Transfer cooked strips to the wire rack to drain. NEVER DRAIN ON PAPER TOWEL. The steam has nowhere to go and it softens the bottom crust immediately. Rack every time.
8. Hold cooked strips in a 200 F oven on the rack if you're cooking in batches and need to serve everything at once.
9. Arrange on a plate or board with a ramekin of TGCS Co Ballpark Boom for dipping. Serve immediately while the crust is still crackling.
10. ENJOY!