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!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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!)
Made this by the book a few weeks ago and decided to use the basics to do chicken breasts. Superb! All the same but doubled recipe and baked for 30 min. Thanks for a new recipe to our favourite list! 🇨🇦
Hi Nagi, we have a 21st party to prepare and want to ask that if we prepare and cook and then freeze a whole heap of crumbed chicken tenders 2 weeks prior to the party and then reheat in oven, would it work?
Hi Nagi, we have a 21st party to prepare and want to ask that if we prepare and cook and then freeze awhile heap of crumbed chicken tenders 2 weeks prior to the party and then reheat in oven, would it work?
Is the temperature to bake them 200 degrees? For 15-20 minutes?
Brilliant!
This is the best homemade tenders I have had. Easy to make and my family gobbled it up in minutes! Thank you so much!
Love it! Easy and Delicious! This is my 2nd time using this recipe since Christmas. This will my our regular dish. Thank you!
This is a great recipe! Crunchy and far better than deep fried fingers. Served them Buffalo style with hot sauce and blue cheese.
Sounds delicious!! 🔥 N x
Perfect recipe! Easy and so moist! My hubby LOVED it and so did my child.
Great recipe, quick, easy and delicious! My husband couldn’t believe how moist the chicken was. This will be on the weekly rotation.
Perfect! Cooked recipe exactly as instructed. (Except doubled everything including amount of chicken) huge hit!
Looks great, can pork loin be substituted with the shortage on chicken at the moment?
I love this recipe. The chicken came out so delicious and it was so easy to make! I had to stop myself and remember to chew. I love how much easier a combined batter and baking it in the oven is to the traditional flour and egg dredge and frying it in oil. The combined batter also meant the coating was much thicker and didn’t slide off. 10/10! I can’t wait to make it again.
I have made these many times. What a great recipe! I add a little hot sauce to my batter for some zip
Can they be done in air fryer
I airfried this recipe last night. I did 200’ for 10 minutes, then flipped them to get even colouring for another 5 minutes. Was perfect and crunchy.
I haven’t tested that yet Sherri, sorry. But I suspect they can! N x
AMAZING!! perfect in every way. Definitely going to try someone’s suggestion to brown some coconut with the panko and then drizzle honey on at the end. I know that would be fantastic, too!
My kids love these! You can make them in bulk and freeze them individually, then into ziplock bags. Pop them into the oven frozen, they turn out great!
Do you cook it first before freezing it? Or freeze it raw when batter?
Great Tasting and Easy to Prepare Recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Yes you can freeze them. Place your crumbed tenders on parchment in a baking sheet raw and freeze them for 2-3hrs.
Can’t wait to make these tonight
If i raw freeze like you say – what temp & for long would I bake please? (Just checking- cook frozen? ) Thankyou
This is our go-to baked chicken tender recipe! So crunch and juicy! My kids love them!
What temp in oven for breadcrumbs and how long?
Have you read the recipe instructions? Not sure how you can miss this info.
BAM! Excellent!