Crispy chicken tenders are a tasty snack or dinner any day of the week!
This chicken tenders recipe uses fresh chicken tenderloins or sliced breasts coated in seasoned breading and then pan-fried to crispy perfection!
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Love at First Crunch!
- Flavor: Lightly seasoned with a crunchy outside and tender chicken.
- Difficulty: These are easy to make but take a bit of time to prepare.
- Technique: Double dipping the chicken makes it extra crunchy – let the breading rest for a few minutes before frying if time allows.
- Important: Fry the tenders in small batches to keep the oil hot and avoid overcrowding. Salt immediately after removing from the oil.
- Prep tip: Place the bowls of flour and crumbs on a rimmed baking tray, it makes for easier cleanup.
- Serving suggestions: Dip and dunk them in your favorite sauce or dressing, or try the one honey garlic sauce in the notes (it’s so good!).
Ingredient Tips For Chicken Tenders
- Chicken: Use either chicken chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If using frozen chicken, thaw and pat dry so the breading sticks well.
- Egg: The egg helps the crumbs stick to the chicken.
- Flour: Flour is the base of the coating, while the Panko crumbs add some extra crunch.
Variations: Switch up the seasoning and make a new recipe every time! Try a spicy adobo blend or a zesty Cajun.
Storage and Leftovers
- Keep leftover chicken tenders in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Enjoy cold in a wrap or slice them and top a green salad.
- Fried chicken can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Reheat them in the air fryer or microwave them, then pop them under the broiler to get them crispy again.
More Ways to Cook Chicken Tenders
Did your family love these Chicken Tenders? Leave us a rating and a comment below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken breasts sliced into ½-inch strips
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 large eggs more if needed
- 3 tablespoons water
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, bread crumbs, and seasonings. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, water, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Dab the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel.
- Working with half of the flour mixture at a time, dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture and then in the flour. Dip it into the egg a second time and then the flour again to double-coat it. Gently press the flour into the chicken. Shake off any excess. Place on a wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken. If time allows, let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.
- In a large deep skillet, heat 1-inch of oil to 350°F. Fry chicken in small batches until crispy and the chicken reaches 165°F, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
- Serve with honey garlic sauce or your favorite dips.
Video
Notes
- Flour Mixture: When working with the flour mixture, I find it helps to work with just half of the mixture at a time, to prevent the flour from getting clumped or wet.
- Chicken: If using boneless chicken breasts, slice them ½-inch thick.
- Honey Garlic Sauce for dipping or drizzling (optional): In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup honey, ⅓ cup water, ¼ cup soy sauce, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, ½ teaspoon chili flakes. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool before serving.
- Nutrition will vary. Information provided is an estimate and includes 10% oil absorption and ⅔ of the breading mixture.
- Nutrition information does not include optional sauce.
- Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 340 | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 334IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Chicken, Dinner, Lunch
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.
I can’t find where to pin this?!
If you hover the top left corner of any photo you should see the Pin it. If not, you can repin it here
I’m making these right now! I adjusted it a little, though. I semi-thawed the chicken, cut it into tenders, and now I am marinating it. I love spicy food, and I wanted this to be a little bit spicier, but more like a subtle spice, not like buffalo-wing spice. I am marinating one breast (I am the only one who wanted spicy) in 1 tbs. soy sauce, 1 tbs fish sauce, 1 tbs garlic, 1 tbs lemongrass, 1 tbs chili paste, 5 tbs sriracha (I like it super hot!), 1 tbs honey and 1tbs of white sugar. I put my tenders in the mixture, massaged the bag a little bit, then filled the rest with water. I’m waiting for them to finish thawing before I do the rest! I hope they turn out good. The pictures look really yummy. Right now I’m munching on some garlic bread until I can fry and sauce the little strips. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds wonderful!! I could eat sriracha by the spoonful too so I bet I would love the marinade!! :)
I have made something similar but baked them in the oven – I used corn flakes to make them more crispy instead of bread crumbs – You might want to try that Maeve??
My husband is going to love these! Hope I have chicken in the freezer.
These look yummy! They’re going on the meal plan one day very soon. Thanks.
OH MY! These look so delicious!! I am adding this to my meal plan for THIS week! Thanks for sharing at The Mommy Club Link Up.
Oh, yum. These look amazing! What a great twist on the classic chicken finger…my kids will LOVE them! Thanks for sharing. :)
Oh my YUM! Pinning and making for dinner next week!
I can’t wait to try your Honey Garlic Crunch Chicken Tenders, they look fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
Miz Helen
Just curious, but do you think these would work as well if I baked the tenders instead of frying them? The whole thing sounds so yummy, but I’m trying to eat better these days! :)
I don’t think they would be quite as crispy but I do think it would work and they would still be delicious. If you do try it, I would love to hear how it worked out for you!
Sorry to be dense, but what are chili flakes? Is it the same as the red pepper flakes?
Yes, they are the same. :)
Oh.Em.GEEEE. this look amazing. And now I’m starving. Pinned :)
Ohh my goodness. These look so good! Definitely trying these soon. I love that the ingredients are ones which I always have on hand (except the paprika- I am in Brazil and ingredients can be challenging at best). I bet I could omit that or add a little something else.
Pinned this okay? found this at mizhelens full plate thursday.
They are delicious and I am sure you can even skip the paprika!
These look really delicious. I’m sure my family will love them.
These look amazing–I’m definitely pinning this one! :)
These look great! Could you please share this at my Tasty Tuesday party?
We just had THE MOST AMAZING dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant tonight and I was perfectly satisfied, and then I clicked on these and the title alone made me starving. Dagnabbit woman. ;-)
I want these. RIGHT NOW
LOL… they really are delicious! :)
Oh, these look absolutely mouth watering! Crunchy chicken coated with glaze is my weakness…. YUMMMMM. Visiting from the Time to Sparkle Link Party!
Fabulous! I added a tsp of cornstarch in the sauce to thicken it for a little and used it for dipping
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Children are brilliant little inspiration machines aren’t they? I made a similar sauce awhile back and put it on chicken breasts. My family oooed and ahhhhed with every bite.