Cajun Chicken Goujons with Panko Breadcrumbs

These yummy goujons are a grown up version of chicken nuggets that my mom used to make for me when I was little. The use of Japanese Panko breadcrumbs in place of ordinary breadcrumbs, gives this dish a sophisticated lift. If you can't get the Panko breadcrumbs however, of course use regular breadcrumbs, or why not a mixture of crushed cornflakes and sesame seeds. The options for coatings really are endless. I've made these breadcrumbs spicy by adding 2 tbsp of cajun spice mix to the breadcrumb mix, but this could easily be changed for dried Italian herbs, or Thai 7 spice, etc. Play around will flavours and textures.

I've accompanied these delicious goujons with a quick red pesto mayonnaise dip, by literally mixing 1 part of shop bought red pesto with 2 parts low fat mayonnaise 

You can easily have these goujons with dinner with french fries or rice or mash potatoes (like mom used to do), or an elegant starter on a pimped-up salad, or even in a burger or tortilla wrap. They are superb as casual canapes for a drinks party. I've done a simple salad with these for myself and a dipping platter for my salad-phobia hubbie.

They're great to make a big batch of them and freeze them, so that you can bang them straight in the oven for a quick supper.I've baked these in the oven as opposed to shallow or deep frying, thus keeping the fat content down.

Ingredients

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 chicken breast, cut into strips
• 50 g of cornflour mixed with salt and pepper
• 100g of panko breadcrumbs mixed with 2 tbsp cajun spices
• Thyme leaves from 4-5 sprigs of thyme
• 2 tbsp of red pesto
• 4 tbsp of low fat mayo
• Lemon wedges to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees 
2. Create an assembly line by putting the cornflour mix in one bowl, egg in another and breadcrumb mixture in another.
3. Dip the chicken strips into the cornflour, tap off the excess. Next dip it into the egg, shaking the excess. Finally place in the breadcrumbs and coat evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.
4. Transfer to a lined baking sheet, and repeat with remaining chicken strips.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, turning once half way through.
6. To make the mayo, simply combine the mayo and pesto in a bowl.
7. Serve the goujons however you wish.