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Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders

We had chicken dinner on Sunday.  It looked nothing like the Sunday chicken dinner that I grew up with...no stuffing, no mashed potatoes and no gravy. But there were delicious strips of lean chicken breast...moist and tender on the inside with a crunchy topping.  And while they were baking, I baked a pan of potato strips alongside.  In twenty minutes time, we had a healthy plate of chicken strips and oven fries in the comfort of our own home.  That is fast food at it's finest!


  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (chicken breast strips)
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  1. Mix buttermilk, crushed peppers and garlic salt together in a shallow dish (like a pie plate) and add chicken tenders...turning pieces to coat.  Cover and set aside to marinade for one hour or overnight.
  2. Combine panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, cayenne and pepper.  
  3. Drain chicken tenders and roll in the bread crumb mixture, pressing to coat on all sides.
  4. Bake on a rack (cooling rack) that has been placed on a baking sheet at 450°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Serve immediately alongside oven baked fries, fresh veggies and dips of your choice. (Ranch and honey mustard pictured above).

10 comments:

  1. Hi Judy - I would like to know where you buy the chicken tenders, and also if the crushed red chili pepper is in the spices section of the grocery store...thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Chicken tenders are the little tenderloin portion of the breast...and available in the poultry section of the meat department...sometimes. Some stores carry only chicken breast fillets...or chicken breast strips. But they all work just fine prepared this way. The crushed red peppers are in the spice section.

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  2. Yummy! Perfect for those "hockey nights in Canada" snacks.

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  3. Sounds like a perfect supper for me, I can cut the recipe in half or a little more and it will be just right, or make it almost all and have some cold lunch next day.

    Thanks, Judy, good recipe!

    Jo in MN

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  4. I have never heard of Panko breadcrumbs so I looked it up on the web. It differs from regular breadcrumbs as it doesn't absorbs as much oil and is crispier than regular breadcrumbs. I can't have anything with soy in it.
    My question: Does Panko uses any soy products in their breadcrumbs?

    Thanks for this.
    JB in New Brunswick Canada.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Julia...I just checked the ingredients list on a box of Panko crumbs, and I'm afraid they have soybean oil. Ingredients: WHEAT FLOUR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SUGAR, YEAST, SOYBEAN OIL, SALT. Unfortunate for you!

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    2. Thanks so much Judy. Here is the reason why I avoid soy

      I avoid any food with soy products or by-products because soy has estrogen similar to our own and I'm on estrogen blockers Letrozole which is similar to Temoxophen because of breast cancer and I'm almost 10 years on estrogen blockers. I had estrogen receptive breast cancer and estrogen made my cancer grow. I was eating tofu because I thought it was good for me.

      It makes me wonder what feeding this soy in all the food the little children are eating doing to their health.

      Soy comes in different form, soy flour, soybean oil, soy lecithin, soy beans, etc.

      By reading labels, I have found out that there is soy in almost all manufactured food products that we eat.
      I have found soy in ice cream, cones, cake mixes, assorted crackers, Becel margarine...
      brown beans, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, assorted bread, Fluffo and Criso shortening, chocolate, and the list is absolutely endless. I am having some success in finding some prepared food that used canola oil instead of soybean oil in the Co-op brands products. Their bread have soy in them so I have to make my own and I use Co-op shortening.

      Sorry for the long comment.
      I love your blog and use it often.

      Julia

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  5. Sounds like a yummy recipe and one that I will try soon!! Thanks!

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  6. I made these yesterday for my DH and me and they were delicious. I made some modifications because I didn't have the ingredient but they were a hit :)

    I didn't have buttermilk (never do) so I used sour cream, bottled Ranch dressing, and a little almond milk (we're lactose intolerant and don't like soy milk).

    I used to use Panko crumbs when I fried fish but found they are kinda expensive so I didn't have any in the cupboard. I substituted instant potato flakes and they were just fine.

    I'll definitely make these again. Thanks for the recipe :)

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  7. Made chicken strips last night. Substituted regular milk/lemon juice for Buttermilk. Still tasted great, everyone liked them and said they had a nice kick and would be great on sandwiches. Thanks for another great recipe.

    Have to remember to put the name on my recipe, as I usually just copy the ingredients on a scrap piece of paper. Have lots of "unnamed" recipes sitting by my stove from your website.

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