A New Twist on Chicken Strips & Fries

Tuesday night I took inventory of what was available in our kitchen, and tried to think of meals I could make with what we had. I had a few sweet potatoes, which I decided to use for sweet potato fries. And I had some chicken breasts, and tons of leftover tortilla chips from our Super Bowl party, so I decided to try out a recipe I found in Southern Living a couple of years back for tortilla-crusted chicken strips. I usually always have a bag of chicken breasts in the freezer, which is easier than just buying a few at a time (and cheaper!). When I make recipes that call for chicken strips, I just cut them into strip-size pieces, instead of buying chicken tenders separately. The recipe was very easy and the chicken tasted great! Josh and I both loved it. I think this would also be a good recipe if you have kids or if you are making food for a big group. The strips are cooked in the oven, so you could cook a lot at one time. You can find the recipe here.

For the sweet potato fries, I cut the potatoes into blocks first, which is much easier than peeling, and makes more even, matchstick-style fries. Then, I cut them into thin, rectangular strips. I put them on a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil, then sprinkled the same seasonings from the chicken over the fries (cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper). I then baked them in the oven at 475 degrees for 18 minutes (same temp and time as chicken). They were still not as crisp as I would have liked at that point, so I turned the broiler on and put them back in for a couple of minutes, which gave them a nice texture. Just keep an eye on them, they can burn fast!

I served the chicken and fries with the chipotle mayonnaise from the night before and sprinkled with parsley. I like sprinkling fresh herbs on dishes like this to give them a more fresh, colorful look. My theory is, if your food looks good, you will enjoy eating it even more!