Crispy Chicken Tenders are a meal that the kids (and the adults) love!
Juicy seasoned strips of white meat are breaded with panko and cornflakes for the ultimate crunch.
Healthier than deep fried with big flavor, these have a perfectly crispy crust that’s great for dipping and dunking!
Easy Family Favorite
Who doesn’t love a good crispy crunchy piece of chicken? We sure do!
This easy recipe skips the mess (and fat) of deep frying for an extra crispy oven-baked version! The combination of crumbs in the coating create the perfect crispy texture and great flavor.
Baking the chicken at a high temperature ensures you get the crunch you’re looking for while keeping the meat tender and juicy.
What are Chicken Tenders?
The tenderloin is a nice, juicy strip of white meat located just under the breast bone. It’s simple enough to remove from a bone-in breast to make chicken tenders. But it’s way easier to purchase tenderloins separately.
Another option is to use chicken breasts and slice them into chicken breasts into 3/4 inch slices before breading.
TIP: To make cutting easier, freeze the chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes before slicing.
Ingredients
FLOUR/EGG The flour mixture and the beaten egg help ensure the crumbs stick to the chicken. Be sure to season each with a bit of salt & pepper!
BREADING The breading in this recipe is a combination of Panko crumbs for crunch and cornflake crumbs for flavor. If you don’t have cornflake crumbs, you can crush your own cornflakes with a couple of pulses in a food processor.
If you don’t have cornflakes, you can use crushed Rice Krispies or crushed buttery crackers (such as Ritz). Make the crumbs fairly small so they blend well with the Panko.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Tenders
It takes 3 simple steps to make these delicious homemade tenders, fresh from the oven!
- Dredge chicken in seasoned flour (per recipe below) and then in egg and finally into the panko mixture.
- Place on a parchment lined pan and spray with cooking spray or olive oil spray.
- Bake until golden and crisp!
Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce or make a dipping station with a whole assortment of delicious options!
Tips for an Extra Crispy Coating
- Ensure your chicken is dabbed dry before starting
- Use Panko in place of regular breadcrumbs, they have extra crunch
- Cook at a high temperature (425°F)
- Spray with cooking spray or olive oil before baking.
How to Cook (Oven Fried/Air Fryer)
Chicken is lean and these tenders don’t take long to so make sure you don’t overcook them!
How Long to Cook in the Oven: For regular oven cooking time may take the full 22 minutes. Chicken can dry out if overcooked, so be sure not to overcook!
Convection Oven: Convection ovens will cook chicken tenders evenly and leave them crunchy on the outside and oh-so-juicy on the inside (and they take less time, too)! Try convecting for 15-18 minutes, making sure that no pink remains in the center of the chicken!
Air Fryer Directions: Cook tenders in a single layer at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or just until cooked through. The second batch may need a minute or two less as the airfryer will be preheated.
Got Dip?
While we serve these with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob the dip is one of our favorite parts!
- Homemade barbecue sauce
- Marinara or pizza Sauce
- Buffalo sauce
- Plum sauce or sweet and sour
- Honey mustard sauce
More Crispy Chicken Favorites
- Crispy Chicken Cutlets – 30 min meal!
- Dorito Chicken Tenders – crispy & delicious
- Fried Chicken and Waffles
- Everything Cream Cheese Chicken
- Oven Fried Chicken – tender, juicy perfection!
- Ginger Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders
Did you make these crispy chicken tenders? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Crispy Oven Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast tenders or whole chicken breasts
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 cup cornflake crumbs
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt & pepper
- 2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a pan with parchment paper.
- Cut chicken breasts into 3/4" pieces if using whole chicken breasts.
- Combine flour and seasoned salt in a bowl.
- Combine cornflake crumbs, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, paprika and salt & pepper to taste.
- Season chicken with salt & pepper.
- Lightly dredge chicken in flour, dip in eggs and finally dip in the bread crumb mixture.
- Place chicken on prepared pan and spray with cooking spray or oil.
- Bake 18-22 minutes or until cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I’ve been looking for a recipe to match the chicken tenders we eat at the water safari park we go to every summer. They have chicken tenders which are SO juicy and tender with a thin crisp coating (I hate heavy, clunky coatings) that doesn’t come off (miracle of miracles!). I think this recipe gets there about 98-99%! And no frying mess! Holly has nailed it with the combination of cornflake crumbs (for taste) and panko crumbs (for crispiness)! Frankly, next time I will try leaving out the garlic powder and paprika just so I can enjoy the simple cornflake/panko taste. And her directions for keeping the coating on the chicken WORKED for once! I took all the moisture off those babies with paper towels, blotting them on the towels and letting them sit for awhile, then using fresh towels to blot them again. No one ever directed me to do that before (at least as I remember). Thanks for sharing Holly!
So happy these lived up to your memory! We love these chicken tenders too.
Made these tonight. Family loved them. What made them especially easy was that they required the same temp as the oven baked fries we were making.
This is now my go-to recipe for chicken strips! I did it with your honey mustard sauce and it’s just awesome! Thank you so much!
(I didn’t have cornflakes so I just used double the panko, and I flipped them halfway and sprayed both sides. So crunchy and delicious!)
Should they be flipped half way through baking? Also wondering if you spray both sides. After reading the directions a few times, still not sure. Thanks
You can spray both sides for extra crunch Rose. I personally don’t flip them, but you can if you’d like.
Hello! I was wondering if these could be make ahead and left on the refrigerator. Amazing recipe. I’m looking forward to trying it
We haven’t tried making them ahead Vicky. Let us know if you try it!
These are the best chicken fingers! I have tried other baked chicken fingers recipes and this is by far the best! The breading sticks perfectly to the chicken. Thank you for this recipe!
These were hands down the best chicken tenders we’ve ever had. The only issue is that the breading didn’t stick. Is there a trick I’m missing? How do you make sure it sticks to the chicken?
Did you dab the chicken dry? Flouring the chicken then dipping in egg will help with the breading sticking.
Great recipe! My whole family loved this. I made it with butter noodles and a big steamer bag of broccoli Normandy. I didn’t use any cooking spray, flipped them about half way through, and used a sleeve of ritz crackers instead of cornflakes. My kids (6, 9, & 11) are picky eaters but all had second plates. Every recipe I’ve tried on your page I’ve enjoyed so thank you very much.
You’re very welcome Amber!
Could these be made with the Ginger Honey Garlic Sauce after baking/ air frying? We love that recipe but want to cut down on the mess of frying.
Yes, that should work perfectly!
Thank you so much! This is becoming a family favorite!
Can’t wait to try this when I have cornflake crumbs. But for lack of anything else, I gambled with pulverized southwestern seasoned pretzels. It worked. Great recipe!!
I bet the pretzels were great, thanks for sharing!
HOLY HANNAH ! These are the BOMB ! So delicious! I followed your recipe exactly except a used smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. I also made my own panko crumbs from white bread cuz I didn’t have any on hand . That is so easy that I believe I will buy marked down bread and make a bunch for the freezer . Thank you for the recipe ! Would you suggest freezing them uncooked on a cookie sheet and then putting into zip lock bags? Or should I cook them first ? What have you tried ?
So glad you loved these Sherri! I would suggest freezing them exactly as you wrote uncooked. They can be cooked from frozen and will need about 20-25 minutes.
My husband and I thought these were the best chicken tenders I’ve made, as I have used 2 or 3 different recipes in the past. This recipe is a “keeper”! I followed the directions with no changes. Thank you!
So glad you both loved them!
could I make a batch, cook and then freeze them? have you tried that? Or would I make them and just freeze them? Chicken fingers are getting so expensive!!!
I would suggest freezing them uncooked on a cookie sheet and then putting into zip top bags. They can be cooked from frozen and will need about 20-25 minutes.
Amazing recipe! Everyone loved it. Will make again.
Love this recipe thank you
I made these tonight to cut up and add to the top of our dinner salads. They were amazing! Best breaded oven baked chicken I’ve ever made!!! These will definitely become one of our family’s go to meals. Thank you!!!
Is it essential to spray with the oil before baking? I assume it makes them crisper….but I don’t have any spray oil.
It does help them crisp up Ali, but it could be skipped if you don’t have any. Let us know how they turn out!
When I don’t have cooking spray. I use vegetable oil. put a very little bit of vegetable oil on the paper towel. Use a enough vegetable oil to make it barely damp and wipe down you’re baking sheet or pan with the oily paper towel.
Holly, this recipe is dynamite. For some odd reason, I didn’t have seasoned salt on hand so instead I mixed the flour with garlic powder, smoked paprika, roasted garlic and herb seasoning, and salt. I cooked the tenders on a cooling rack in the oven. They are better than any chicken tenders I’ve tried at a restaurant or frozen packages. I’ve been cooking several of your recipes over the past couple of weeks now, and to say the least I am impressed with your skills. Thank you so so much for everything you do.
Thank you so much Emily, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Very much so! My Husband has enjoyed being my guinea pig to these recipes <3.
Do you flip them halfway or feel there’s no need to? Thx.
I personally don’t but you can if you’d like.
What is the sauce shown in the recipe pictures?
Thanks!
It’s homemade honey mustard sauce.