Homemade Chicken Goujons – Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Strips

Why I Make My Own Chicken Goujons

There’s something about a Friday night that calls for crispy chicken, homemade chips and a generous spoonful of garlic sauce. I love that kind of dinner as much as anyone. But when it comes to chicken goujons, I’d much rather make them myself than order a box from a fast-food chain.

Not because I have anything against enjoying a treat. Quite the opposite. I just like knowing what I’m treating myself to.

For me, the questions begin long before the chicken reaches my kitchen. Where did it come from? How was it raised? What was it fed, and how was it handled along the way? I try to choose chicken from farms and producers I feel comfortable buying from, although I know it’s not always easy to trace every detail.

And the more you think about it, the longer that list becomes. From the day a chick hatches to the day the meat appears on a supermarket shelf, there’s an entire chain of decisions about farming, processing, storage and transport. Even the expectation that raw chicken should look fresh and pink for days raises interesting questions about packaging, handling and shelf life. I could probably write a small book about chicken alone.

Then there’s what happens when that chicken becomes a nugget.

Many industrially produced chicken products are carefully formulated to deliver a consistent flavour, texture and appearance. Depending on the product, that can involve finely chopped or reformed meat, starches, flavourings, seasoning blends and other ingredients that you wouldn’t necessarily reach for when making chicken strips at home.

I’m not suggesting that every chicken nugget is made the same way. But personally, when I’m in the mood for chicken, I’d rather start with an actual chicken breast than a heavily processed product whose texture and flavour have been engineered to be identical from one batch to the next.

And I haven’t even got to the frying oil yet.

Having worked in professional kitchens, I’ve seen how much food can pass through the same fryer before the oil is replaced. There are procedures for checking and changing frying oil, of course, but watching batch after batch go into the same hot fat made me think about something that isn’t immediately visible on the plate.

What happens to that oil after hours of heating?

This isn’t simply a question of whether it still looks acceptable. When oils are exposed to high temperatures, particularly over repeated frying cycles, they undergo chemical changes. Oxidation, hydrolysis and polymerisation can produce compounds that weren’t present in the fresh oil. How quickly this happens depends on the type of fat, the temperature, the food being fried and how long the oil remains in use.

It’s one of the reasons the choice of cooking fat matters so much to me. I use olive oil at home, including for these oven-baked chicken goujons. Despite the common belief that olive oil should only be used cold, research has shown that olive oils can perform very well under cooking temperatures, thanks to their fatty acid composition and, particularly in extra virgin olive oil, naturally occurring protective compounds.

That doesn’t mean any oil can be heated indefinitely. It means that the type of oil and the way we use it both deserve attention.

There’s also the question of flavour. Industrial food manufacturers put considerable effort into making products consistently appealing, from the seasoning to the texture and the way the coating feels when you bite into it. I find that fascinating, but it also makes me more selective about what I bring home.

Research into ultra-processed diets has raised interesting questions about how food formulation and processing may influence how much we eat. In our own family, I’ve noticed something much simpler: we don’t seem to crave these kinds of meals particularly often when we make them ourselves. Perhaps it’s because they’re not an effortless, everyday option, or perhaps homemade versions simply satisfy us differently. Whatever the reason, I like that they remain an occasional treat.

And when we do fancy crispy chicken, I want it to taste of chicken.

That’s where my homemade chicken goujons come in. I cut chicken breast into strips and leave it to marinate in a little kefir, egg and seasoning, preferably overnight. The coating is a mixture of breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, spices and olive oil, which I rub together with my fingers before coating the chicken.

I bake them in the oven rather than deep-frying them. The result is tender chicken with a golden, seasoned coating, without needing a fryer full of oil.

What goes alongside depends entirely on what’s in the kitchen. Sometimes it’s homemade potato wedges or sweet potato fries, sometimes roasted carrots, broccoli or celeriac chips. There will almost certainly be garlic sauce, made with mayonnaise, natural yoghurt and fresh garlic, and usually a little ketchup too.

Could I save myself some time by ordering dinner? Absolutely. But I enjoy having a say in the ingredients, the seasoning and the cooking method. I know where I bought the chicken, I know which oil I’ve used, and I know exactly what went into the coating.

For me, that’s what makes a Friday night treat feel like a treat.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Goujons in the Oven

These crispy oven-baked chicken strips are straightforward to prepare, especially if you marinate the chicken the evening before. The kefir marinade helps keep the meat tender, while paprika, garlic, black pepper and a little chilli give it plenty of flavour. Sometimes I add a touch of honey, depending on what I’m in the mood for.

Instead of deep-frying, I mix olive oil directly into the seasoned breadcrumbs and sesame seeds, rubbing everything together until the crumbs are evenly moistened. This helps the coating brown in the oven and gives the chicken a lovely texture without needing a deep fryer.

I serve my homemade chicken goujons with oven-roasted vegetables or chips and a quick garlic sauce made with three parts mayonnaise to two parts natural yoghurt, plus a couple of cloves of fresh garlic. It’s simple, satisfying and exactly the sort of Friday dinner I look forward to.