Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders

These family friendly Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders are way healthier than the fried alternative. No oily fingers here, but all that delicious crunch in 30 minutes!

You get all that delicious flavor, with that amazing crunch and there’s no cooking over hot oil, open the oven, put them in and 10 minutes later they’re ready to gobble up. These healthy chicken tenders are family friendly. They’re not overly spiced, meaning kids will love them, but they’re tasty enough for adults to love too!

My favorite thing to pair these with is my delicious honey mustard dipping sauce. It’s made with my 2-minute mayonnaise recipe, but you can use store bought mayo too.

What Makes Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders Amazing?

My favorite thing about these chicken tenders is how quick and easy they are to make but they’re so delicious too! Let’s delve into what makes them amazing!

• Perfect for dipping! – My favorite thing to dip this tasty finger food into is dip it into honey mustard dipping sauce. Sorry, it’s just the law. Luckily, making it is so easy and I’ve included a simple recipe in the recipe card below.
• Crispy coating – No deep frying these chicken tenders to get a crispy coating. It gets its crunch from golden baked panko breadcrumbs!
• Tasty spices – These chicken tenders are so tasty, but not overly spiced which makes them super kid friendly. Speaking of!
• Family friendly! – Kids will love these. The tasty chicken is a great lunch or dinner option for the whole gang.
• Freezer friendly! – make these ahead of time, freeze them in their raw state and then pop in the oven to bake. Easy dinner done!

Ingredients You Need To Make Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders

Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.

• Mayonnaise – you’ll use this to make the honey mustard dipping sauce. You can use store bought mayo or make your own. I have a great 2-minute mayonnaise recipe here!
• Honey – regular honey will work for this recipe. Use as much or as little as you like according to your preferences of sweetness.
• English Mustard – you can use Dijon mustard if you like. But I like how yellow English mustard makes the dipping sauce

• Panko breadcrumbs – this is a Japanese style breadcrumb which when baked golden becomes crispy and gives off that crispy fried chicken coating!
• Oil spray – I used canola oil spray. This will help keep your breadcrumbs crispy when baked on the chicken.
• Parmesan – grating your own is best!
• Chicken breast – I used chicken breast, but chicken tenders will work too. Just make sure you cut out the tendon found at the top of each tendon.
• Egg – this will help bind the coating together.
• White pepper – you can use cracked black pepper if you like.
• Garlic and onion powder – I used powdered garlic and onion because it doesn’t burn in the oven like minced garlic.
• Paprika – I used smokey, but you can use whichever you like.
• Dried parsley – or fresh!
• Salt – I used fine salt
• Chopped chives and sea salt to sprinkle – optional but gives it a gourmet look.

How to make Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders!

1. Mix dipping sauce indigents together
2. Until well combined

1. Add panko breadcrumbs to a tray and spray with oil
2. Bake until crispy

3. Add to a bowl with parmesan and mix
4. Slice chicken breast in half

5. Slice into tenders sized pieces
6. Add to a bowl with coating ingredients

7. Mix until well coated
8. Coat in crumbing

9. Place on a baking tray and spray with oil
10. Bake 10-12 minutes

The Sauce Game Is Real!

Look, my favorite is honey mustard, but there are so many options!

• BBQ sauce
• Aioli
• Ketchup
• Sweet Chili Sauce
• Pesto
• Ketchup

Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!

• Bake your panko breadcrumbs first – they won’t go golden or crispy on the chicken without being baked first.
• Spray your chicken before baking to make sure your tenders stay crispy!
• Marinade your chicken before baking to make them super tasty and juicy!
• Take care not to overbake your chicken or it will become dry. The same internal temperature should come to 75C / 165F.
• You can use chicken tenders instead of chicken breast if you like!

Frequently Asked Questions about Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders

What does it taste like?

They’re flavorful, crispy and so juicy! Pair them with your favorite sauce and salad!

How do I store this?

Store cooked chicken tenders in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Heat up in the oven until heated through and crispy.

Can I freeze these?

Yes! You can lay uncooked tenders on a baking tray and freeze them flat before placing in a freezer bag that is air sealed. To cook, bake on 180C / 350F for 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature of the chicken is 73C / 165F.

Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!

More Chicken Recipes!

• Baked Orange Chicken Recipe

• Chicken Piccata

• Vietnamese Chicken Salad

• Perfectly Poached Chicken

• Oven Baked Fish Fingers

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!

Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Tenders

These Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders are way healthier than the fried alternative. No oily fingers here, but all that delicious crunch in 30 minutes!

Serves 4

5 from 2 votes

Author: Nick Makrides

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Calories: 626kcal

Author: Nick Makrides

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Ingredients

Honey Mustard Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup (250 ml) mayonnaise
• ▢ 1/4 (60 ml) cup honey
• ▢ 1/4 (60 ml) cup English mustard or Dijon

Chicken Tenders

• ▢ 2 cups (200 g) panko breadcrumbs see notes
• ▢ Oil spray
• ▢ 1/2 cup (50 g) grated parmesan
• ▢ 2 (350 g) large 350g chicken breast, cut into 3 inch strips
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/3 cup (50 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 tsp white pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1 tsp paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp dried parsley
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ Chopped chives to sprinkle
• ▢ Sea salt flakes to sprinkle

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Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]

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Instructions

Honey Mustard Sauce

• Combine the mayonnaise with the honey and mustard. I have a great 2-minute mayonnaise recipe that is quicker than reaching for the shelf version and it taste way better!

Chicken Tenders

• Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F. Add the panko breadcrumbs to a large baking tray and spread out. Spray with cooking oil spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden in color. Set aside to cool. Once cooled transfer to a bowl, add parmesan cheese and mix until well combined. Set aside.
• Cut the tenders into 2 inch cubes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• To that bowl, add the egg, flour, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, parsley and salt and mix until well combined and all the chicken is coated.
• Use tongs to coat each piece of chicken in the panko breadcrumbs. Place onto a lined baking tray. Continue doing this until all the chicken is coated. You may need two baking trays. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chives, sea salt and serve with your favorite sauce. My choice sauce is

Notes

Chicken - I used chicken breast for this recipe but chicken tenders will work too. Be sure to cut them the same size. This will ensure everything cooks evenly and at the same time. The safe internal temperature of chicken is 75C / 165F.

Storage - Chicken tenders can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to three days. You can lay uncooked tenders on a baking tray and freeze them flat before placing in a freezer bag that is air sealed. To cook, bake on 180C / 350F for 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature of the chicken is 73C / 165F. 

Nutrition - is based on per serving. This makes 4 servings.

A note on measurements - all ingredients in this recipe are offered in Australian cup measurements and weight measurements. Weight measurements are created by me, in my kitchen here in Melbourne Australia. The best way to get recipe success is to measure ingredients by weight, using kitchen scales.

Nutrition

Calories : 626kcal

Carbonhydrates: 36g

Protein: 11g

Fat: 48g

Saturated Fat: 9g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 26g

Monounsaturated Fat : 11g

Trans Fat : 0.1g

Cholesterol: 75mg

Sodium: 1398mg

Potassium : 146mg

Fiber: 2g

Sugar : 3g

Vitamin A: 243IU

Vitamin C: 2mg

Calcium: 182mg

Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclosure

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