Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe Gets Kids Into the Kitchen (8 Ingredients, 35 Minutes) by Jan Mostrom
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I love getting kids into the kitchen to help prepare easy meals that are not only fun to make but also fun to eat. I made this easy chicken tenders recipe with my goddaughter the other day to see which chicken tenders she liked better: ours or store-bought. I’m happy to report that these baked chicken tenders won hands down, according to my sweet goddaughter. (She loves and eats chicken tenders most days of the week!)
You can serve these chicken tenders with any simple sauce like ranch, honey mustard or, my goddaughter’s favorite, Frank’s RedHot. No kidding, she loved dunking these crispy nuggets into the hot sauce and even was willing to share the rest with my husband and me. (We chose ranch dressing as our dipping sauce!)
Here is your short shopping list to make this baked chicken recipe: panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan or mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken breast and olive oil.
Serve these crunchy chicken fingers with a simple vegetable side and you have a complete lunch or easy dinner in about 35 minutes that's full of flavor, protein and nutrition. Your kids might just ask for it over and over again! (Check out the health benefits of protein.)
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 to 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs or gluten-free panko)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins or boneless breasts, cut into strips
Here's how to make it:
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or place a baking rack over a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Put the olive oil into a shallow bowl. In the other shallow bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika and a good pinch of salt and black pepper. (For gluten-free chicken tenders, use gluten-free panko.)
- Pat chicken dry. Dredge chicken pieces in oil then in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the parchment paper or baking rack. (When you place the chicken in the breadcrumbs, tap the chicken gently to make sure the whole piece is coated.) After all the pieces are coated in breadcrumbs and on the baking sheet, you can either place directly in the oven or place into the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes to make the nuggets crispier.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tenders reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Turn nuggets over halfway through the cooking time.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately with a dipping sauce, if desired, and enjoy! Store any leftover chicken tenders in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat as desired.
Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.
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