Description
Golden and easy chicken tenders baked to crispy perfection, delivering the texture of frying without the oil.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 g (1 lb) chicken tenders
- 15 g (1 tbsp) kosher salt
- 5 g (1 tsp) sugar
- 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
- 125 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (4 g) paprika
- 1 tsp (3 g) garlic powder
- ¼ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g (1.5 cups) panko breadcrumbs
- 2–3 tsp neutral oil for spraying
- Lemon wedges and fresh parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Quick brine the chicken: Place chicken tenders in a bowl with water, kosher salt, and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit for 10 minutes. Pat dry thoroughly.
- Preheat the oven and pan: Heat oven to 220°C (425°F). Put a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack to preheat for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the coating stations: In one bowl, mix flour, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper. In another bowl, beat the eggs with water. In a third bowl, place panko breadcrumbs.
- Dredge the tenders: Toss tenders in flour, dip in egg wash, then coat with panko. Place on a plate.
- Transfer to the rack: Place tenders on the preheated wire rack on the hot baking sheet, space them out, and lightly spray with oil.
- Bake until golden: Bake for 16–18 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Rest briefly and serve: Let tenders rest for 3 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
- Re-crisp if needed: Return to the oven at 200°C (400°F) for 3–4 minutes if crust softens.
Notes
For extra crispness, consider tossing panko with grated Parmesan before coating. Avoid overcrowding the pan for best results.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 tenders
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 135mg