How long do chicken strips take to bake

A crispy small batch of oven baked chicken tenders! Chicken strips dipped in melted butter, then coated in bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and a flavorful mix of spices. Ready in 20 minutes!

What Are Chicken Tenders?

Chicken tenders are an actual part of the chicken. They are the little strips of meat that are attached to the underside of a chicken breast.

You can make your own tenders by taking a boneless, skinless chicken breast and cutting it lengthwise into pieces about ½ inch thick or you can purchase chicken tenders already packaged from your grocery store.

Why This Recipe Works

• Juicy and flavorful chicken tenders: This is the best baked chicken tenders recipe I've found. Tender and juicy strips of chicken surrounded by a crisp, flavorful crust. They're easy to prepare and can be enjoyed in less than 30 minutes.
• Crispy coating: We love the Italian spices in the coating. Baking the tenders with spices and breadcrumbs helps to seal in the flavor and gives the chicken tenders a crisp golden crust.
• A wonderful meal: These baked chicken tenders are perfect for lunch or dinner and they cook in just 20 minutes! Enjoy them alone, with a dipping sauce, or with a simple side salad, soup, or homemade french bread.
• Recipe doubles well: This easy baked chicken tenders recipe yields 3-4 pieces of chicken. If you'd like to make more, just double the ingredients in the recipe.

RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Bread crumbs: Use store-bought or homemade bread crumbs. If you don't have breadcrumbs, you can make low-carb chicken tenders by leaving out the breadcrumbs and coating the chicken in just the cheese and spices. You can also use any of these breadcrumb substitutes:
  • Rolled oats: Pulverize the oats in a blender or food processor and then add an additional ⅛ teaspoon of salt, if you find it necessary, in addition to the seasonings recommended in the recipe.
  • Cereal: A classic cereal choice is crushed corn flakes which will yield a crispier coating.
  • Potato chips or pretzels: Since these are already salted, you might not need to add as much salt.
  • Crackers: Crushed Saltines or Ritz crackers are great choices.
• Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is best.
• Spices and seasonings: I use Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. The main herbs in Italian seasoning are basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. If you don't have Italian seasoning, use one or two of these herbs instead.
• Butter: I use melted butter to dip the chicken pieces in before dredging in the bread crumb mixture. Use salted or unsalted butter.
• Chicken tenders: I find it less expensive to buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts and slice the breast into 3 to 4 pieces instead of buying sliced chicken tenders. I use one (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless, chicken breast).

Pro Tip: Consider purchasing bags of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) from the grocery store. Take one out when you're ready to use it, thaw in the refrigerator, and keep the remaining pieces of chicken in the freezer. This way you'll always have chicken on hand when you want to make a chicken recipe.

See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

How To Make A Small Batch Of Chicken Tenders

See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

1. Melt the butter in a separate medium-sized bowl. Dip one chicken strip in the melted butter.

1. Dip the strip in the breadcrumb mixture, completely coating the chicken strip.

1. Place the coated chicken tender on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Repeat with the other tenders.

1. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Pro Tip: The chicken will be golden brown when done. Using a meat or instant-read thermometer is the best way to determine the temperature of your chicken. Just insert the food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. If the thermometer reads 165°F, then the chicken is ready.

If you don't have a thermometer, an easy visual clue is that all the juices that come from the chicken should run clear and not be pink.

1. Remove the chicken strips from the oven and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce.

Expert Tips

• Where to find chicken tenderloins: Chicken tenders are often called chicken tenderloins. They can be found in the meat department of most grocery stores near raw chickens. You can also make your own tenders from 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast.
• Storing chicken tenders: Baked chicken tenders can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• How to serve: Serve with Marinara sauce or tomato sauce, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or your favorite barbeque sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Make Chicken Tenders Without Breading?

If you want to make a low-carb version, don't use breadcrumbs. Just mix together the spices and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and dredge the butter-coated chicken strips in the spice/cheese mixture. Bake as directed in the recipe.

Do You Need To Bake Chicken Tenders On A Rack?

I find that these chicken tenderloins don't need to be baked on a rack and they still get crispy on the bottom.

Can You Freeze Chicken Tenders?

Yes, these chicken tenders can be frozen. This is a small batch recipe and will yield an amount that may be perfect for one meal. Since this recipe can be doubled and even tripled, you might like to make extras and freeze them.

To freeze: Cool the baked chicken tenders completely and freeze until firm on a baking sheet. Then store in a sealed freezer bag for up to 2 months.

To thaw: Lay the tenders on a plate and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

To reheat: Heat in an oven set at 400°F until heated through, about 10 minutes. For best results when reheating, flip the tenders over halfway through heating.

How Do You Keep Chicken Tenders Moist When Baking?

The chicken tenders cook quickly which keeps the tenders tender and juicy.

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this baked chicken tenders recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Chicken: Butter Chicken, Baked Buffalo Chicken, Creamy Mustard Chicken, Chicken Margherita
• Breadcrumbs: Eggplant Parmesan, Turkey Meatballs, Slow Cooker Mini Meatloaf, Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Parmesan cheese: Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables, Parmesan Crisps, Buttered Noodles, Giant Italian Meatball
• Italian seasoning: Ratatouille, Pork Tenderloin, Stuffed Peppers, Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Garlic powder: Baked Shrimp, Salisbury Steak, Beer Bread, Hash Browns

Serving Suggestions

You might like to consider serving chicken tenders with any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• French Fries - A Small Batch Recipe
• Scalloped Potatoes For One
• Macaroni and Cheese For One
• Spinach and Orzo Salad For One

More Small Batch Chicken Tenders Recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Tenders
• Chicken Parmesan Tenders

If you would like additional information about the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page. For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.

If you’ve tried these baked chicken tenders or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!

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• ▢ ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
• ▢ ¼ cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 tablespoons salted butter , melted
• ▢ 1 6 to 8-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast , sliced into 3 to 4 strips or use packaged chicken tenders

• Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

• In a medium-sized bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set the bowl aside.

• Add the melted butter to a separate medium-sized bowl. Dip one chicken strip in the melted butter.

• Dip the strip in the breadcrumb mixture, completely coating the chicken strip.

• Place the coated chicken tender on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Repeat with the other tenders.

• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

  Pro Tip: The chicken will be golden brown when done. Using a meat or instant-read thermometer is the best way to determine the temperature of your chicken. Just insert the food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. If the thermometer reads 165°F, then the chicken is ready.

  If you don't have a thermometer, an easy visual clue is that all the juices that come from the chicken should run clear and not be pink.

• Remove the chicken from the oven and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce.

Expert Tips

• Where to find chicken tenderloins: Chicken tenders are often called chicken tenderloins. They can be found in the meat department of most grocery stores near raw chickens.
• Storing chicken tenders: Baked chicken tenders can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• How to serve: Serve with Marinara sauce or tomato sauce, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or your favorite barbeque sauce.
•  

Nutrition Facts

Baked Chicken Tenders For One

Amount Per Serving (3 large tenders)

Calories 749 Calories from Fat 459

% Daily Value*

Fat 51g78%

Saturated Fat 29g181%

Trans Fat 2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 12g

Cholesterol 121mg40%

Sodium 851mg37%

Potassium 87mg2%

Carbohydrates 21g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 39g78%

Vitamin A 1458IU29%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 68mg7%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.