"Healthified" Chicken Fingers and Fries (with Garlic Mayo Aioli)

One of my favorite things to do when I cook is come up with sneaky little ways to make recipes healthier and more nutritious. This can mean adding in some cauliflower puree to mashed potatoes, using cottage cheese to create an alfredo sauce, making ice cream out of frozen bananas, or adding black bean puree to brownies (though I'll admit, that last one turned out pretty gross and I'm still in search of a tasty black bean brownie recipe so please share if you have one!). I get a weird satisfaction out of revealing the "secret" of these recipes to unsuspecting eaters. Although this particular recipe isn't as "out there" as some of the ones I've made in the past, I figured it was best to ease you guys into things... 



A few days ago, I had a craving for chicken fingers and so I decided to make a "healthified" version of the basic comfort meal of chicken fingers and fries. The chicken fingers are baked rather than fried, and the "fries" are actually parsnips! I don't know about you, but I hadn't previously eaten parsnips very often; in fact, I'm not sure I ever actually purchased one before. But sliced in the shape of a fry and baked in the oven under high heat, these babies were soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, making them a great swap for potatoes with added nutrition. 

The key to the chicken fingers was to soak them in buttermilk. This makes them incredibly moist inside. I used dry buttermilk mix because it's easier than trying to use up a whole thing of buttermilk before it spoils. I cut the chicken into tender-sized pieces in the morning and let them soak in the buttermilk while I was at work. Because I'm indecisive, I decided to make two different kinds of chicken fingers. Both were breaded in panko (breadcrumbs would work too if you don't have any panko), but for half of them, I mixed in grated parmesan cheese and a variety of other seasonings to create an Italian flavor profile. For the other half, I mixed in shredded coconut and some spices for a "sweet and spicy" taste. 

After soaking the chicken, you'll dip each piece into the panko and spices mix

So many spices!

and place on a sprayed cookie sheet. Spray the chicken with olive oil using a Misto (or if you don't have one, just lightly drizzle it with olive oil or in a real pinch, spray with cooking spray; you need something on it though or it won't get crispy). Put into an oven preheated for 425 degrees. When the

Ready to take out of the oven

breading starts to get light brown and crispy, flip the chicken over and put it back into the over. Remove

when the other side is brown as well. I ended up baking them 7 minutes on the first side and 9 minutes on the other, but it will depend on the size of your tenders. To be safe, you can cut into one to make sure there's no pink inside. 


For the "fries," peel the parsnips and cut into the shape of fries, approximately four inches in length. Try your best to make them equal in size, especially in width. Because of the shape of my parsnips, some were thick on top and thin on the bottom, so they didn't all cook evenly. Next time, I'd shave more off of them

Here's what they look like when done

to make them uniform. You could always save any leftover pieces that don't make good fries to cook and puree or just eat raw. Anyway, place onto a sprayed cookie sheet and spray or lightly toss with olive oil. I used this recipe as a guide, so I seasoned mine with rosemary, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, but if you don't care for those flavors, season as you please! I baked these for about 16 minutes until they started to brown on all sides, flipping them halfway through, but again, exactly cooking size will vary based on the size of your fries. Because I wanted to save time, I started these at 450 for a few minutes but then cheated and cooked them the rest of the way at 425 so I could put the chicken in at the same time, but if you're making them on their own, you'll want to stick to the higher heat so they get crispier.


I am a condiment fiend, so I served my chicken fingers and fries with ketchup, BBQ sauce, a coconut mango sauce, and a garlic mayo aioli. While many people find it revolting, I adore fries dipped in mayo, so personally, the aioli was my favorite sauce for the parsnips. I also preferred the ketchup with the Italian chicken fingers and the BBQ sauce with the coconut chicken. If you try the recipe, let me know your favorites! The recipes below make enough for 2 large or 3 moderate portions.

Baked Chicken Fingers

12-14 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 c. of buttermilk

Olive oil spray

For Italian seasoning: 

1/4 heaping c. panko

1 tbsp grated parmesean

Garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper to taste

For Coconut chicken: 

1/4 heaping c. panko

1 tbsp shredded coconut 

Garlic powder, chili powder, ginger, salt, red pepper flakes to taste

Cut the chicken breast into tender-sized pieces, approximately 1" x 4". Soak chicken tenders in buttermilk for at least an hour.  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the panko and Italian spices in one bowl and the panko and coconut spices in another. If you choose to do all one type of chicken tender, double the measurements. 

Remove chicken from buttermilk and roll in the breading. Place onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Spray the chicken with olive oil. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 8 minutes. Flip and place back in the oven for another 8 minutes or until the chicken is light brown and crispy on both sides. 

Parsnip Fries   

5 parsnips, peeled

Olive oil spray

1.5-2 tbsp dried rosemary

Garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Chop the parsnips into the shape of fries, approximately 1/2" x 4" and place on sprayed cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with spices. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, flip, and bake for another 8 minutes until they begin to brown. 

Garlic Mayo Aioli 

2 tbsp light mayo (don't use fat free) 

1 tsp lemon juice

Hefty sprinkle of garlic powder (or you can sub minced garlic)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix and enjoy!