These crunchy baked chicken tenders are life changing! The secret to truly golden, truly crunchy baked breaded chicken is to toast the breadcrumbs in the oven first. Bonus: No dirty fingers with my quick crumbing technique!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Really crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders
There is no feel-good story behind these crunchy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders. Quite simply, I am yet to meet anything deep fried that I didn’t love, but a) my waistline can’t afford the real thing every time I feel like it; and b) I reserve deep frying for “special occasions”. Because… well, you know.
Mess, oil wastage, gluey fingers.
Waistline. Bottom expansion.
Etc etc.
It also irritated me no end that the breadcrumbs always came out splotchy, no matter how much oil I used.
So this is how I make baked crumbed chicken.
Baked breaded chicken – my way
Toast the breadcrumbs in the oven for just a few minutes. This is the path to truly golden, truly crunchy baked breaded chicken even with a short bake time (max 20 minutes for chicken tenders). PS Much MUCH easier than pan frying!
One dredge batter – the usual process for crumbing is flour then egg then breadcrumbs. For this quick ‘n easy recipe, I combine the egg with flour plus mustard and mayo for flavour + oil (attempt to replicate deep fried) to make a thick batter in which the chicken is dredged. This stuff is great glue for the breadcrumbs!
Clean fingers! Use tongs to transfer the batter slathered chicken into the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over breadcrumbs to cover, press down to adhere. Transfer to tray. Marvel at clean fingers!!
Give it a light spray of oil, bake for 15 minutes and voila! This is what you get:
LOOK HOW GOLDEN THEY ARE!! Just imagine that crunch when you bite into the juicy chicken inside!
Dipping Sauces
It’s pictured above with a Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Just like Maccers. Only homemade. 🙂
Other Dipping Sauces: Try the Pink Steak Sauce from the Beef Kebabs, Sweet and Sour Sauce, Thousand Island, Tartare or even a classic Seafood Cocktail Sauce.
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Breadcrumb
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (Note 1)
- Oil spray
Batter
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard (or other mustard)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Chicken
- 500 g/1 lb chicken tenderloins (or breast cut into 2/3″ / 1.5cm thick slices, lengthwise)
- Oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180° fan-forced).
- Toast panko – Spread panko on a baking tray, spray with oil (spray vertically to avoid blowing the panko off the tray), then bake for 3 to 5 minutes until light golden. Transfer to bowl.
- Place a rack on a baking tray (not critical but bakes more evenly).
- Dredge batter – Place the Batter ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork until combined. Add the chicken into the Batter and toss to coat.
Crumbing (see video & photo in post)
- Pick up chicken with tongs and place it into the panko bowl.
- Crumb – Sprinkle surface with breadcrumbs, then press down to adhere. Transfer onto baking tray. Marvel at clean fingers, repeat with remaining chicken.
- Spray & bake – Spray lightly with oil, sprinkle with a touch of salt (optional). Bake 15 minutes (medium) or up to 20 minutes if gigantic. Any longer = dried out chicken.
- Serve – Remove from oven and serve immediately, with Sauce of choice (Honey Mustard pictured, see Note 2) and sprinkled with fresh parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published April 2015, updated with new photos, video, words in post. No change to recipe, though some minor writing tidying up has been done.
More crunchy crumbed chicken
A crunchy golden crumb takes any chicken from bland to delicious!
LIFE OF DOZER
That hopeful sparkle in his eyes…. (it was false hope) (Oh wait, I lied. I gave him a bite!)
Best Chicken Tenders Ever .. another amazing recipe!! Thank you, Nagi!!
Hey Nagi,
Made these for my dear wife yesterday and she LOVED them! Said that they were the tastiest, crispiest chicken fingers that she’s ever had. Once again, you recipes are always winners. Thanks!
Glad to hear she enjoyed this Tortoise!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️
I made my own breadcrumbs but the recipe didnt quite provide the 1.5 cups it said. Even with a bit less breadcrumbs this recipe was great. My REALLY picky 17 year old went back, time and time again, to eat the 3rds and 4ths. We didnt have even 1 leftover.
I will be making this in the future with more breadcrumbs. The chicken was crunchy AND super moist. My husband was really surprised that it was so moist.
Thanks for a great recipe for baked crunchy tenders.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Justyne!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️
Nagi, I’m going to try your chicken tender recipe over the weekend and cook/fry/oven bake the tenders in my new air fryer. Perhaps you’ve heard of this new-ish appliance? It really is amazing, as I have learned in the past few weeks since mine arrived. The first thing I “fried” in the air fryer was chicken thighs – soaked in buttermilk and hot sauce, then dredged in my homemade breader recipe (not-so-secret ingredient is cornflake cereal crumbs!), put the thighs in the air fryer and dotted on a little oil = amazing “fried” chicken!
I think I”m going to like your egg, mayo, mustard, etc. dip for the chicken before breading and cooking. It should add a lot of flavor. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
I’ve never tried an air fryer, I’m keen to!! N xx
Hi Nagi,
Could we use Tonkatsu sauce to eat with this chicken?
Thanks for your great recipes
Oooh YES! You would do my mother proud 🙂 N x
I make this recipe all the time. It is a favorite! so crispy and flavorful.
Glad you enjoyed this Cynthia! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi, I made these for dinner last night. We loved them!!!! That batter has such great flavor and is so much less messy than flour and egg. Thank you and keep the recipes comin. Hi to your cute kid, Dozer.
Hi Nagi,
I have just gotten home from a holiday in Austria and Germany. I did eat my fare share of Weiner Schnitzel. Just wondering whether you have a way to cook this delicious dish, in a similar way to your oven-baked chicken tenders, rather than frying. I really dislike fried food and prefer a healthier oven option.
As always, you and your recipes are amazing.
Regards Angela.
Hi Nagi,
I will be making these for the family tonight. I have French Maille Dijonnaise in the fridge, which is mustard and mayo already together. Silly question, but will this work instead. ???
Your mums teriyaki chicken is my favorite teriyaki recipe. So glad I have found your two recipe sites. Don’t look at my cookbooks anymore
That will be absolutely fine! Probably even tastier cause that’s a posher mustard 🙂 N x
Well i used dijonnaise and it was a hit. Really yummy 😊
Nagi, nagi DID YOU sayNO, NO TO PRETY FACE… DID YOU.LOVE, LOVE HOME MADE KFC. I DO NOT CARE ABOUT MESS . Yummmmm!
I crumb my own bread because I feed birds. (Tuppence a bag) so the crumbs are bigger. This was fantastic. I only had thigh meat so I cut it to size. Amazing meal.
Dozer rocks – those eyes!!
Oh Dear! Bread swells in the tiny bellies of birds, and should never be fed to them. I love your commitment, but next time, use your bread crumbs for something delicious for humans and buy some bird seed!
I cannot resist those eyes…..
Do you think this would work with chicken on the bone?
Absolutely! N x
Very easy recipe, Nagi. Definitely gonna try it. P.S. u had me at waistline. Bottom expansion. 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😊
Try it try it!! 🙂 N x
Great idea to toast the bread crumbs and I’ve never tried a batter such as yours. Going to give this one a try, because I love fried chicken fingers dipped in spicy buffalo sauce.
No one could resist those Dozer puppy eyes…
Awesome recipe, mine however came out under cooked, I added more time and came ouy dry like warned. Do you think par cooking the chicken first might help? I baked it at 390 degrees. Thanks Nagi!
Sharon
Hi Sharon! How big were your tenderloins? I get 8 for 500g/1 lb which is average size. 15 minutes should be enough, if not no more than 20 minutes otherwise they do dry out! N xx
Hi Nagi,
I really like that you made a batter to dip the chicken in, instead of the “flour then egg” dip method. I’m going to try it this way. Do you think it this method would work for Coconut Shrimp?
I’m glad Dozer got some goodies. I could never resist his adorable face!
ABSOLUTELY! It works so well because essentially, the breadcrumb is already toasty gold and crunchy so it works brilliantly for shrimp which barely needs any cook time in the oven 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, great recipe and it’s interesting to learn about the baking of the Panko bread crumbs. That’s a plus.
Look at that Dozer face …who could say no 😂
Happy Friday! Hugs …
I can’t resist that face!!!! I’m so weak!!!🙈
I really love your recipes and have tried a few, however, what I like more are your pictures of Dozer. He’s a great dog!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!! 😂
i love the way you toasted the panko before hand! this look so amazingly crispy and I’m practically starving right now drooling over these (kinda like dozer!). Great recipe Nagi 🙂
It works a treat Georgie! 🙂 Try it!! N x
i cant wait to try these. i buy a Perdue brand because its so convenient. i have not found a recipe i like enough to keep using. i love putting cut up tenders in my salads rather than plain grilled chicken or roasted chicken. and no store bought are good enough to dip in sauce. thanks. PS. Dozer is the cutest thing! love photos of him.
I agree, store bought sauce is just never the same as even the quickest home-made ones! N xx