Sriracha Chicken

I'm not really sure what to say about this dish. It was not the best, but it was not bad either. I think it just wasn't as spicy as we were expecting! We thought by marinading the chicken overnight that it would make the flavors more powerful, but sadly it did not. Will suspects that because we did not use the panko bread crumbs and instead opted for the normal bread crumbs we had on hand in our cupboard, that may have had some sort of effect on the final product. I think we might be willing to give this dish a shot again in the future, but it is not one that I imagine will make it to the top of our "retry" list relatively soon. Looked good, sounded good, but was only "meh." However, if this perks your interest like it did with us and it turns out good for you, please let us know! It really could just all be in the breadcrumbs. And maybe we could have added more sriracha-you really never can have too much sriracha!!

Cooking Notes: Will didn't use panko bread crumbs, which the recipe called for, which is why we think ours did not turn out looking (or tasting) as enticing as the picture on Budget Bytes. We also marinaded the chicken overnight in order to enhance the flavor.

Sriracha Chicken Strips (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 2)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup sriracha
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 inch peeled and grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
A pinch of S&P

In a resealable container, combine the sriracha, rice vinegar, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally into 6 strips each and mix to coat in the sriracha marinade. Cover the container with the marinade and chicken and refrigerate for at least one hour (or overnight).

Once the chicken has marinaded, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set up your dredging station by getting three bowls. Fill the first with the all-purpose flour, in the second whisk the egg and 1 tbsp of water, and in the third bowl place the panko bread crumbs. Also get a clean plate or dish ready to hold the breaded chicken strips. Taking one chicken strip from the marinade at a time, wipe off the excess sriracha then dip to coat in the flour, then the egg, and lastly the bread crumbs. Make sure all surfaces of the chicken strip were covered with each layer. Gently place the breaded strip on the clean plate and move on to the next one.  (This is messy, so once you start, don't stop!)

Once all of the strips are breaded, place them on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. After 20 minutes, turn the oven on to a broil and broil for a few minutes on each side (make sure to watch while broiling!). When they get golden brown, pull them out, flip them and wait for the second side to get golden. Let the strips cool before serving!

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Sriracha Chicken Strips