Name: Easy Baked Chicken Tenders - Crispy & Healthy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken tenders; 1 egg (lightly beaten or egg-replacer (1 Tablespoon flax seed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water; allow to sit for 5 minutes)); 2/3 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened); 2/3 cups panko breadcrumbs (whole wheat); 1/2 cup pecans (finely chopped); 1 Tablespoon chia seeds

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Easy Baked Chicken Tenders have an extra crispy panko breading that includes superfoods, like nuts and chia seeds. Sure, they're healthy. But kids and adults love them because of the fantastic crunch.

And, you'll appreciate making them with our fast breading technique that quickly gets dinner on the table!

Easy baked chicken tenders breaded with healthy combination of panko, coconut, pecans, and chia seeds in a basket lined with a napkin.

Chicken fingers were regularly offered at our make-ahead meal stores because it was a popular dinner that the whole family could enjoy. Parents would pair these with a salad for a low-carb meal, and children would dunk them into a zesty orange dipping sauce. Paprika Parmesan Chicken Tenders were also very popular.

You'll love this recipe because:

It's super healthy! Not only are the fingers oven-fried, but the coating incorporates good-for-you ingredients.
It's easily customized. We think this is the ultimate breading, but you can leave out any ingredient you don't like and replace it with additional panko breadcrumbs.
It's easy to make. Bread all of the tenders at one time! Touching and dipping chicken is kept to a minimum, and so is the mess.
Make these in the oven or an air fryer.
It's low-carb and keto-friendly!
You can assemble and freeze it before cooking it! You'll find this in our Healthy Make-Ahead Freezer Meals collection.

Jump to:

Ingredients
What are chicken tenders?
Easy Breading Process
Oven Instructions
Tips for Crispy Chicken Strips
Air Fryer Instructions
Storage and Reheating
Make-Ahead and Freeze
Orange Dipping Sauce for Chicken Tenders
More Recipes with Chicken Tenders
📋 Recipe

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:

Chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips.
Egg - Egg wash coats the chicken, so the breading will stick. A flax egg is an alternative and another healthy addition to the recipe.
- To make a sticky flaxseed egg combine 1 Tablespoon flax seed with 2-3 Tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes so it will gel.
Panko breadcrumbs - This breadcrumb gives the chicken fingers a wonderful crunch. Use whole wheat if you can find it. Standard breadcrumbs may be used, but the texture will be much smoother.
Pecans - Finely chop nuts with a knife or in a food processor. Other nuts can be substituted.
Coconut shreds - We used unsweetened coconut flakes. However, sweetened flakes can be used if desired.
Chia seeds - Add color and yet another nutritional boost! Leave them out if you don't have any.

NOTE: You can replace any of these ingredients with an equal amount of panko breadcrumbs to create the perfect breading your family will love! You'll find the exact ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.

What are chicken tenders?

Chicken tenderloins (or tenders for short) are small strips of chicken found on the underside of the chicken breast. They are often packaged separately in the grocery store and have a white, stringy tendon. They taste just like boneless chicken breasts and are considered white meat.

The small size makes them perfect for fajitas, sauteeing, and cooking quickly in the oven or air fryer.

Chicken tenders also refer to a recipe that involves breading chicken and baking or frying it. This preparation is also known as chicken strips or chicken fingers. This type of recipe can be made with chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into long, narrow pieces.

Can you eat the tendon?

Yes! There is no harm in eating the ligament. However, it can be chewy and unpleasant. Luckily, it's easy to remove. Grab the white tendon with one hand and use a knife to cut it out.

Easy Breading Process

Use our time-saving breading technique to make baked chicken tenders! It's the process we followed at our meal assembly stores. These days we use bowls with tight-fitting lids instead of plastic bags!

This method means less time in the kitchen and touching raw chicken!

Here's how to do it:

Pat chicken tenders dry and remove tendons, if necessary. Add a slightly beaten egg to a bowl or large plastic bag. Add chicken tenders, tightly seal, and turn to coat the chicken with the egg.
Add the breading ingredients (panko breadcrumbs, coconut shreds, chopped pecans, and chia seeds) to a second bowl or plastic bag and stir to combine.
Lift the chicken tenders from the egg bag, allowing excess egg to drip off, and transfer them to the bag with the breading. Seal tightly. Gently shake to coat with breading. You can do all the chicken at once or in batches.
Lift breaded chicken tenders onto a baking sheet.

This process does a pretty good job of covering most of the tenders with breading. However, there may be a few bare spots. Press the excess breading into those areas.

You know you want to say it: Shake and Bake!

Labeled and numbered collage of steps to easily bread chicken tenders.

Oven Instructions

Use a sheet pan coated with cooking spray to bake chicken tenders in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375 °F. Use tongs to carefully flip halfway through.

The exact time will vary depending upon the thickness of the chicken. Use a meat thermometer and cook to an internal temperature of 165 °F.

Tips for Crispy Chicken Strips

If you have a cooling rack for cookies, place it on top of the sheet pan. Coat the cooling rack with non-stick spray and line the sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the chicken tenders on top and cook according to the directions.
Spritz chicken with a little olive oil or cooking spray before cooking.
Use panko breadcrumbs. You can even toast them first. But, I don't find it necessary for this recipe.

Uncooked chicken tenders with panko breading on a cooling rack placed on top of a baking sheet.

This technique really does keep the bottoms from getting soggy.

Air Fryer Instructions

Make these healthy chicken tenders in an air fryer if you have one! We used a Ninja 4 Quart Air Fryer, which handles about 1 pound of chicken tenderloins. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for your appliance if our advice differs.

Mist the crisper plate or basket with olive oil. Do not use an aerosol spray which may harm the equipment in the long run.
Place chicken fingers in a single layer with room for air to circulate on all sides. Work in batches if you have a small-sized air fryer.
Mist chicken fingers with a little olive oil to keep the breading in place.
Cook chicken tenders for about 15-20 minutes at 375 °F, flipping chicken tenders halfway through with silicone-tipped tongs.
- You do not need to preheat the air fryer because it will heat up quickly. But, if desired, you can preheat it for 3 minutes with the crisper basket in place.
- Cook time will vary based on the thickness of the chicken.
- Check chicken frequently to see how it is doing. Just pause and check.
- Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F. Lift the thickest tender out and check with a temperature probe or cut it in half to ensure it is no longer pink inside.
When done, lift chicken tenders out and enjoy!

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator - Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat - Warm chicken fingers in the oven at 375 °F until heated through, about 15 minutes. Alternatively, reheat in an air fryer. We don't recommend the microwave because the breading will not be soggy.
Freeze - Leftovers may be frozen in an airtight storage container, such as a freezer bag, for up to 3 months. For best results, defrost overnight in the refrigerator before warming.

Four crispy baked chicken fingers in a row on a plate.

Make-Ahead and Freeze

Prepare the recipe to the point where you would bake the chicken tenders in the oven. Don't cook anything. Instead, place chicken tenders in a single layer of a storage container. Cover and store for up to 2 months for best results.

Move the chicken fingers to the refrigerator the night before you are ready to enjoy them, and then cook them as you usually would. If any breading falls off during the process, simply press it back into the chicken.

You can cook them frozen...add about 10 minutes to the cooking time. Check out air fryer frozen chicken nuggets for more tips using this appliance.

Orange Dipping Sauce for Chicken Tenders

If you're looking for an extra special dipping sauce to pair with this recipe, try this one:

Orange marmalade (can be low-sugar) - ½ cup
Seasoned rice vinegar - 2 Tablespoons
Dijon mustard - 1 teaspoon
Red pepper flakes - pinch

Another option is this Chick-Fil-A copycat sauce by Chelsea's Messy Apron.

Fingers holding a easy baked chicken tender that has been dunked into a sauce.

More Recipes with Chicken Tenders

Wondering what else to make with chicken tenderloins? Check these out:

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