Name: Mexican Chicken Fingers with Chipotle Yogurt Sauce + Avocado Cilantro Crema
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (organic if possible); 1/3 cup buttermilk; 1 tablespoon pickle brine; 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce; 1 1/2 cups cornmeal; 1 cup pepitas, coarsely ground in a food processor after measuring; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon oreagno; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or cayenne; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt; 1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce (to your spice tolerance); 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles); 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; Sea salt, to taste; 1 tablespoon honey; 2 ripe avocados; Juice of 1-2 limes, to taste; 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped; Sea salt, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon); Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1/4 cup water

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These Mexican Chicken Fingers with Chipotle Yogurt Sauce and Avocado Cilantro Crema are healthy, simple, and fun. These chicken fingers pair beautifully with roasted sweet potato “fries” and crunchy raw veggies. They make a great game day or party meal, but they’re just as great on a weeknight.

Growing up, I always requested my mom’s famous chicken fingers for my birthday dinner. They were coated in crushed corn flakes, parmesan cheese, and lots of herbs and spices, and they were good. Chicken fingers with plum sauce and a side of Caesar salad, plus chocolate cake for dessert. That was pretty close to perfection.

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve tasted my mom’s classic chicken fingers, but because I love to play around with different flavour combinations and get inspired by different countries’ cuisines, I decided to make chicken fingers with a Mexican twist.

These chicken fingers are sooo very good. Chicken is coated in buttermilk, pickle brine, and barbecue sauce, then dredged through a mix of cornmeal, ground pepitas, Mexican spices, and sea salt. The chicken is baked at 425 F so that the cornmeal-pepita coating becomes crispy and the chicken itself stays moist and juicy.

While the chicken is in the oven, you’ll make your sauces. Are both essential? Not really, but I think they compliment each other exceptionally well. The chipotle yogurt sauce is on the spicy side, with a touch of acidity from the apple cider vinegar and sweetness from the honey. And the avocado crema is a little bit more mellow, with creamy avocado blended with lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and water.

I love to serve these Mexican Chicken Fingers with the two sauces, as well as oven baked sweet potato “fries” and crunchy raw veggies. Sometimes, I’ll even add some quick-pickled red onions.

This recipe takes less than one hour to prepare from start to finish, and it makes a generous amount of both chicken and sauces… meaning that it’s perfect to serve up to a crowd on game night!

I don’t actually watch a lot of football, but my family does, and I’m always there with the good eats!

ingredients you’ll need

For the Mexican Chicken Fingers, you’ll need boneless skinless chicken breasts, buttermilk, pickle brine, barbecue sauce, cornmeal, pepitas, chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, hot red pepper flakes or cayenne, and sea salt.

For the chipotle yogurt sauce, you’ll need Greek yogurt, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and honey.

For the avocado crema, you’ll need avocados, lime juice, cilantro, sea salt, pepper, and water.

the method

Make the Mexican Chicken Fingers: Preheat the oven to 425 F and line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice the chicken breasts into strips. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, brine, and barbecue sauce. Add the chicken strips and toss to coat.

In a separate large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, pepitas, spices, and salt. Dredge the chicken strips, one at a time, through the cornmeal mixture, pressing firmly so that the coating adheres.

Place each chicken strip on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a bit of space in between each one.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through, no longer pink inside, and the internal temperature is 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Meanwhile, make the sauces: To make the chipotle yogurt sauce, place the Greek yogurt, chipotles, adobo sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, salt, and honey in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process until smooth. Transfer into a jar or container and rinse out the food processor. To make the avocado crema, combine the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and water in the food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process until smooth and transfer into a jar or container.

Serve the chicken fingers with the dipping sauces and any other accompaniments, such as sweet potato fries and raw veggies. Eat and enjoy!

Any leftover chicken fingers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

more healthy chicken recipes

Finally, I hope that you love these Mexican Chicken Fingers! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made.

See you on Sunday with “What to Make This Week!”

Enjoy!