Baked Chicken Tenders
Published 3/23/2021 • Updated 12/4/2024
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There’s nothing better than crunchy, crispy baked chicken tenders. There is no need to deep fry these baked tenders, they are flavorful and crispy right out of the oven.
Baked Chicken Tenders
There is no age at which you have to stop eating chicken tenders. Whether you are 5 or 55, if you love chicken tendys, order them! We are big fans of chicken tenders over here on FFF.
We recently made these delicious air fryer chicken tenders for those of you who love their air fryer and now we are focusing on these baked chicken tenders. A classic baked chicken tender with no fuss!
All the Ingredients You Need
Other than your chicken tenders, there are only a few other ingredients that you need! We always recommend looking over your ingredient list and measuring everything out before starting any recipe.
Here’s what you need to make these baked chicken tenders:
- Chicken tenders
- Panko breadcrumbs
- White whole wheat flour
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Large eggs
- Stone ground mustard
- Honey
- Olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
ingredients swaps
If you are itching to make these chicken tenders, but don’t have everything you need in the above list, here are some great recipe swaps!
White Whole Wheat Flour —> All Purpose Flour or Almond Flour
Panko Bread Crumbs —> Any Bread Crumbs or GF Bread Crumbs
Stone Ground Mustard —> Dijon Mustard or Reguar Mustard
Honey—> Maple Syrup
White Wine Vinegar—> Red Wine Vinegar or Rice Vinegar
How to Make Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
There are really only three steps for the instructions for these baked chicken tenders. It really is that simple to get restaurant-crispy chicken tenders that aren’t deep fried!
DIP Chicken in Egg wash
You are going to dip your chicken through two different mixtures. First, dip each raw chicken tender through an egg wash.
You do this to both allow the bread crumbs to stick to the chicken but the egg wash also helps to crisp up the bread crumbs!
Once you dip the chicken tender through the egg mixture, you want to make sure to allow any excess egg to drip from the chicken tender!
Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs
Your second dredge is through the breadcrumb mixture that is made with panko breadcrumbs, white whole wheat flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
After each tender is coated in egg, place one tender into the breadcrumb mixture and roll it around until it is completely coated.
It helps to only dredge on chicken tender at a time in the breadcrumb mixture! Otherwise too many clumps are made from all the moisture and things can get messy.
Bake Chicken Tenders
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF and then place a baking rack on top of a baking sheet. You will need spray the baking rack before placing the chicken tenders on top of baking rack.
- Spray or drizzle the chicken tenders with olive oil and then bake them for 20 minutes, flip them, and then bake the chicken tenders for an additional 10 minutes or until they are crispy and golden brown
baking trick for crispy tenders
Placing a metal baking rack on a baking sheet and baking your chicken that way allows hot air to under the chicken during the back time so it is not just sitting in puddles of moisture.
Baked Chicken Tenders Qs
How do I make chicken tenders extra crispy?
To make oven baked chicken tenders extra crispy you can spread the bread crumb mixture out on a baking sheet and bake the breadcrumbs for for 2-4 minutes at 400ºF or until they turn golden brown. You just crisp them up before baking the chicken tenders first.
Then, proceed with the recipe!
What do I serve with baked chicken tenders?
There are so many delicious sides that you can serve with these baked chicken tenders. Below are some of our favorites!
Can I make chicken tenders out of chicken breasts?
Yes, you can buy chicken breasts and turn them into chicken tenders. All you have to do is cut them lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick strips.
What are great dipping sauces for chicken tenders?
We make a delicious honey mustard dressing to go along with these chicken tenders, but any of the dressings or sauces below would be great dipping sauces for these baked chicken tenders.
honey mustard dipping sauce
We served our baked chicken tenders with an easy homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. Check out the quick recipe below!
- 3 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- squeeze lemon
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
Storage
To store these oven baked chicken tenders let them cool completely before placing them into an air tight ziploc bag or a Tupperware container. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze
Yes, you can freeze these oven baked chicken tenders. Let them cool completely before placing them into a freezer safe bag. Place them into the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat
From Frozen, preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the chicken tenders on a rack that is on a baking sheet. Bake the chicken tenders from frozen for 30 minutes flipping every 10 minutes.
When the chicken is thawed and baked, you have the option to broil the chicken tenders for 2-3 minutes to really crisp them up.
Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe
Ingredients
Baked Chicken Tenders
- 2 lb. chicken tenders
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs
Honey Mustard
- 3 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- squeeze lemon
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450º and place a metal cooking rack on a baking sheet. Spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Next, add the panko, flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and stir everything together until combined.
- Crack eggs into a separate bowl and whisk the eggs until combined.
- Then, dip each chicken tender into the egg wash, completely coating each piece of chicken. Then, dip the nuggets into the bread crumb mixture, coating each side. It’s easiest if you do this one at a time to make sure that the chicken gets fully coated.
- Place the chicken tenders on the cooling rack that is on the baking sheet.
- Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, flipping the chicken tenders at 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the honey mustard dressing to a bowl and whisk everything together.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and serve with the honey mustard.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My son is gluten free and can’t have whole wheat flour. What do your recommend as a substitute? Would cassava or oat flour work?
Made these for dinner and they were perfect! Crispy and flavorful and the honey mustard was the perfect addition