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.
You can bake this recipe. Also, I teach Family and Consumer Science (used to be Home Ec.) and instead of eggs, I started dipping in mayonnaise. So much neater and cleaner!
Great tip Myeasha, thanks for sharing.
This looks really good. I’m going to have to try this soon. I love fried chicken
I can’t wait to hear what you think Debbie!
Was prepping for bacon ranch chicken and ran out of time so I made these as they are. Turned out to be extremely simple and easy. I can report that my whole wheat crackers made just as tasty breading as panko! They do require a sauce in my opinion, but I had the ranch right there. 🙂
Thanks for letting us know the whole wheat worked Carol!!
I grew up hearing my Mom use the term gunky on a regular basis, so of course I say it regularly to this day. Funny, but until you pointed it out I never thought about it as being a term that most people didn’t know.
I imagine we have a lot of words like that and just don’t realize it.
Winner, winner! Chicken dinner!
This was so simple and so GOOD! I must admit that my daughters and son-in-laws request my chicken fingers whenever they come home and I have “perfected” my recipe.
BUT I can’t wait to cook these for them! My husband and I really liked them and I might retire my own recipe. Thank you for the recipe! (Only change for us is the addition of some salt, pepper, seasoned salt and a dash of cayenne.)
I a man so glad to hear that you liked them Denise!!!
I can’t wait for the next time my granddaughters come stay with me and I can make these for them! Unfortunately, I currently cook for someone on a cardiac diet and someone who is diabetic, so the crackers just kick this yummy recipe off the list for them!
Never had those chicken planks before. I cooked them tonight. They are awesome. My family loved them. I just wanted to say Thank You!
I am so glad to hear they were a hit!!!