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If you’re looking for easy chicken recipes, this one’s for you! These oven baked chicken tenders are not actually fried, but baked in the oven. Easy to make and ready in 30 minutes, these crispy chicken tenders make a perfect weeknight meal.
Enjoy the taste of fried chicken without the frying! These baked chicken tenders get so crispy in the oven, so it has a similar effect to fried chicken – in a healthier way. Aside from the major-reduction in grease factor on your fingers, I think these taste just as good or even better than traditional fried chicken. They’re juicy, crispy and so easy to whip together.
They are great to serve with my Air Fryer Vegetables, Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries or Baked Zucchini Fries.
Ingredients for baked chicken tenders
- Chicken tenders: You can also make these with skinless chicken breasts cut into strips.
- Panko breadcrumbs: These are the trick to getting perfectly crispy tenders. They crisp up wonderfully in the oven to get that crunchy bite. Make this recipe gluten-free by using GF breadcrumbs.
- Dijon mustard: Just a tablespoon of this to coat the chicken tenders adds a layer of moisture to keep keep the chicken juicy and flavorful. You can leave out or use mayonnaise too.
- Egg: Beaten to help the breadcrumbs and seasoning stick to the chicken.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, mustard, paprika and dried thyme.
How to bake chicken tenders
- Mix together the egg and mustard in one bowl and dip the chicken tenders in that mixture.
- Combine the panko breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder in another bowl and dredge the chicken in that mixture after the egg mixture. Make sure to shake off any excess breading.
- Lay the breaded chicken tenders onto a parchment lined baking sheet, making sure they’re not touching
- Bake in the oven until the panko chicken tenders are crispy and golden in color. Then you can enjoy with ketchup or your favorite dip!
Tips To Make Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
- Make them extra crispy. If you want them extra crispy, you can also cook them on a wire rack over the baking dish. That does create one extra item to wash, so if you’re just looking for convenience, the baking sheet lined with parchment paper works perfectly still.
- Tenderize the tenders before coating them. Lightly press each tender with a fork, this will help to soften the fibers in the chicken and make them less chewy.
- Set up your dredging station first. When you dredge the tenders, try to keep one hand wet and one dry and this will help you from washing your hands multiple times during the process.
- Spread the tenders in a single layer on the baking sheet. This will help them get crispy all over so make sure they aren’t touching.
Frequently asked questions
I like to whisk eggs with mustard to give them a juicy inside with a slight spicy flavor from the mustard. And I prefer to use panko breadcrumbs over traditional breadcrumbs because they have more of a crunch, especially if you toast them beforehand.
Tenders are the piece of meat found just behind the breast of the chicken. They are a small and tender piece of chicken that is very lean and low in fat. If you can’t get tenders, you can substitute with strips of chicken breast.
These chicken strips are best enjoyed straight out of the oven, but you can make them ahead of time and freeze them too. Prepare the chicken and then freeze them for up to 3 months. You can cook them straight from frozen for an easy weeknight meal.
These panko chicken tenders are so perfect for an appetizer or as part of a larger meal. My kids love them and they are for sure a family favorite!
For more chicken recipes, check out:
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Air Fried Chicken
- Tortilla Crusted Chicken
- Pickle Brined Chicken Tenders
- Chicken Taco Cups
- Oven Baked Chicken Breast
If you try this healthy-ish feel good Oven Fried Chicken Tenders recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Lemon Rice Soup recipe was originally published on December 1, 2017. It has been updated slightly and now includes step-by-step photos.
Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds chicken tenders
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large eggs beaten
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pat the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the eggs and dijon mustard. In another medium size bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then toss into the panko mixture. Dust off any excess panko mixture and lay the chicken tenders on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining chicken and spread them out on the baking sheet so they are not touching.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the chicken is golden. Enjoy immediately with any dip you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I swapped out the mustard with mayo and cooked them in the Air Fryer, and they came out perfectly! The Panko mix helped retain the juice and I ate them for lunch for the next 5 days. l appreciate recipes where dinner is done in 30 minutes!
That’s perfect! Yay!!
I made these last night for my picky toddler and to my AMAZEMENT, he ate 5 in a row and loved them. Thank you for this recipe A it’s an easy weeknight dinner option for a busy working mom. Delicious! I added a little oregano in with the spices (Italian household!) and they came out incredible.
That’s amazing! You’re so welcome!
It was very good ! Everyone loved them and my kids were impressed with my cooking..very easy and wuick to make
Thank you! That makes me so happy to hear!
Thank you for sharing. I hate mustard, may I sub it with something else? Could you answer that question for me please?
You’re so welcome! For the dijon mustard, you can leave it out or use mayonnaise instead.
Made these tonight for dinner. A big hit! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
That makes me so happy to hear! You’re so welcome!