Baked Chicken Tenders – incredibly crunchy, tender and flavorful baked chicken tenders dipped in a buttermilk mixture and coated with a well-seasoned flour and herb-y sauteed breadcrumbs. You will never need any other chicken tender recipe other than this!

Happy happy new year, everyone! I really do get excited when welcoming the new year. It means new chances, new life and new opportunities. Life is so good if you welcome every year that way and just learning from anything negative that has happened.

Moving on, I did some back-aching general cleaning in the house over the weekend and went to the grocery store right after to do some last-minute grocery shopping. One of my aunts said that your pantry and fridge should be fully stocked come New Year’s Eve to attract abundance all throughout the year. The same goes for preparing this Prosperity New Year Dishes.

Well, one of our Facebook readers even shared that they welcome New Year’s Eve with a fully packed bag for more travels. Hmmmm… I think I like that idea! Do you have a couple of New Year practices that you follow religiously?

Baked Breaded Chicken Tenders

So much for the superstitious practices. Let’s talk about this dish right here.

I hope you won’t forget though to add this incredible baked chicken tenders on your party menu tonight. They make a wonderful appetizer along with different dips and sauces OR serve them for dinner with salad and roasted veggies. And they’re soooo easy to prepare!

First off, you have to lightly season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper then roll it into the highly seasoned flour mixture before dipping it in the buttermilk mixture, and finally into the bowl of breadcrumbs.

One way to work on this recipe smoothly is to prepare everything in bowls – from the flour, buttermilk,  and sauteed breadcrumbs. This way, it will be easy for you to just coat and dip every piece before you line them on the baking sheet. I advise using tongs to avoid messy fingers. 😉

The selling point of this recipe is the amazing crunchy, buttery and herb-y sauteed breadcrumbs that coats the chicken well. It delivers that perfect crunch to every bite and they look pretty great on the table, too!

See what I’m talking about?

How long do you bake chicken tenders in the oven?

For medium-sized chicken tenders like these here, bake them for around 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown and between 18-20 minutes if you’re using bigger cuts. Any longer than that dries out the inside of the chicken. 

How do you make healthy chicken tenders?

I was so tempted to deep fry these chicken tenders here, ’cause you know… I love anything fried! But thankfully, I was able to shut off that idea and baked them instead for healthier chicken tenders. But if you want to make this a little more healthy, you can omit the flour, use egg whites instead of whole eggs and replace regular breadcrumbs with panko. If you can find gluten-free breadcrumbs, that’d be a good choice, too.

So that leaves you coating the chicken tenders in the beaten egg white (+ a splash of water) bowl first and into the seasoned panko breadcrumbs. 

Serve these amazingly crunchy and tender baked chicken tenders with bottled ketchup, ranch dip or this homemade remoulade sauce here. It works best with or without any condiments. Want more appetizer options for your New Year’s Eve party? You can also prepare these Buffalo Wings and Sausage Balls.

Have a happy happy new year, everyone. Hello 2019! 🙂

 

Tips and Notes:

1.  To make ahead, you can coat and crumb the chicken ahead and store in the fridge for 24 hours.
2. If you want to make this a little more healthy, you can omit the flour, use egg whites instead of whole eggs and replace regular breadcrumbs with panko. If you can find gluten-free breadcrumbs, that’d be a good choice, too.

 

 

 

How to Make Baked Chicken Tenders

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil paper. Set aside. While oven is warming up, cut chicken into desired shapes, if using whole chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Whisk buttermilk and eggs in another medium bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine: flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning and white pepper. Set aside.

Place small skillet on medium heat, add butter, stir for about 30 seconds then throw in  bread crumbs. Season with black pepper . Saute for about 3 -4 minutes or until fragrant and slightly brown. Throw in dried parsley, if desired , Transfer to a bowl and let it cool. Set aside.

Start evenly coating the chicken in the flour mixture first, then in the buttermilk bowl and finally into the breadcrumbs bowl. Gently Shake excess breadcrumbs. Place chicken tenders in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Repeat the same step with the rest of the chicken pieces

Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until bottom starts to brown , then carefully flip chicken tenders over, so as not to remove the breadcrumbs. Continue baking  for another 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.