Battered gluten-free Chicken Strips with honey mustard dressing

The other day I came across my first handwritten recipe book. It's really cute. I covered a small blank sketchbook with pages from a cooking magazine and Mod Podged over the top to protect it. Then I made tabs for sections like bread, chicken, and casserole. Most of the recipes came from my mom—things she made when we were growing up. Banana bread (Bisquick), beef stroganoff (Campbell's). And a few of my own too: Spinach Ricotta Pie (most likely from the back of a pre-made pie crust box), and my long lost favorite... "The Best Chicken Strips."

I felt a touch sentimental and a touch embarrassed of myself ;-) It was from the first year Andy and I were married—A.K.A. the height of my homemade gluten and dairy consumption. The recipes are filled with words that make 2011 Kelly cringe like, "lite ranch dressing" and "canned cream of mushroom soup." I feel bloated just imagining it.

But reading about "The Best" chicken strips made me miss them. So I decided to create some equally awesome chicken strips a decade later for the new me :-) My first try was good, but I wanted a thicker "batter" type of crust, and I wasn't satisfied with the flour blend. This morning I made them again and I'm so happy with the results. I can't wait for you to try them!

Battered Chicken Strips

gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free

Rinse about 1.5 pounds of chicken breast & cut into strips. Set aside.

Add to bowl 1:

1.5 cups almond meal flour (I use Bob's)

1/2 cup Quinoa Flake flour*

1/2 tsp Herbamare

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Whisk to combine.

Add to bowl 2:

4 eggs

Optional: 2 tbsp Vegenaise Grapeseed Oil

Whisk.

I like to use a fork to skewer the chicken for this process.

Take a skewered strip of chicken and dip it in the egg mixture.

Let the excess run off.

Next put the chicken in the flour mixture.

Brush the flour mixture over the chicken and egg.

Lightly shake off the excess.

Dip in egg then flour again.

After the strips have each been dipped in egg and flour twice, lightly shake the excess again and place them on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 18 minutes.

Use a spatula to transfer the strips to wire racks to cool so the bottoms dry. Otherwise the bottoms will be soggy.

Serve with gluten-free ketchup or honey mustard sauce.

Honey Mustard Sauce:

Add equal parts extra virgin olive oil, dijon and honey (like 1/4 cup of each). Whisk. Taste and add more mustard if you like.

*I don't like quinoa flour, but I love quinoa flakes. I think the flakes taste nothing like the flour. So I blend my own quinoa flake flour in my Blendtec or Magic Bullet, and it only takes a few seconds. You can also use a coffee grinder.

♥, Kelly

PS Thanks again to all of you who were able to come yesterday! I had the best day!