Chicken Planks (Like Chicken Fingers, Only Better)
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Tender chicken coated in crispy Saltine crackers – this quick and easy chicken planks recipe is sure to become a new family favorite. It’s like chicken fingers, only better!
This chicken planks recipe was one of my Mom’s weekly dishes growing up. They are so good! Our friends would hear we were having chicken planks and conspicuously hang around our house until Mama called us in for supper so they could secure an invite. After all, aren’t Southerners known for their fried chicken?
The taste and texture of this dish are so amazing, you’d never know the ingredients were so few and so simple. Yep, you only need 4 ingredients to make my chicken planks: chicken, oil, eggs, and Saltine crackers. We coat each chicken piece in the egg and Saltine crackers before frying them in the oil. It doesn’t take long for your plate of chicken planks to be ready to eat! I love serving them with my favorite dipping sauce, but you can serve them however you like.
Tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside, one bite and you’ll understand why these chicken planks are so popular! I think you will also be surprised at how much better they taste than any other chicken finger you’ve had. Let’s get fryin’!
Recipe Ingredients
- Saltine crackers (please don’t get low salt or no salt crackers, just trust me on this).
- Oil
- Eggs
- Chicken
How to Make Chicken Planks
Crush a sleeve of crackers and put half of them in the bowl, reserving the other half.
Pour about 1/4 inch of oil into the bottom of a skillet and let it heat up over medium heat.
While this is heating, place the chicken breasts inside two ziplock bags and beat out thin with the blunt end of a meat tenderizer or mallet.
I use two ziplock bags because one usually ends up splitting open in the course of my beating. I guess I have a lot of untapped aggression 😉.
They will be nice and flat and thin, about 1/4 of an inch.
Crack eggs into a bowl and beat them well.
Cut each chicken breast into three strips. Set up an assembly line of the three ingredients: chicken strips, eggs, and cracker crumbs.
Dip each strip into your egg mixture, on both sides.
Then press each side into the cracker mixture.
Here are our breaded chicken fingers, all ready to go.
Fair warning that after you do several pieces, your cracker crumbs will start to get gunky. That is when you add in your reserved crumbs.
Drop them into the hot oil. I cook mine on medium to medium-high heat. I like to use a heavy skillet for this, like my cast-iron skillet. Turn after they brown on one side and continue cooking.
Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
These chicken planks are wonderful with any dipping sauce, or on their own.
Personally, I’m a ketchup gal. My husband likes honey mustard. Sara Jane (our bonus daughter) likes ranch, and Katy likes ’em plain.
I hope you make these soon, friends!
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s best to reheat them in the oven or air fryer.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before following the above reheating instructions.
Recipe Notes
- The best cooking oil is vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.
- Substitute the crackers for breadcrumbs if you prefer.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with chicken planks?
First, pick your dipping sauce and serve it as an appetizer. Here are some homemade sauce recipes you might like: Alabama white barbecue sauce, Comeback sauce, and chipotle ranch dressing.
Secondly, you can serve your fried chicken as a main dish with your favorite side dishes. This might include coleslaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, parmesan oven fries, pasta salad, or cornbread.
Finally, you may also like to serve them in a tortilla wrap with your preferred salad toppings, like cheese, avocado, and fresh tomato. Add your sauce of choice and you have an unbeatable lunch right there!
Check out these other quick and easy chicken dishes:
Grilled Chicken Tender Recipe (No Grill Needed)
Easy Ranch Fried Chicken Tenders
Baked Chicken Tenders With Zesty Seasoning
Southern Fried Chicken (Fuss-Free)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 -3 sleeves Saltine crackers
- 2 eggs
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat on medium while you prepare the chicken.cooking oil
- Place chicken in a gallon ziplock bag and beat out until 1/4-inch thick. Crack eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Crush saltines and put them in a separate bowl.2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 -3 sleeves Saltine crackers, 2 eggs
- Cut each chicken breast into three strips and dip each piece first into the egg bowl, then in the cracker crumbs; being careful to coat completely. Drop each piece into oil and cook, turning once, on medium to medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Nutrition
removeI originally published this recipe in 2008 and updated the photos and this post in 2020.
This post is featured on Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck.
when I was growing up, my Mama cut round steak into “fingers” (about the width of two fingers) and dipped in eggs and rolled in cracker crumbs! we ate them faster than she could cook them:) gotta be the crackers. soooo happy to see you up on your walker! keep the faith!
Thank you Dianne!! I am doing much better and appreciate all your thoughts and prayers!
This same recipe works great for cube steak or minute steak also. Delish!!!
Thanks for sharing Sharon!!
Love these – this is how my mom always did it at our house and how I make chicken fried steak, too. Made CFS like this just last night for my 20-year-old’s birthday dinner. Only slight variation is we put a little milk in with the eggs.
We also make “bites” – little balls of nothing but the coating. Not very healthy but pure deliciousness and crunch!
Oh my goodness, I think I need some “bites” now!
These are delicious! And my crowd loves them with Comeback Sauce!
I am so glad to hear they are a hit at your house Donna!!
In the hilarious words of my dear friend, Karen, “Lawd, Lawd, tastes s’good I hate to swaller it!” Talk about a love/hate relationship! These chicken planks and I are gonna have to come to an understanding! It won’t be fair if I make them all the time…the other chicken recipes might get their feelings hurt! Thanks for ANOTHER great one…you are just the best!
When I read your term “gunky” and you thought maybe Food Network would maybe start using it….we.. it reminded me of how on Chopped the judges use the term “clunky”…I never think of food of any kind as clunky! I have a necklace that is clunky…it has big chunky rock looking things on it and it makes a little noise when I walk and the rocky-things hit together…you know… chunky/clangy= clunky! Right? now how does that equal food? and sometimes the judges even use the term to discribe a creamy sauce!
Now, on the other hand, I understand your term “gunky” completely! I use that term in cooking quite frequently myself!
🙂
Thanks,
Margaret
Hey, Christy. I’ve tried this but have trouble regulating the oil temperature on my gas stove. Can this be easily adapted to your “no fuss” oven frying method? I”m not sure what I’d need to do to adapt it! Maybe I need a basic “how to fry” lesson!