Healthy Recipe With Chicken Tenders

These crispy, golden, baked chicken tenders are tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside, and they so much healthier than fried chicken fingers! The key is the foolproof oven-baked panko breading. They are kid-approved and a big hit with all ages! They are an all-time favorite 40-minute dinner.

Thank heaven for these baked chicken tenders! Over the years, I have heard from readers that these chicken tenders are a regular part of their family’s menu rotation. And on a busy night, I personally am also always relieved when I have the ingredients on hand to make them. They are quick and healthy and my kids absolutely love them. I have to admit they are a fan of mine too.

Baked

If you think that baked chicken fingers aren’t going to be as good as fried, think again! These seriously are juicy and tender on the inside and the golden panko coating is crunchy as can be.

Minute Healthy Chicken Fingers {gf, Low Cal}

They are perfect for dunking in your favorite sauce: Ranch, Ketchup or BBQ sauce. Pair them with a family-friendly side like lemon broccoli or these easy green beans or choose one of these sides that go great with chicken. Or make a Caesar salad made with my favorite Caesar dressing and homemade croutons and just like that, you have a clean-plate-club kind of dinner!

I should mention that before we get to the details of this baked chicken tenders recipe, check out our Crispy Oven Baked Fish Sticks which are based on the same foolproof technique for these breaded chicken tenders! Even fish-phobes love them!

You will need 1 pound of raw chicken tenders per batch of chicken fingers. These can sometimes be labeled chicken tenderloin which is the same thing. They come from the inner part of the chicken breast (right against the rib bones) and they are very tender. Hence the name!

Minute Honey Garlic Chicken

You can also use boneless skinless chicken breast and cut them into chicken nuggets. Note that this is just enough breading for one pound of tenderloins though, so if you cut the chicken too small you may run out of breading because it may have more surface area.

Before doing anything else, you need to set up stations to dip the chicken tenders into each coating. So first you’ll want to mix the all-purpose flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish.

Then, beat the eggs in a second shallow dish and set that next to the flour. The egg acts as a glue to hold the breadcrumbs to the flour layer.

Grilled Chicken Tenders

Lastly, stir together the breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic powder and salt in a third shallow dish. Drizzle oil over the breadcrumb mixture and then mix thoroughly with a fork until all of the oil and spice coats the breadcrumbs.Keep mixing until the breadcrumbs are evenly colored and moistened by the oil and paprkia. This really makes a big difference so take a moment to do so.

Set to the side of the egg mixture. This will be your third step in the breading process and what makes these chicken fingers super crunchy!

My top tip for this step is to use one hand for the dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients while dredging the tenders.

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Transfer the breaded tenders to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through. There is no need to flip the baked chicken tenders over because the panko will keep them from becoming soggy on the bottom.They will be nice and crisp as if they were deep fried, but without all the added oil!

I find that these panko-crusted tenderloins don’t need to be elevated on a rack and they still get very crispy on the bottom. The key is mixing the breadcrumbs with the oil so that they crisp up and using a hot oven will keep them from getting soggy on the bottom.

Healthier

These baked chicken tenders can be frozen. Cool completely and then freeze until firm on a baking sheet until frozen. Then store in a sealed freezer bag up to 2 months. To thaw, lay on a plate lined with a paper towel and thaw in the fridge overnight. Heat in an air-fryer or oven set at 400 degrees until heated through, about 15 mins for oven. Air fryer times vary. For best results when reheating, flip them over half way through heating.

Creamy Chicken Tenders

You can sub in gluten-free all-purpose flour or rice flour for the all-pourpose flour and use gluten-free panko to make these baked chicken tenders gluten free friendly.

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These crispy and healthy baked chicken tenders are baked in the oven instead of fried. They’re breaded in panko mixed with seasoning and oil, then baked to make a super crispy coating. Plus, they’re kid approved!

Easy Gluten Free Chicken Tenders (crispy, Juicy, & Healthy!)

Sweet Paprika is also known simply as paprika. In this recipe it serves to color the breadcrumb mixture to give it a golden hue as if it had been fried. It doesn’t contribute a lot of flavor to the final dish. However, hot paprika or smoked paprika would dramatically alter the flavor of the final dish.

Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.

Lemon

45 Minutes or Less Best Of Chicken Classics & Comfort Food Cooking Videos dairy free Fall Game Day High Protein Kid Friendly Lactose Free Main Course No Added Sugar nut free Sheet Pan Recipes Spring summer Weeknight Whole Grain winteEasy Baked Chicken Tenders are oven baked to create healthier chicken tenders. The panko crust is crunchy, but you can sub in regular breadcrumbs, and has good flavor from the spices. These are a kid and adult favorite!

Easy Chicken Tenderloins Recipe

This is such an easy chicken recipe and we all need some of those in our back pocket for those busy weeknights.

You can’t go wrong with chicken nuggets on a busy night. And these are crispy chicken tenders which is an added bonus!

PREPARE THE BREADING FOR THE TENDERS: In a shallow bowl combine the ingredients for the breading which includes panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, thyme, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

Baked Seasoned Chicken Tenders For Baby + Toddler

DREDGE THE CHICKEN FINGERS IN OIL AND BREADCRUMBS: Next you will pour the olive oil in a separate shallow bowl. Dredge each chicken tender in the olive oil , making sure to coat both sides.

Then take the chicken tender and dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture making sure both sides are coated. Put the coated tenders on to a prepared baking sheet once coated. If you have a wire rack I suggest using it when baking chicken tenders on top of the baking sheet to help create an even crispier chicken.

Chicken

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F then bake chicken tenders for 25 minutes, flipping the tenders once until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer and they turn golden brown.

Oven Fried Paleo Chicken Tenders

Sprinkle the crispy tenders with fresh parsley if you want and serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce like ketchup, bbq sauce or honey mustard sauce. Store the leftover chicken tenders in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

WRAP OR SANDWICH: Use chicken tenders as the main protein in wraps, sandwiches, or sliders. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and your choice of condiments.

OTHER CHICKEN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE: COQ AU VIN GREEK LEMON CHICKEN MOROCCAN CHICKEN THIGHS GREEK CHICKEN WITH TZATZIKI GREEK MARINATED CHICKEN KABOBS CHICKEN SLIDERS

Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe

I like the idea of oiling the chicken first then adding the dry. I have tried spraying the oil on chicken after breading it...adds more fat than I would like. This method seems like it would control the amount of fat and is much neater as well. Will have try.

My grandchildren love these tenders! They are easy to prepare and cook. They appear many times when the grands visit. My granddaughter loves them with rice pilaf and cucumbers. Such an easy, tasty meal!

It would be nice to have nutrition information. How many calories are there in a serving? How much fat? Carbs? Protein? Knowing this would help in creating a meal plan for the day that allows one to stay within healthy guidelines .