The Finger and the Fry

I made myself some breakfast grub early this morning. I call it “Greaseless Chicken Fingers on a Bed of Greaseless Fries.”

Looks good, doesn’t it? I’m even gonna go as far as say it looks rather gourmet, even though truth be told, it’s totally kitschy. Everyone likes chicken fingers and fries. I haven’t met a single person who doesn’t. They’re the perfect appetizer (sometimes even good enough as a meal on its own) for any occasion, and can be found in virtually any and every American cuisine restaurant. This practically effortless recipe is my bourgeois alternative to the classic dish. It’s completely greaseless too, so I like to think that it’s a somewhat healthier version as well.

Easy, affordable, and a little bit healthier than the norm. Sound good, yeah?

For this recipe, you just take one box of Magnolia Chicken Fingers (Php 85.75 at Rustan’s Supermarket), and put them on a baking dish. A box contains 10 fingers. Then you take a small pack of Senorito French Fries (Php 26.50 at Rustan’s Supermarket; you may cut up potatoes yourself instead, if you don’t mind the extra work) and put it in one of those zip-lock sandwich bags. Then it’s just a matter of adding whatever you like around your kitchen to pump up the flavor of your fries. I like mine rather simple, though. I use those instant Parmesan powder stuff that come in plastic bottles. I find that once melted a bit, it gives the fries some creaminess in texture, and gives the flavor a bit of depth. But it’s a bit bland as is, so I still add salt and pepper. Then I like to put in a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and lots of dried basil, my favorite herb. Rosemary or thyme would be good alternatives here, because they normally go well with chicken, and would complement the taste of your fingers. Parsley would be good as well; a bit generic taste-wise, but it would give a nice fresh color to your fries. But this is where you can really go crazy. If you want your fries a bit spicy, go add some cayenne or chili powder, or maybe some pepper flakes. Pretty much anything that strikes your fancy, you can do so at this point. This is how you make recipes your own, people, by tailoring them to your own tastes and techniques. It’s always fun to experiement with food.

Anyway, once you have all your flavorings in, just close the bag up, and shake it till the fries are well-coated. Make sure not to let out the bit of excess air from the zip-lock bag before fully closing it. That way, you’ll have excess space for the french fries to move around in once you start shaking. After that, scatter them in a baking sheet. If you’re too lazy for cleanup after, just go ahead and dump the fries beside the chicken fingers. Just make sure that they’re not too overcrowded, and that each finger or fry is as flat on the dish as possible. That way they’ll brown evenly.

I’m pretty sure you know where this is going by now. This is how you make this dish greaseless: you bake them; uncovered, and just until they’re golden brown. And trust me, they will brown, even without any oil or butter. Usually that takes about 15-20 minutes, then I like to give them a bit of a toss, and I put them back in the oven again for another 10 minutes. It depends on how charred you want them, really. Sometimes I like mine nearly burnt. And that’s all there is to it. They’re done. Now all that’s left to do is plate them however you want (or eat them straight off the baking dish), and serve it plain, or with a dip of your own choosing. This recipe is good for two, one if your really famished or just greedy.

And there you have it. Greaseless Chicken Fingers on a Bed of Greaseless Fries. Enjoy.