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Home Chicken

Truly Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

By:Nagi
Published:16 Jan '20Updated:11 Oct '22
1,451 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

These crunchy baked chicken tenders are life changing! The secret to truly golden, truly crunchy baked breaded chicken is to toast the breadcrumbs in the oven first. Bonus: No dirty fingers with my quick crumbing technique!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders piled on a plate with a side of Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, ready to be eaten

Really crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders

There is no feel-good story behind these crunchy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders. Quite simply, I am yet to meet anything deep fried that I didn’t love, but a) my waistline can’t afford the real thing every time I feel like it; and b) I reserve deep frying for “special occasions”. Because… well, you know.

Mess, oil wastage, gluey fingers.

Waistline. Bottom expansion.

Etc etc.

It also irritated me no end that the breadcrumbs always came out splotchy, no matter how much oil I used.

So this is how I make baked crumbed chicken.

How to make crunchy Baked Breaded Chicken

Baked breaded chicken – my way

  • Toast the breadcrumbs in the oven for just a few minutes. This is the path to truly golden, truly crunchy baked breaded chicken even with a short bake time (max 20 minutes for chicken tenders). PS Much MUCH easier than pan frying!

  • One dredge batter – the usual process for crumbing is flour then egg then breadcrumbs. For this quick ‘n easy recipe, I combine the egg with flour plus mustard and mayo for flavour + oil (attempt to replicate deep fried) to make a thick batter in which the chicken is dredged. This stuff is great glue for the breadcrumbs!

  • Clean fingers! Use tongs to transfer the batter slathered chicken into the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over breadcrumbs to cover, press down to adhere. Transfer to tray. Marvel at clean fingers!!

How to make crunchy BAKED chicken tenders

Give it a light spray of oil, bake for 15 minutes and voila! This is what you get:

Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders on a tray with a Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce on the side, fresh out of the oven

LOOK HOW GOLDEN THEY ARE!! Just imagine that crunch when you bite into the juicy chicken inside!

Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders being dipped into Honey Mustard sauce

Dipping Sauces

It’s pictured above with a Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Just like Maccers. Only homemade. 🙂

Other Dipping Sauces: Try the Pink Steak Sauce from the Beef Kebabs, Sweet and Sour Sauce, Thousand Island, Tartare or even a classic Seafood Cocktail Sauce.

– Nagi x


Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders on a tray with a Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce on the side, fresh out of the oven

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Total: 30 minutes mins
Baked, Chicken, Crumbed
4.97 from 505 votes
Servings3 – 4 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
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Recipe video above. Beautifully golden, truly crunchy baked chicken tenders! The trick is to toast the breadcrumbs before coating the chicken. See recipe notes for pictured Honey Mustard Dipping sauce.

Ingredients

Breadcrumb

  • 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (Note 1)
  • Oil spray

Batter

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard (or other mustard)
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper

Chicken

  • 500 g/1 lb chicken tenderloins (or breast cut into 2/3″ / 1.5cm thick slices, lengthwise)
  • Oil spray

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
  • Spread panko on a baking tray, spray with oil (spray vertically to avoid blowing the panko off the tray), then bake for 3 to 5 minutes until light golden. Transfer to bowl.
  • Place a rack on a baking tray (not critical but bakes more evenly).
  • Place the Batter ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork until combined.
  • Add the chicken into the Batter and toss to coat.

Crumbing (see video & photo in post)

  • Pick up chicken with tongs and place it into the panko bowl.
  • Sprinkle surface with breadcrumbs, then press down to adhere. Transfer onto baking tray. Marvel at clean fingers, repeat with remaining chicken.
  • Spray lightly with oil, sprinkle with a touch of salt (optional). Bake 15 minutes (medium) or up to 20 minutes if gigantic. Any longer = dried out chicken.
  • Remove from oven and serve immediately, with Sauce of choice (Honey Mustard pictured, see Note 2) and sprinkled with fresh parsley, if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs which are larger than standard breadcrumbs. Nowadays they are available in all major supermarkets, usually in the Asian section, and cost just a fraction more than ordinary breadcrumbs.
It is well worth using because the breadcrumb pieces are bigger so they create a far better “crunch” than standard breadcrumbs.
2. HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE (pictured): Mix together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp honey, 1 – 2 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper.
RANCH SAUCE:  Mix together 1/4 cup each mayonnaise (preferably whole egg) and sour cream, 2 tbsp milk, 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar, 1/4 tsp each dried parsley or dill, dried dill, dried fresh chives (Note a), garlic powder, 1/8 tsp salt & black pepper
a) All the herbs can be substituted with fresh herbs, finely chopped. Double the quantity – i.e. use 1/2 tsp.
Don’t worry if you don’t have all the herbs. If you have at least 1, it will still taste similar to what it should taste like, just use more of the herbs you have (3/4 tsp dried herbs in total).
3. MAKE AHEAD: Best way is to toast breadcrumbs, then put chicken in batter, leave up to 2 days. Then crumb the chicken just before baking. It is ok crumbed up to 24 hours beforehand, store in the fridge. Freezing raw doesn’t work. 
Reheating: Best way is to blast in the oven for literally 3 – 5 minutes at 200C/390F until it is just warmed through inside.
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming this serves 3. Dip not included.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 248gCalories: 416cal (21%)Carbohydrates: 29g (10%)Protein: 42g (84%)Fat: 12g (18%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Cholesterol: 163mg (54%)Sodium: 973mg (42%)Potassium: 705mg (20%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 130IU (3%)Vitamin C: 2mg (2%)Calcium: 85mg (9%)Iron: 2.9mg (16%)
Keywords: Baked Chicken Tenders
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Originally published April 2015, updated with new photos, video, words in post. No change to recipe, though some minor writing tidying up has been done.

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LIFE OF DOZER

LIFE OF DOZER

That hopeful sparkle in his eyes…. (it was false hope) (Oh wait, I lied. I gave him a bite!)

Dozer the golden retriever dog lusting after crunchy baked chicken tenders
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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1,451 Comments

  1. Erin says

    December 14, 2023 at 10:50 am

    Just wondering if after making the Chicken Tenders… can freeze them? and how long will it keep in freezer?
    Thank you,
    Merry Christmas to you and Dozer 😛

    Reply
  2. Jacinta Smith says

    December 2, 2023 at 10:25 am

    5 stars
    The family love these

    Reply
  3. Emma W says

    November 30, 2023 at 10:34 pm

    5 stars
    Yum

    Reply
  4. Roberta F Joseph says

    November 25, 2023 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    Sooo good! I have celiac disease and altered the recipe to make it gluten free by substituting gluten free flour and panko. They turned out amazing, flavorful and so tender… and easy!! I just had two tonight from leftovers and they were even better today reheated in the oven. Thank you for this recipe!!!

    Reply
  5. Bobbi says

    November 23, 2023 at 11:59 am

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe so many times for my family! It’s a go-to and such a hit!

    Reply
  6. Mike Herlihy says

    November 14, 2023 at 9:00 am

    Fantastic

    Reply
  7. Shaheen says

    November 11, 2023 at 3:49 am

    5 stars
    A new favorite in our household!

    Reply
  8. Wendy says

    November 2, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    I enjoy your videos either way Nagi and I love seeing Dozer😍

    Reply
  9. Pamela Denny says

    October 30, 2023 at 5:56 pm

    You do a brilliant job. I’ve bought your book and I love your new presentation. Keep it up. Hugs, of course, for Dozer.
    Pam

    Reply
  10. Corrine says

    October 23, 2023 at 11:27 pm

    5 stars
    yum, yum, yum! I am so happy I have this in my arsenal! This will be a weekly staple. Thank you!

    Reply
  11. Pat Yohn says

    October 2, 2023 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, I made just two changes with the bread crumbs, I added some smoked paprika and some G. Washington’s golden for flavor as well as some Utz’s regular crushed potato chips for extra crunch and flavor. I used Perdue chicken tenderloins which are quite large so needed to bake slightly longer to insure food safety.

    These were so crunchy that when my Husband took his first bite I could hear it over a Sunday Football game on a TV that is twelve feet away and traffic noise from the open patio door. I was dumbfounded by the crunch factor. Husband was astounded, just unbelievably CRUNCHY!

    I do have a convection oven and I set it at 390 degrees F, I did need to cook for 22 minutes because of the size of the chicken tenderloins, no burning, just crazy crunchyness. I will definitely make this recipe again!

    For anyone who is gluten free, find Kellogg’s Cornflake Crumbs and crush some unflavored potato chips for crunch. You may not need any oil spray.

    Thank you so much for such a great crunchy chicken tender/nuggets recipe.

    Reply
  12. Susan Young says

    September 16, 2023 at 5:23 am

    5 stars
    I love the easy recipe. I did add some parsley flakes as I saw green in the pictures but it was not mentioned in the recipe.

    Reply
  13. Jess says

    September 14, 2023 at 7:31 am

    5 stars
    Kid approved. I think I’ll just add a tiny bit more salt next time, otherwise good simple meal.

    Reply
  14. Nicholas Granger says

    September 13, 2023 at 9:12 am

    5 stars
    These were great. I used flaming hot cheetos for the breading. The batter idea is amazing.

    Reply
  15. Jen says

    September 11, 2023 at 4:41 am

    5 stars
    Can I substitute the mustard with something else for the batter? My kids don’t love mustard.

    Reply
  16. Teresa Wilder says

    September 4, 2023 at 5:56 pm

    5 stars
    I made these for the first time and they are fabulous!

    Reply
  17. vanita Hutchinson says

    August 20, 2023 at 7:22 pm

    I won’t ever buy ready made crumbed chicken. This was easy and incredibly delicious. (and so much cheaper!) The whole family loved it. Thanks!

    Reply
  18. llp says

    August 15, 2023 at 9:22 am

    can these be frozen after breading them and before cooking them??

    Reply
    • Rachael Ramsey says

      October 31, 2023 at 12:30 am

      3. MAKE AHEAD: Best way is to toast breadcrumbs, then put chicken in batter, leave up to 2 days. Then crumb the chicken just before baking. It is ok crumbed up to 24 hours beforehand, store in the fridge. Freezing raw doesn’t work.

      Reply
  19. Celeste Ciulla says

    July 22, 2023 at 2:37 am

    Hi there! I’m looking to take chicken to a picnic. Is there a way to preserve the crispness of these tenders and serve at room temp? Thank you!

    Reply
  20. Gail Fesnak says

    July 21, 2023 at 9:51 am

    No temp in the recipe. What temp and how long on how long to cook

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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