Happy Friday everybody! I don’t know about you, but I am SO happy it’s the weekend. Why is that? Mainly because I don’t have a ton of things lined up this weekend – which means I get to relax a little, do some work around the house, and perhaps whip up some delicious dishes that I can share with you. That’s a win-win, right?

So when the husband is in his study mode, Friday night is his true break night. If it’s nice out, we enjoy hanging out on the patio, having a beer or a glass of wine, and just solving the problems of the world. Sometimes, we like to go out to a bar, hang out with friends, see a movie or just something to take a break from the norm!

And since it’s the weekend and we like to go out, I usually try to make some “weekend” food. So things like lightened up pizzas, hot wings, etc. usually show up on our Friday menu. You know, bar food – but without the grease and the guilt!

Well, I posted my delicious ranch fries yesterday…and you may have noticed something else on the plate. Some tempting looking chicken strips…drizzled with warm honey…

Honey Ginger Chicken Strips (serves 2)

3/4 pound chicken tender strips (8-9 strips)

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 Tbsp. liquid from jar of pickled ginger

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1 Tbsp. ground ginger

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp. honey

Place chicken strips in a plastic bag or small dish. Add milk, minced garlic and juice from ginger. Marinate at least 2 hours. I threw this in the fridge in the morning before work so it had lots of time to soak.

When you are ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees. I use a spare oven rack and set it on top of a cookie sheet lined with foil, so the chicken gets crispy on both sides and doesn’t stick. You can just use nonstick spray on a cookie sheet if that’s what you have!

Mix the bread crumbs with flour, seasoned salt and ground ginger. Add chicken strips to bread mixture and coat well.

Spray rack with nonstick spray and add chicken breasts. Spray with cooking spray or olive oil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and turn, baking another 10-12 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Heat up honey in microwave. Drizzle evenly over each chicken breast and serve.

Have a great weekend – go home, pour a glass of wine and eat something delicious!