Dijon, Saltine and Wheat Germ Crusted Chicken Fingers

I was watching the Food Network one lazy morning (surprise!) when Anne Burrell was hosting a "Healthy Kids Meal" episode. I was inspired to make a kids meal of my own using her chicken finger recipe. There is something about a kid's meal that is unbelievably comforting and the fact that it's healthy is a plus...I made this and watched pointless tv in my pajamas...totally felt like a kid again!

I made minor changes to her recipe and used my homemade chipotle ranch instead of hers (as the reviews weren't too promising). I also paired it with a classic box of Kraft Macaroni cheese where I used skim milk and replaced the butter with about 1/3 of margarine spread. I also tossed in a chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for a kick...and boy was it a good kick :) These chicken fingers had the crunch of a fried chicken tender but without the guilt. I loved the kick of dijon. My favorite part has to be the saltines. I remember when I was little my grandpa always made sure to have a jar of saltines that I could get my greedy little hands into...I LOVED those things...this reminded me of that and gave me a lovely trip down memory lane.

Dijon, Saltine and Wheat Germ Crusted Chicken Fingers

Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Franks Hot Sauce
1 sleeve (about 25) saltine crackers, crumbled
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the chicken breasts on the diagonal into wide flat strips and season with salt, to taste. In a large bowl, combine the Dijon, hot sauce and the yogurt, toss in the chicken and stir to coat evenly.

Pulse the crackers in a food processor until they look like fine crumbs. Add the wheat germ and toasted almonds and pulse until it is a homogeneous mixture. Put this mixture into a wide flat dish. Roll the marinated chicken in this mixture, 1 piece at a time, pressing the cracker/wheat germ mixture to evenly crust each piece. Lay the prepared chicken onto a sheet tray fitted with a rack. Baking the chicken on a rack will allow the air to circulate around the chicken to cook it evenly and make it crispy.

Bake the chicken in the preheated oven until the chicken is cooked through but not dry, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven to a serving platter and serve with dip of choice.