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 200C/390F.
- 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).
- 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.
- Sprinkle surface with breadcrumbs, then press down to adhere. Transfer onto baking tray. Marvel at clean fingers, repeat with remaining chicken.
- 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.
- 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!)
Lorraine Donegan says
Excellent! One package of chicken tenderloins, 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes cooking, presto dinner!!
Nagi says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Lorraine! Thank you for sharing your feedback. 🙂 N x
Franco says
The easiest and most delicious recipe for breaded chicken. ..they came out just perfect…just like you said. Thanks…
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Franco! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Frankie says
This is a really great recipe. They turned out delicious and so much easier.
Andre says
Great easy recipe! If you used the same recipe on chicken pieces with bone in, how long would you cook?
Nagi says
Hi Andre! Do you mean thigh fillets with the bone in? If so, I would bake them for 45 minutes BUT then I would not toast the breadcrumbs beforehand otherwise they will get VERY brown! N x
Nagi says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it Frankie! Thank you for letting me know – N xx
Joanna says
Thank you! The whole family loved these!
Nagi says
Thanks for trying my recipe Joanna! So pleased everyone enjoyed it – N xx
Kavita says
Hi. What can I use as a substitute to Panko? Thanks.
Nagi says
Hi Kavita! Normal breadcrumbs will be terrific 🙂 Or finely crushed cornflakes!
Whitney says
Made these for lunch today….so good! Love the crunch and how juicy the chicken stays…. almost didn’t need dipping sauce. I’m sure that my boyfriend will really like them too
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Whitney! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Orna says
My kids don’t love mustard… is there anything less “spicy” I can use instead?
Nagi says
Hi Orna! Mild mustards like Dijon are not spicy 🙂 Otherwise just leave it out. N x
Orna Pickens says
Nagi – thanks so much for getting back to me. My kids consider everything spicy, including Dijon and even black pepper, so cooking has been a struggle.
Could I still mix the flour and mayo together without the mustard? If so, I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks again!
Orna
E says
My kids are the same way when it comes to spicy foods. I followed this recipe and they love them.
Nagi says
Hi Orna! Yep, just leave the mustard out completely 🙂
Nicola G says
Absolutely delicious Nagi. Amounts were spot on and instructions easy to follow.
I love that this tasted deep fried but wasn’t. Reminded me a bit of the lovely crunchy chicken in the film ‘The Help’. A just-as-crunchy-but-healthier version.
Thank you once again. Xx
Nagi says
High praise!!! So pleased you enjoyed this Nicola, thanks for letting me know! N xx
unnamed :-) says
Can i use chicken thigh pieces & achieve the same result? Also, can i prepare them ahead & freeze then just thaw & cook them?
Nagi says
Gosh YES to chicken thigh! If you freeze then unfortunately it won’t bake quite as crispy, but still crispy!
Andy says
3-5 mins at 390F wasn’t enough for us. Maybe our tenders were too big. It took about 12-15 minutes to fully cook.
Nagi says
Hi Andy! The 3 -5 minutes is for the breadcrumbs 🙂 It’s 10 – 15 minutes for the tenders themselves. N x
Debbie says
Just made these using Panko (made this recipe before using standard breadcrumbs as thats all I had)
All I have to say is – You my friend, are a legend.
These came out amazing.
I made homemade garlic aioli last night and tonight these to dip.
Love it.
GREAT recipe. I look forward to trying more from your site.
big thumbs up.
Nagi says
High praise! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Debbie, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Kelly says
Oh my! Just made these for dinner and was really impressed. I couldn’t quite believe how juicy the chicken breast was and how crunchy the coating. I also made the ranch sauce but used Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream – because that’s what I had on hand – and it was yummy too! Definitely making this one again!
Nagi says
Yessss! So great you enjoyed this one Kelly, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Shoshannah Goodloe says
What if i dont have cooking spray on hand. Will it still be alright?
Nagi says
It would be best if you can drizzle with oil, makes it so nice and golden! 🙂
Valia says
I make this recipe a lot, and my husband loves it! He is not a big chicken fan, but for some reason he and I both find this recipe really tasty! I love how crunchy the chicken is.
Nagi says
So pleased you both love this Valia! Thanks for letting me know! N xx❤️
Liz says
I’ve made these a few time now, they’re fantastic! My very pick toddler loves them as well!
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Liz! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
Helene Meurer says
Made these today with great success. Thanks for a super recipe, so well explained. Your notes answered all the questions that were forming in my mind as I read through the recipe, so by the end, all went super smoothly with perfect result!
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed it Helene! Thank you very much for your message – N xx
Kat says
I love these oven fried chicken tenders, they are low fat and you can change up the spices. The recipe is quick and easy and I like the idea of using the batter rather than the extra step and dish. I am not a mustard fan, so I used hot sauce instead and it was not too spicy. I forgot to spray them before putting them in the oven and did not use a rack but plan to get one. I ran out of browned crumbs and the plain crumbed tender was not as crunchy, but still good. I am adding the recipe to my favorite meal rotation, I like these much better than other recipes I have tried that use butter or oil. I am also looking forward to trying your Parmesan Baked Chicken Tenders.
Nagi says
That’s so fantastic to hear Kat! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! – N xx
Lorita says
Excellent recipe!! My nephew says “Really good.”. We both like to experiment and we didn’t want the same boring chicken. I used stone ground mustard and it gave the right tang. Will definitely do this again.
Nagi says
I love hearing that! So pleased you both enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Julie says
Love the recipe. Thank you?
Recipe says use whole egg instead of mayo, so does that mean add 2eggs?
Nagi says
Hi Julie! Whole egg is a type of mayo, it is a little less sharp than normal mayos. Pretty common nowadays in Australian supermarkets. But honestly, any mayo will do!
Jackie says
My hubby is a total fried food junky, I am trying to cure this. We are going to try this tonight and see how it goes, just don’t tell him there is mayo in there! Thank you for the toasting the Panko first tip. I always use Panko because of the texture difference but never have thought to toast them first!!
Nagi says
Everything is better fried, that’s my theory! 😉 I hope he approves of this!