Chicken Strips and They're Actually Cooked!

Ever since we moved I've been have trouble making chicken strips.  It's not something we have often, and we never buy them frozen, but every once in awhile I make homemade, crunchy chicken strips (the recipe is below).  I just can't make them on the electric stove.  For some reason it seems like I can't regulate the heat as well, and the heat certainly doesn't come down as fast as on a gas stove.  The chicken strips either turn out anemic looking or burnt on the outside and raw in the middle.  Fortunately, my parents bought be an electric skillet for my birthday.  It was great!  The heat was very even and consistent, so the chicken strips turned out perfect.  Next up on the electric skillet, pancakes and my nemesis hash browns.   I've seriously tried to make hash browns more than a dozen times in the last month and they are always weird, gray, and mushy.  I have baked them, broiled them, parcooked them, and tried all kinds of pans, but I won't give up.

Crispy Chicken Strips

1 lb. chicken breasts sliced into strips

1 1/2 cups flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

homemade bread crumbs (please make your own, especially if you have a food processor)

salt

pepper

2 tsp. dried parsley, oregano, basil, or a mix of all three (optional)

oil for frying, I use canola

1. Get out three pie plates, bowls, or dishes that are big enough to fit the chicken strips.  Put the flour in one bowl, the beaten eggs and buttermilk in the second bowl, and the bread crumbs with salt, pepper, and herbs (if using) in the third bowl.  Place bowls in a line on the counter in the order listed.  Place an empty plate at the end of the line.

2.  Put your chicken strips, one at a time, in the flour, then the egg/buttermilk, then the crumbs, and place on the plate at the end.

3. Once all the chicken strips are coated, heat about an inch of oil to between 350 and 375

4. Once the oil is hot, place chicken strips in the oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown.  You will need to do this in batches, so I always set the oven to warm and place the chicken strips on a cookie sheet in the oven when they're finished, so the others can cook.