What’s a good gathering without some delicious appetizers? The best kind of appetizers should be eaten stress-free without the worry of creating a mess behind! That is exactly why finger foods should always be the star of any occasion. Be it your game night, book club meeting, or celebration of a milestone at work; why the hassle with all the cutlery? Finger Foods are the soul of any gathering since they set the mood of the gathering and good food always means good mood. From crispy chicken tenders to healthy delicata rings, we have curated it for your next special occasion! This recipe guide contains the easiest, least time-consuming, and absolutely lipsmackingly delicious finger food recipes for you to try them out soon.

Golden Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
• ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preparation:

1. Set aside a large baking pan lined with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C).
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and eggs.
3. To achieve the crunchiest coating, lightly toast the breadcrumbs in a dry pan.
4. Mix the breadcrumbs, flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and onion powder in a different mixing bowl.
5. To make tenders, cut the chicken breast into equal-length, equal-thickness strips by slicing against the grain (optional, in case you don’t have chicken tenders).
6. After dipping each chicken tender individually into the egg mixture and draining it, add it into the breadcrumb mixture and press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken.
7. Put the breaded tenders on the baking pan that has been prepped.
8. Lightly oil the chicken to achieve a golden-brown crust. The chicken will still be tasty and crunchy if you omit this step.
9. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the chicken is lightly golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
10. Serve hot with ranch dressing, ketchup, or hot sauce.

Mini Taco Hand Pies

Ingredients:

• 1 box refrigerated pie dough (14.1 oz)
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¾ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ teaspoon water
• 8 ounces ground beef (you can substitute it with turkey, chicken, or any other meat)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
• ½ cup black beans

Preparation:

1. Over medium heat, warm the olive oil in a large skillet.
2. Next, add the ground beef and keep cooking it. Sauté the ground beef until it crumbles.
3. Mix in cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and chili powder.
4. Keep cooking until the seasoning has been integrated and the beef is no longer pink. It should take eight to ten minutes. As it cooks, the beef mixture should get thicker.
5. After adding the black beans, turn off the heat and let it cool.
6. Preheat the oven at 425 °F.
7. Cover your work surface with flour. One dough sheet should be rolled out. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut dough into circles, rerolling scraps as needed. Continue with the remaining dough sheet.
8. Spread cooking spray on a baking sheet and place half of the circles on it.
9. Top the dough circles with about a half teaspoon of cheese and a spoonful of the meat mixture. Cover the meat and cheese mixture with the remaining circle halves. Use the tines of a fork to pinch the edges together.
10. In a bowl, combine the egg and water. Top each hand pie with a brushful of egg wash.
11. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, till golden. Take the hand pies out of the oven and allow them to cool a little before serving. Serve alongside your preferred taco toppings.

Baked Delicata Rings

Ingredient List:

For Delicata Rings:

• 3 standard-sized delicata squash
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ⅔ cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Dipping Sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
• 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 °F.
2. Next, use a non-stick cooking spray and line two baking sheets with foil. Put aside.
3. After washing, cut the delicata squash in half. Scoop out the seeds using a spoon or melon baller. Next, cut each half into rings that are ½ inch thick. Throw away the leftover parts. (You don’t need to peel the squash since it has no peel and the outer surface is edible.)
4. Next, three mixing bowls are required. Add the flour in the first bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise together in the second mixing bowl.
5. In the third bowl, mix together the parsley, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
6. Dip a delicata squash ring into the flour to start. Any extra flour should be shaken off. After that, dip the ring into the mayonnaise mixture and let any extra mixture drip off.
7. Lastly, coat the ring with the bread crumb mixture and set it on a baking sheet that has been prepared. Continue doing this with the other rings.
8. Bake the rings until the bottoms start to brown, about 15 minutes.
9. After taking the rings out of the oven, flip each one over. Put them back in the oven and continue to bake for ten to fifteen more minutes, or until the rings are soft and well browned.
10. In the meantime, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, herbs, garlic, sea salt, and pepper to make the creamy herb dip.
11. Serve the warm baked delicata rings with the creamy herb dip.