Kid-friendly Chicken Parmesan Dippers Recipe

What happened? My child who used to eat everything from avocados to hummus suddenly has a very discriminating palate!

He’s reached the foods-can’t-be-mixed, I-have-to-eat-off-the-green-plate stage. Let’s hope he doesn’t find out about crusts-must-be-cut-off or foods-can’t-be-touching!

I’ve found making food fun with creative cuts, loads of bright color, and mini or bite-sized versions of larger dishes is the key towards generating enthusiasm at the dinner table.

One of our latest successes has been our kid-friendly Chicken Parm Dippers (anything that requires “dipping” into a sauce is a hot ticket right now!).

When I received a complimentary box of TuttoRusso tomatoes, I came up with this dippin’ dish for my little guy.

TuttoRusso makes tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and whole peeled tomatoes in the can. I have various dishes I like to make with each variety. For Chicken Parm dipping sauce, I like the TuttoRusso tomato puree, because it’s already extremely smooth, perfect for a dip.

Kid Friendly Chicken Parm

1 lb Chicken tenders or thin sliced chicken breast cut into strips
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (finely grated if possible)
1 cup bread crumbs (and here’s the key: I made mine out of those half pretzel, half cracker crackers by crushing them with a rolling pin in a paper bag! They make the MOST delicious crumbs!).
1/4 cup oil or butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a larger zipper bag.

Coat the chicken pieces with oil or melted butter.

Toss into the bag. Shake until well coated.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange breaded chicken slices in the dish, without them touching each other, if possible.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, turn and bake 5-10 more minutes, testing for doneness. Don’t overbake as this will dry them out.

Remove from oven and place on serving dish.

Dipping Sauce (Make-ahead!):

In a small pan or crock pot, empty one 28 oz can TuttoRusso tomato puree.
Add seasoning to taste – I recommend:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp chili powder (yes! so yummy!)

Cook on low to medium heat until bubbly, reduce heat and simmer until flavors are well-blended. Remove from heat and place in dipping bowls.

I also like to put more cheese in another dipping bowl. Sometimes the kids like to dip the chicken piece in the sauce and then in the cheese for extra cheesiness!

Enjoy!

What’s your favorite kid-friendly meal to make? Bonus if you’re using tomato sauce!

The Tuttorosso Brand has a rich history among Americans with an Italian heritage…an essential ingredient for made-from-scratch, family-favorite, tomato-based recipes. Three generations have been loyal users of Tuttorosso Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Crushed Tomatoes and Tomato Puree. Tuttorosso – Authentic Italian Cooking at Home.

Tuttorosso also offers a full line of prepared pasta sauces in glass jars so that families can enjoy a great tasting meal when time is short, without sacrificing flavor. 

Thanks to TuttoRusso for providing items at no charge for review. All opinions are my own.