Parmesan Chicken Fingers with Garlic Cheese Sauce

Cut the chicken into strips. In a blender or food processor, pulse the crumbs and Parmesan until it’s a fine crumb mixture.

Put the flour, egg, and crumb mixture in individual shallow bowls. Dust each strip of chicken with flour, dip into the beaten egg, and roll in the crumb mixture. Coat all pieces before you start frying.

Pour oil in a large skillet or frying pan until it’s a few inches deep (enough to cover the chicken on one side). Heat over medium low heat until a drop of water sizzles in it. Add the chicken in batches and fry for 1-3 minutes until they reach desired golden-brownness. Make sure to fry long enough to cook each piece all the way through. Remove from oil with tongs and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain the oil. Let cool slightly.

For the cheese sauce, melt the cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk, garlic, and oil until smooth. When smooth, add the cheese. Melt for another 20-30 seconds and whisk again until totally smooth, adding more milk to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency. You can also do this on the stovetop—I’ve done it both ways.

Serve chicken drizzled with sauce and garnished with parsley.

Notes: Make extra sauce if you’re planning to serve more than 3-4 people. And if you love salt, sprinkle the chicken fingers with coarse sea salt just after removing them from the frying pan.