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Oven baked chicken tenders recipe
You cannot compare these oven baked chicken tenders recipe to any other breaded chicken out there as it is just so much better. Baked not fried, completely gluten free and also a perfect blend of sweet and spicy is what these tasty tenders are all about.
Sweet & Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders
Everyone loves a good chicken tender however a lot of chicken tenders are not the healthiest choice out there. Often chicken tenders are fried in carb-loaded bread crumbs which may taste good but are not something you should be eating regularly. Luckily, our recipe is a much more nutritious way to make chicken tenders and also so much more flavorful. Wondering why??
- We have skipped the bread crumbs and opted to use almond flour
- Eliminated the need to fry and baked the chicken tenders in the oven instead
- Used sweet honey and spicy hot sauce for extra flavor
You are going to love these oven baked chicken tenders and hopefully make this recipe all the time- it is definitely easy enough for weeknights and tasty enough for every night!
How to Make Chicken Tenders
Making this recipe is very simple. If you have ever made chicken tenders from scratch before, then the process will be very familiar. While we do not use flour or breadcrumbs to dip the tenders in, we do use almond flour in the same manner. No need to heat oil, just put the tenders on a baking sheet to cook. Take a quick look at the method used in our recipe and you will see how easy it is to make oven baked chicken tenders.
- To begin the instructions, preheat oven and prepare a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.
- Combine the almond flour, salt and black pepper in a shallow dish. (Add some garlic powder for extra flavor too!)
- Whisk the eggs and place them in a separate shallow dish.
- Dip your chicken tenders in the egg and then into the dry ingredient blend, placing the breaded chicken tenders on the prepared sheet tray after it has been dipped.
- Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Check the chicken throughout the baking process for doneness. The chicken is cooked when the outside turns golden brown and crispy.
- In a small bowl or another shallow dish, combine the honey and hot sauce.
- Spread the sauce over the cooked chicken and enjoy while hot!
With just a few minutes of prep time and a little bit of baking, you can have lots of perfectly golden, oven baked chicken tenders ready to serve your family. You can also feel good about serving these as they are much healthier than other breaded chicken breast and here is why.
Healthy Chicken Tenders Recipe
Most chicken tenders are made with breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs, both of which have little in the way of nutritional value. In addition, most chicken tenders are deep fried which adds an incredible amount of saturated fat to the recipe. Our chicken has none of that and actually has some great health benefits. Take a look at why these tenders are a nutritious dinner choice.
Almond Flour– Almond flour is rich in vitamin E and magnesium. It has lots of healthy fats and has been shown to help reduce insulin levels, improve blood pressure and is perfect for those looking for a gluten-free option to flour.
Honey- Honey is rich in antioxidants and is a better sweetener option for diabetics. It has been shown to help improve blood pressure and also improve cholesterol.
Baked not Fried– Baking chicken tenders make them much healthier as there is less saturated fat being absorbed as the chicken tenders cook. Using a small amount of cooking spray to grease the baking sheet is all the fat that is needed for this recipe! Opt for an olive oil based cooking spray for an even healthier option.
You definitely do not need those breadcrumbs (or panko breadcrumbs) to make crispy chicken tenders. You can also ditch the fryer oil for sure. Oven baked chicken tenders coated in delicious, nutty almond flour is going to be your new favorite.
Making Chicken Tenders
While you can definitely find pre-cut chicken tenders in the grocery store, they tend to be more expensive than a simple chicken breast. Rather than buy the smaller, cut chicken tenders, simply buy chicken breast and slice it yourself. One trick to cutting chicken nice and thin is to freeze it and then slice the frozen chicken breast with a sharp knife. It is much easier to cut through the meat when it is frozen solid, enabling you to make very thin pieces, perfect for using in this recipe.
We know that you are going to love this recipe because it really is a fantastic way to make flavorful, crunchy chicken tenders in a healthier way. Send us an email and let us know what you think! Or, you can sign up for our email newsletter and have even more delicious recipes sent straight to you. Opening your email to find a great new recipe is definitely a great surprise! Sign up today and we will start sending tasty email your way.
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Sweet + Spicy Baked Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Gluten Free + Paleo
Description
The perfect combination of sweet and spicy is what makes these chicken tenders amazing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour (or almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ lbs chicken tenders
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup hot sauce (Franks or Tapito work great!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425(F) degrees and prepare a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Mix almond flour, sea salt and pepper in a bowl. Place egg in a separate bowl with a splash of water and whisk.
- Dip each chicken tender (one at a time) into the egg, then into the flour mixture. Lay the chicken tenders on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is crispy and starting to turn golden brown.
- While chicken is baking, heat the hot sauce and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When chicken has finished baking, carefully remove the pan from oven and turn oven to broil. Evenly coat the tenders with the sauce then return pan to oven.
- Let the chicken broil for about 5-7 minutes then carefully remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Add some extra flavor to the almond flour breadcrumbs by mixing in some garlic powder, onion powder or dried basil.
- Rather than use finely ground almond flour that you can purchase in the store, make your own almond flour by pulsing sliced almonds in a food processor. Let some of the pieces remain larger so that you get crunchier “breadcrumbs”.
- Rather than turning your whole oven on to make these oven baked chicken tenders, use a small countertop convection oven which will not only use less energy to run, but also cook the chicken tenders faster.
Looks and sounds delicious. Love spicy chicken. Thanks for sharing.
simon