I’ve got the munchies

There’s just something about chips and university that goes hand in hand. I've always thought of them as the universal party food. Need something that everyone can eat? Go with the Doritos/ Cheetos/ Fritos/ insert-brand-name-chip-X-here-and-add-“o’s”-to-the-end. The choice is pretty much limitless.

Maybe it's because it pairs so well with beer and weed. Granted, that's just the word on the street. Or perhaps you’re more the studious type and it’s easier to cram for an exam when you’ve got a bag of Smartfood next to your laptop.

Side note: I don’t think eating fistfuls of Smartfood counts as studying. My grade 12 chemistry exam is ample proof of that.

Regardless of why you chow down on chips, you probably never considered cooking with them. So if you've got any leftover Doritos and a chicken breast, then you’ve got yourself a start. Throw into a few potato wedges seasoned with rosemary and now you’ve got a meal.

Add in an avocado for a garlic-avocado dipping sauce and you can’t go wrong. Seriously, while cooking with Doritos is impressive on its own, I feel as if the dip accompanying this dish is the real star here. Deliciously simple and highly addictive, I just can’t get enough of it.



Tex-mex Chicken Tenders with Herbed Potato Wedges and Avocado Aioli
Adapted from the Guy can't Cook, by Cinda Chavich

Ingredients:

Herbed Potato Wedges
-1 (one) large white potato, cut into 1cm thick wedges
-5 (five) Tbsp of olive oil
-Salt and pepper to taste
-3 (three) Tbsp of rosemary leaves

Nacho-crusted Chicken Tenders
-2 (two) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
-1 (one) egg
-1 (one) Tbsp of honey mustard
-1/4 cup (75 mL) of milk
-2 (two) cups (500 mL) of Dorito crumbs

Avacado Aioli
-1 (one) Hass avocado, pitted and diced into cubes
-1/2 cup (125 mL) of mayonnaise
-1 (one) clove of garlic

Serves two

*** Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C)

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together egg, milk, and mustard. Next, slice each chicken breast halve into strips of four or five and add to egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate for half an hour.



2. Wash and clean potatoes thoroughly. How thorough? Until the left potato looks like the right potato. Yes, all that stuff was dirt and grime.



3. Slice potato into 1 cm thick wedges and toss with olive oil.



4. On a large foil-covered baking pan, (15 X 11 inches) sprinkle salt, pepper, rosemary until pan is evenly coated.



5. Coat the other side of the wedges with remaining salt, pepper, and rosemary. Tent the wedges with another sheet of foil and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, turning over wedges once 20 minutes have passed.



6. As the wedges bake, crumble Doritos in a food processor until a fine consistency is reached. Evenly spread the crumbs onto a large dish and set aside.



7. Remove the chicken strips from the fridge and with a pair of tongs, bread the strips in the crumbs until evenly coated.



8. Place the strips on a foil-covered pan and let the chicken's coating set for 10 minutes. Once the coating has set, pop them in the oven alongside the wedges and bake for 15 minutes or until the coating starts to brown.



9. While the wedges and chicken strips are baking, add mayo, avocado, and garlic into your food processor and blend until smooth.



10. Remove the wedges and chicken strips and let cool for a few minutes. Arrange around a dish and savour with the avocado aioli to dip.