Baked Chicken Tenders & Lemon Rice Pilaf for Friendship & Courage | Sara's Kitchen Witchcraft

A fun little twist on an otherwise ordinary couple sides with your chicken.

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I'll be honest: the reason we're having chicken tenders is because I watched someone eat some on Tiktok and got smacked with the most ungodly craving. But if you think I'm going to waste upwards of twenty dollars on two meh fast food chicken meals, you don't know me well at all. What I've got here is something that's not only a lot tastier, but also provides some wonderful leftovers that won't make you feel sad trying to reheat the next day. And yes, we're making baked chicken tenders — not for health reasons, really, but because it is a massive pain in my backside to go messing with all that hot oil afterwards. I always spill it somehow.

It's so rare that I make a meal that isn't one pot. Maybe that needs to change, because when I cook meals like these, it really reminds me not only of what I'm capable of in the kitchen, but also how fun it is to try new meals and do new things! As a kitchen witch, though, I will say that no matter what I make, the base ingredients always tend to be similar, at least, which makes the magic still stable and doing what I need it to do.

Though this time, we've got some interesting ones. The mint in my neighbor's yard is aready popping up everywhere and taking over, and they've invited me to use some (because I tell you: there is a lot in that patch). Not only do I love fresh mint for tea and mojitos; I love it for garnishes and additions to fresh, zesty dishes like these, too, and it's always a treat to get to invoke it for magic in a dish.

There are a lot of date night dinner ideas out there, too, but you know what? This one is a bit more on the unique side, and that's thanks to that mint, along with lemon, tomato, and thyme.

Magic in Baked Chicken Tenders and Lemon Rice Pilaf

So usually when you think of date nights, you might think of some much heavier flavors, right? Rich tomato sauces, or some kind of gravy—red wine and chocolate and all those other decadent flavors—but here, we not only have an opportunity for romantic love, but also platonic love, if that's what you're looking for! These bright flavors help lift the energy at the table, purify the mind, and encourage an easy flow of communication, as well as plenty of healing and courage and comfort. It's got just as much of a punch as any of the traditional love flavors!

So next time you're looking to have an awesome dinner party with friends, or have a double date with your lover and two choice guests, this is the perfect meal for it. The ingredients invoked are heavy on the water element, with Venus and the Moon bringing lots of intuition, emotion, vulnerability, and connection, and the little bit of air peeking through with Mercury also helps us keep our wits as we navigate all kinds of lovely conversation topics. It'll be an upbeat night, that's for sure!

Baked Chicken Tenders and Lemon Rice Pilaf

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Makes 4 plates

Ingredients:

For Tenders:

• 3 eggs

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast (or tenders but breasts are cheaper)

• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp thyme

• 1 tsp paprika

• salt and pepper to taste

For Rice:

• 1 1/4 cups long grain rice

• 2 1/2 cups water

• 1 chicken bouillon cube

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 onion diced

• 2 tsp thyme

• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

• 3 Tbsp lemon juice

• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

For Tomato & Onion Salad:

• 6 roma tomatoes

• 1 1/2 onions

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp fresh thyme

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 435 degrees F

2. Cut your chicken into thin strips (one full breast will make about four strips)

3. Prepare your dredges: one bowl for flour, one for beaten egg, one for panko crumbs.

4. Mix seasonings into the panko.

5. Put chicken into the flour, then the egg, then the panko, making sure to cover all sides with crumbs.

6. Lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until thickest piece registers 165 degrees F.

Lemon Rice:

1. Chop half an onion and sautee in a large saucepan with olive oil.

2. Add chopped garlic, frying until fragrant.

3. Add rinsed rice and toast for 1-2 minutes, adding oil if necessary to keep from burning.

4. Add chicken cube, seasonings, and water.

5. Bring to a boil, then move to low heat and simmer for 12 minutes or until water is evaporated.

6. Take off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before zesting lemon into the pot and adding lemon juice and herbs.

7. Stir well and serve.

Tomato Salad:

1. Quarter tomatoes and add to bowl.

2. Slice onions into thin slices and add to bowl.

3. Add seasonings, oil, and vinegar, then mix well, breaking up onion chunks as necessary.

I haven't been this excited about rice in a while. It turned out so good! The lemon came through so nicely without becoming bitter because it wasn't getting cooked, only added at the end—that's the important part! And with all this flavor comes all kinds of health benefits, too, remember: vitamins and good oils and all kinds of other nice stuff. Flavor means health when that flavor comes from herbs, spices, fruits, and veggies! Enjoy! ♥

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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.

Follow Sara on Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube, and explore her fiction writing here.