Easy Summer Dinner

Easy Summer Dinner
Nothing says summer quite like the image of perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables available in backyards and produce stands everywhere. Even still, it can be quite a challenge to get your child on board with the whole “eat your fruit and veggies” thing. So what to do? Get those kids in the kitchen! When kids become chefs and begin to take a major part in producing their own meals, they are much more likely to enjoy the food they helped make and eat it!

Note: These recipes include both “Kids in the Kitchen” and “Parent Prep” instructions for the simplest approach to cooking with young ones.

Corn Flake Crunch Chicken

Kids may love fried chicken, but no one loves deep-frying food, and your hearts will certainly thank you for this this crunchy and satisfying healthy alternative.

What You Need:
3 cups corn flakes
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt
What You Do:
Parent Prep: Place each chicken breast in between two sheets of wax paper and flatten each one out by pounding it with a rolling pin. Then slice the chicken into strips about 1 ½ inches wide by 4 inches long. Melt the butter in a pan on the stove and allow it to cool. Place the corn flakes in the food processor and pulse until they’re broken down into course crumbs.

Kids in the Kitchen: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Create a work area with the plate of the cut chicken strips, and then put the melted butter in a bowl and the corn flake crumbs in another bowl. Line everything up so that you have an assembly-line work station for coating your chicken. Lightly salt the chicken. Dredge (dip) a piece of chicken entirely into the butter, and then in the next bowl, roll it in the corn flakes until it is completely covered. Place on the baking sheet and repeat this process with each strip until all of the chicken has been coated.

Place the chicken in the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, having your parents turn the strips halfway into the cooking time so that they can cook evenly on both sides.