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’ve been wanting to make this for a while now and I finally got to tonight. There is only one word to describe it. Amazing.
This recipe will continue to be made on a regular basis…. <3
I’m so glad you loved them Jennifer!!
I made the crunchy honey garlic chicken
3 times now this is my third time making it it is the best chicken I have ever made or taste it
I’m so glad you love it Maryjo! :)
how many did this feed? I have a family of 7 Im cooking for tonight and debating on whether to double the recipe or not.
I would suggest doubling the recipe.
Holly, I am making this again, I think this is the third time. Lol I tried the Rock recipe for the seasoned flour and used the baking directions. ugh. It stuck to my rack! BUT I loved your sauce a little better, ie, I liked the ginger in your sauce. Its in the oven now. And I went ahead and brushed some of your sauce on the Rock seasoned chicken breast. Lol. Again, you always have amazing recipes! Serving with broccoli and fried rice.
Thank you Karen, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for dinner and it was Awesome! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!!!
Just made this for the first time, loved it!!! Will be making it again soon.
I have made these a few times now and they are absolutely delicious! They are a hit with young and old at my house. Thank you!
So glad you loved them!
These look better than something I would order at a restaurant! YUMMO! I need to pin this =)
Thank you Emily!
I baked these on a baking rack (and sprayed the chicken with cooking spray for crunch), and they turned out perfectly fine. They were small bite-sized chunks of chicken, and I did about 10 minutes on one side, flipped them all over, and did an additional 10 minutes on the other side. I then broiled them about 2-3 minutes on each side. Crunchy and very good. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe!
I’ve never fried chicken, or anything else for that matter, in my life! I’m 47. These turned out so crunchy and perfect in a frying pan with about 1/2 inch of coconut oil. My 14 year old son thanked me for the delicious dinner and told me I should make that one all the time. I’ve learned that organic virgin coconut oil is the healthiest to cook with and great for your brain health as well. That makes me feel better about frying! Next time I will try coating in coconut flour since wheat flour has a bad rap. My husband and I loved the sauce, but my son hates soy sauce so he ate them plain. In that case, I’d add a bit more spices as it lacks some flavor on its own. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for the great tip!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This recipe is amazing….the glaze is so tasty and the crispy chicken was awesome….thank you for sharing….I very rarely comment on pinterest recipes….this one I had to
Thank you for popping back in to let us know how it worked out for you Meg!! So glad you loved them!
These look so good, im trying tonight! Just curious, i see many comments on people asking how they came out if baked instead of fried. Has anyone tried to bake? How did the turn out?
I just made this recipe …DELICIOUS !!!! I really love the sauce. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them Karina!
Step 4, half way through, it says to gently press the flour into the chicken and shake off excess. Do you mean press in bread crumbs?
In step 3 the flour, Panko bread crumbs and seasonings are combined. So it is the flour/bread crumb mixture you are using in step 4. :)
Trying to find an old recipe called parmesan crusted chicken.
Here you are Claudia:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/crispy-oven-parmesan-chicken/
WOW, made this last night and can say that this is my new favorite fried chicken recipe! Bonus is that I’m single and have three days of yummy leftovers! Albie, my dog, even gave me the “you gonna share with me?” look! Great recipe, thank you, James.
Oh, the only thing I would do different would be to double the sauce, that’s it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! :) Thanks for stopping by James!
This was great!…. i made double the sauce as i had a little extra chicken served with fried rice (fed 6 people generously!) didnt have chili flakes so used 1 teaspoon of minced red chilli. Definitly a dish i will cook again!
What type of oil did you use for this?
The 1½ tablespoons oil I used olive oil. I used canola oil for frying.
Omg these are amazing. They reminded my family of chilis chipolte chicken. Yum
This is one of my favorite recipes. I’ve made them several times since I found it. Just thought I should take a moment to thank you for it. The sauce is AMAZING and I’ve used it on pork chops too which were equally delicious with it. Tonight I’m attempting to bake my chicken instead of frying it. Can’t wait to see how it comes out. Thanks again for the delicious recipe.
So glad you have enjoyed it!!
How did the baked ones turn out?