These healthy baked chicken tenders get so crunchy without frying in the oil. They are made with simple ingredients and aren't deep fried! This is a good recipe for crispy chicken tenderloins that will save you a ton of calories! A quick and easy recipe that can be ready in less than 30 minutes.
Chicken fingers are my favorite comfort food that always reminds me of my childhood. I still remember how I always begged my parents to buy some KFC crispy fried chicken tenders every weekend.
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Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders - Crispy but Not Greasy!
So, today, I want to share this healthy baked chicken tenders recipe. These breaded chicken strips are great alternatives to store-bought chicken tenders. They are so tasty and you’ll be surprised at how uncomplicated the process is.
These chicken tenders are breaded in the traditional way. This classic three-step system involves egg, flour, and breadcrumbs to make sure you’ve got the crispiest and crunchiest chicken fingers.
Now, let's talk about the ingredients and cooking process!
Ingredients for Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders
To make this crunchy crumbed chicken recipe, you will need the following ingredients;
- chicken tenderloins
- grated parmesan cheese
- panko breadcrumbs
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- oil
- paprika
- a pinch of salt
What is Chicken Tenderloin
Chicken tenderloin is white meat. It's located on either side of the breastbone, under the breast meat.
For this recipe, I highly recommended using pre-cut chicken tenders. The pre-cut makes the cooking preparation so much easier and faster. However, if chicken breast is your only available option, feel free to use that.
How to Cut Chicken Breast into Chicken Strips:
To make chicken tenders from chicken breast, you just need to cut the chicken breast into long strips. Just be sure to cut the strips into the same size so they can cook evenly at the same time (about ½-inch strips).
Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders with Panko Breadcrumb
Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb. It's traditionally used as a coating for deep-fried foods such as tempura or tonkatsu.
Panko has a light, airy, and delicate texture that helps it crisp as it cooks. As a result, you will get crispier and crunchier food.
I purchased the Panko breadcrumbs at my local Trader's Joe for under $2 per 7oz bag. Please keep in mind that Panko is definitely not gluten-free.
How to Make Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders in the Oven
To make these crispy chicken strips, you need to follow these simple steps to make keep the breading from falling off the chicken.
- First, pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Second, dredge the chicken in flour until is completely coated on all sides. Don't forget to shake off the excess flour.
- Third, dip the chicken tenders into the egg-paprika mixture.
- After that, coat the chicken tenders with the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, and oil mixture.
- Lastly, you need to bake for about 8 minutes then flip the chicken and bake for another 8 minutes or more at 425°F or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF (75ºC).
Please keep in mind that the cooking times listed in this recipe are estimated times and may vary slightly based on the types of oven, chicken, and batch sizes being used.
I served the crunchy chicken strips with homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. This creamy dipping sauce is insanely delicious, my kids really enjoy this recipe and even asked me to make more for lunch the next day!
Check Out More Chicken Recipes:
- Air fryer whole chicken
- Tarragon chicken
- Oven-Baked Chicken Breast
- Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Chinese Roasted Chicken
- Oven-Roasted Harissa Chicken
- Creamy Chicken Marsala
- Breaded Chicken Cutlets
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly recipes and follow me on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders, (about 6-7 medium pieces)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg, (lightly beaten)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- 1 cup panko breadcrumb
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
optional:
- ½ teaspoon salt
- a pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F
- On a large plate, place the flour. In a shallow dish, beat the egg, and season with paprika. In a third shallow dish, mix panko bread crumb, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and add the optional salt and black pepper if needed.
- First, pat the chicken tenders dry with paper towels and coat the chicken tenders with the flour. Give a little shake to remove excess flour.Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, shake off excess then coat the meat with bread crumbs and press down to adhere.
- Place all chicken tenders on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes (less or more time depending on the thickness). Then turning the chicken tenders, continue cooking for 8 more minutes (less or more time depending on the thickness) or until the chicken is no longer pink or cooked through and the coating is golden brown.
- Serve with homemade honey mustard dipping sauce.
Regene
This recipe is excellent! My family and I just loved them and will definitely make it again.
Rika
Hi Regene,
Thanks for trying and taking the time to share your feedback. I am glad that you and your family loved the chicken tenders.
Best,
Rika
Vicki P
These Chicken Tenders were Amazing! Even though are children are adults now, who doesn't want Chicken tenders? The Dipping sauce was excellent as well. I made everything as instructed, no subsitutions. Perfect!
Rika
Hi Vicki,
I agree 100%! I think my husband likes these as much or more than my two kids. There's something fun about tenders too, makes me feel youthful when cooking or eating them, haha. So glad you liked the tenders and the dipping sauce, thanks for the comment!
Best,
Rika
Janet
These were fantastic!! I will be making chicken tenders like this from now on! Thank you for the great recipe!!
Rika
Hi Janet,
I love hearing that! We never get tired of chicken tenders, I just switch up the sauce now and then. And there’s no reason we can’t make delicious tenders right at home. Thanks again for the comment.
Best,
Rika
Anne C.
So easy and delicious!! Had everything in my cabinet to make this! Shared this with my daughter who is learning to cook for herself. She loved it, too!!
Rika
I appreciate the comment, Anne. Fantastic that your daughter is learning to cook! We have a lot of that going on in my kitchen too. It's such good family time and lots of life lessons! Thanks again and glad you both like it.
Best,
Rika
Catherine
These were so good! Adding oil to the breadcrumb mixture helped it stick to the chicken way better than other recipes I’ve tried. Saving this recipe for sure!
Rika
Hi Catherine,
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. It's great to hear that the trick of adding oil to the breadcrumb mixture worked wonders for better adherence. Saving the recipe is a smart move—I'm glad you found a winner!
Best,
Rika
Monique
Mine never got golden brown?
Rika
Hi Monique,
You can try to bake the chicken on a wire rack and spray it with more olive oil to bring more color.
Let me know how it goes!
Best,
Rika
Stephannie
OMG!! This is a delicious dish. I followed the recipe very closely and the chicken was so juicy and moist. I will definitely be making it again.
Rika
Glad you enjoyed them, Stephannie!
Best,
Rika
Bev
What a tasty dish!! Chicken came out so tender! It’s the first time I’ve cooked with oil in the breadcrumbs and it definitely won’t be the last.
Rika
So glad you like the tenders, Bev! Yes, oil in the breadcrumbs.. one of those little things that really make a difference! Thanks for the comment.
Best,
Rika
Kari
SO good! Absolutely saved to our favorites list.
Rika
Thanks Kari, am honored! I make tenders quite frequently and just change up the sauces I use for them. If you’d like, try out my honey mustard sauce recipe (just 7 ingredients).
Best,
Rika
Antoinette
Hi Rika! Excellent recipe! I’m a little confused with the calories in this recipe? What method you use to come to total 409. Also if it serves 4 and you use 7 tenders. Serving size is 1.75?
Rika
Hi Antoinette,
Thanks for trying and sharing your feedback. I also appreciate that you pinpoint the error. I didn't know why I put 4 in there.. the recipe is for 7 chicken tenders, it's probably debatable as to how many that would serve. I just fixed the serving size and recalculated the nutritional value.
Best,
Rika
Amber
Is the nutritional value for 1 tender?
Rika
Hi Amber,
Yes, the nutritional value is for one tender, assuming that you are using 1 pound of chicken tenders, which amounts to 7 pieces. Let me know if you still have any other questions.
Best,
Rika