Everything Bagel Chicken Strips

The essay about Mom's garden brought in a wave of responses I wasn't prepared for. Not just comments on the post but messages — people describing their own pandemic gardens, their own mothers who had always planted more than they needed, their own inheritance of seeds and methods. One woman in Ohio wrote that she'd grown up with a grandmother who had kept a garden through the Depression and that my piece helped her understand something she'd observed her whole childhood without language for. These are the responses you don't forget.

I thought about what RecipeSpinoff has become for me, which is different from what I thought it would be when I started posting. I started because I wanted a place to put the recipes and the writing that went around them, thinking of it mostly as an archive for myself. It's become something more reciprocal than that. The community is genuinely interested in the specifics of lives unlike their own, and that interest isn't tourism — it isn't looking at Montana ranch life as exotic. It's finding the universal thing in the particular thing. That's what writing does at its best and it's what cooking does at its best too. You bring someone something made specifically and it feeds something general in them.

Fifteen accounts now, after the Yamamoto addition. The business runs at a pace I can manage while still taking care of what needs taking care of at the ranch. I haven't had to hire help yet. Eventually I might need an apprentice — someone to take the straightforward accounts while I handle the therapeutic cases that take longer. Not yet. But I can see where the math is going.

Made buttermilk fried chicken Thursday — whole chicken cut up, marinated in buttermilk overnight, dredged in flour with plenty of salt and pepper and paprika, fried in a cast iron skillet with two inches of neutral oil. The whole process takes the better part of an afternoon and is worth every minute. Some food requires time as an ingredient and this is one of those foods.

That Thursday chicken reminded me why I keep coming back to recipes that ask something of you — time, attention, a willingness to stand at the stove. These Everything Bagel Chicken Strips carry that same spirit in a weeknight-friendly form: the seasoning does real work, the crust has genuine crunch, and the result feels considered rather than convenient. After a week of responses that reminded me what specificity can do for people, it felt right to cook something where the details matter — where the everything bagel seasoning isn’t a shortcut but a choice.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil, for drizzling

Instructions

Marinate the chicken. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken strips, turning to coat. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes at room temperature, or up to 2 hours refrigerated.
Prepare the dredge. In a separate shallow dish, combine the plain breadcrumbs, panko, everything bagel seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until evenly mixed.
Coat the strips. Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with a wire rack. Remove each chicken strip from the buttermilk mixture, letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the breadcrumb mixture on all sides. Place on the prepared rack.
Add oil and bake. Drizzle or lightly brush the coated strips with oil. Bake for 18–22 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the crust is deep golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Rest and serve. Let the strips rest on the rack for 3–5 minutes before serving. This keeps the crust from steaming and going soft. Serve with your preferred dipping sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Everything Bagel Chicken Strips — The Long Afternoon Kind of Cooking