Crispy, juicy, and tremendous flavorful, this selfmade Hen Tenders Recipe leaves quick meals rooster tenders within the mud! Better of all, you don’t even must fry them—simply pop them within the oven for a simple weeknight dinner.
Why You’ll Love these Crispy Hen Tenders
- Household Pleasant. Youngsters LOVE this recipe (my 4 nieces can attest, they eat them each week), nevertheless it’s healthful and elevated sufficient to be loved by adults.
- Nostalgic. After I was a child, my default quick meals order was rooster tenders with honey for dipping. Now that I’m a decent grownup, I make this rooster tenders recipe at residence—and as a substitute of straight-up honey, I whip up a creamy honey mustard dipping sauce.
- Wholesome. Not like heavy drive-through fare, selfmade rooster tenders are wholesome and one thing you’ll be able to really feel good having fun with frequently (like these Grilled Hen Tenders and Air Fryer Hen Tenders!).
- Freezer-Pleasant. Make an enormous batch in bulk, then pop them into the oven straight from frozen. Who wants the sort within the field?!
5 Star Evaluation
“I made these for most likely the tenth time final night time. Household favourite.”
— Elizabeth —
About This Home made Hen Tenders Recipe
At the moment’s baked rooster tenders recipe combines delightfully crispy rooster with a honey mustard sauce that’s creamy, tangy, and juuuust candy sufficient to make issues fascinating.
Don’t be mistaken, although—there’s extra to those rooster tenders than that crispy baked coating. There’s additionally a candy and tangy buttermilk honey marinade, together with mustard overwhelmed into the egg that you simply’ll use for dredging.
The marinade locks within the moisture and provides the rooster tenders a flippantly candy, zippy taste, whereas the crunchy Panko bakes right into a crispy, golden crust. It’s like a down-sized model of my Baked Fried Hen!
After you make this baked rooster tenders recipe, you’ll by no means need to eat quick meals nuggets ever once more.
Methods to Make Hen Tenders
Fortunate for me (and also you), making your personal baked rooster tenders from scratch is fast and simple.
The Elements
For the Hen Tenders:
- Kosher Salt. Kosher salt crystals are bigger than desk salt, so if you happen to substitute desk salt, you’ll want to make use of about 1/4 much less.
- Smoked Paprika. Smoked paprika is a type of magical elements that belongs in each kitchen pantry. You should use common candy paprika, nevertheless it doesn’t have that good, smoky taste.
- Onion Powder and Garlic Powder. The classics assist season these tenders!
- Honey. Use a runny honey—an on a regular basis form of honey, not the flowery spreadable stuff.
- Low-Fats Buttermilk. For the marinade of our goals.
- Hen Tenderloins or Boneless Skinless Hen Breasts. In case you use rooster breasts, reduce them into 3/4-inch strips.
- Complete Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs. Common Panko is ok too if you happen to can’t discover entire wheat.
- Further-Virgin Olive Oil. For our breading.
- Egg Whites. Or just use one giant egg.
- Dijon Mustard. Whisked along with the eggs for the dredging.
For the Creamy Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
- Non-Fats Plain Greek Yogurt. Provides us that tang!
- Dijon Mustard and Honey. Making sauce is creamy, tangy, and completely candy.
The Instructions
- Marinade. The rooster tenders ought to sit within the buttermilk marinade for half-hour.
- Make the Breading. Do that in a large, shallow dish.
- Make the Moist “Dip”. It will assist the breadcrumbs stick.
- Get Prepared for Dredging. This course of is less complicated if every part is in a line.
- Dredge. Dip every rooster tender into the egg combination, adopted by the breadcrumbs, then place the rooster tender on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.
- Bake. 350 levels F for 15 to twenty minutes, or till the rooster tenders golden brown and the juices run clear.
- Make the Dipping Sauce. Serve the baked rooster tenders with the sauce and ENJOY!
Seasoning Concepts
- Cajun Baked Hen Tenders. Skip the smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder and use Cajun seasoning as a substitute. You’ll additionally need to skip the mustard within the egg whites.
- Herbed Hen Tenders. Use Italian-style panko breadcrumbs, or add Italian seasoning to the breadcrumb combination as a substitute of paprika. You can too add Parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs if you happen to’d like. (Skip the mustard within the egg whites right here, too.)
- Spicy Hen Tenders. As an alternative of mustard, whisk your favourite sizzling sauce into the egg white combination, then add cayenne pepper to the breading. Pair your fiery rooster tenders with cool ranch dressing.
- Crispy Asian Hen Tenders. Excellent for pairing with sweet-and-sour sauce!
Storage Suggestions
- To Retailer. Refrigerate baked rooster tenders in an hermetic storage container for as much as 3 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat leftovers within the oven at 350 levels F or within the air fryer. In a pinch, you should utilize the microwave, however the exterior gained’t be as crispy.
- To Freeze. Prepare the rooster tenders in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze simply till stable, then switch the frozen tenders to an hermetic container or freezer bag and freeze for as much as 3 months. Reheat instantly from frozen.
What to Serve With This Hen Tenders Recipe
- Tongs. Whereas you should utilize your palms (or a single hand, as described under) for this rooster tenders recipe, tongs will hold your fingers from getting coated in panko.
- Stainless Metal Breading Set. This ingenious little set has linked shallow dishes to attenuate the mess once you’re breading rooster and veggies.
- Wire Baking Rack. For crispy rooster tenders within the oven, a wire rack is essential. Like an air fryer basket, it permits the recent air to flow into throughout the tenders so the bottoms don’t steam and get soggy.
For the Honey Mustard Hen Tenders:
For the Creamy Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey plus 1 teaspoon, plus extra to style
- Pinch salt
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For the Honey Mustard Hen Tenders: In a big bowl, mix 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a big bowl. Add the buttermilk and honey and whisk till effectively mixed. Add the rooster tenders, toss to coat, then let stand at room temperature for half-hour. (Don’t enable to sit down longer, or the rooster will change into too salty.)
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In a big, shallow dish (a 9×13-inch pan works effectively), mix the Panko breadcrumbs and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Drizzle the oil excessive, then toss to moisten.
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In a second shallow dish, whisk collectively the egg whites and mustard.
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Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then place an ovenproof wire rack on prime of it. Coat the rack with cooking spray.
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Prepare the bowls in a line from left to proper as follows: egg white dish; Panko breadcrumbs; baking sheet. Working with a couple of items of rooster at a time, along with your left hand, take away the rooster from the marinade and shake off any extra (that is the “moist” hand). Nonetheless along with your left hand, dip the rooster into egg combination, turning to coat all sides, then place in breadcrumb combination. Along with your proper hand (the “dry” hand), pat the rooster on all sides with the breadcrumbs, urgent them on flippantly in order that the rooster is effectively coated. Nonetheless along with your dry hand, place the rooster on the baking sheet, leaving a bit house between every. Repeat for remaining tenders.
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Bake the rooster till golden brown and the juices run clear, 15-20 minutes.
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Whereas the rooster bakes, stir the dip elements collectively in a small bowl: Greek yogurt, Dijon, honey, and salt. Style and add extra honey as desired. Serve rooster sizzling or at room temperature with the dip.
- No buttermilk? Stir 1 cup common milk (1% or 2% is preferable) along with 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and let sit 5 minutes. Stir as soon as extra then use within the recipe as directed.
- You can too use common, unseasoned breadcrumbs instead of Panko, however the rooster tenders won’t be as crispy.
- Dietary data for this recipe is a tough estimate, as a result of a lot of the marinade is discarded. Use this data as a information solely. You can too calculate it your self and tweak ingredient quantities at myfitnesspal.com
- TO STORE: Refrigerate baked rooster tenders in an hermetic storage container for as much as 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Reheat leftovers within the oven at 350 levels F or within the air fryer. In a pinch, you should utilize the microwave, however the exterior gained’t be as crispy.
- TO FREEZE: Prepare the rooster tenders in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze simply till stable, then switch the frozen tenders to an hermetic container or freezer bag and freeze for as much as 3 months. Reheat instantly from frozen.
Serving: 3rooster strips with 3 tablespoons sauceEnergy: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 46gFats: 1gSaturated Fats: 2gLdl cholesterol: 107mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6g
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Incessantly Requested Questions
Hen strips and rooster tenders—to not point out rooster fingers—are phrases which are typically used interchangeably, however they’re not fairly the identical. Hen strips and fingers are made by slicing rooster breasts into strips; rooster tenders are an precise reduce of rooster known as the tenderloin or interior filet.
There are a couple of suggestions for ensuring the breading sticks to rooster tenders. First, shake off the surplus marinade; let the surplus egg drip off too, then press the rooster into the breadcrumb combination.
In case your fingers begin to get gunky (sure, that’s a technical time period), wipe them off—I’ve discovered that breadcrumbs from the rooster usually tend to come off on my fingers if I have already got a layer of breadcrumbs and egg on them.
Lastly, you’ll want to completely coat the wire rack with cooking spray to maintain the breadcrumbs from sticking to the rack and pulling off when the rooster is completed baking.
For finest outcomes, rooster tenders must be cooked for a minimum of 15 to twenty minutes. The precise cooking time will rely upon the dimensions and thickness of the items, however a great way to test if the tenders are cooked is to pierce them with a fork or knife—if the juices run clear, then they’re prepared.
Sure, rooster tenders are actual rooster. They’re created from the tenderloin, which is a small strip of muscle positioned on both aspect of the breastbone.
Probably the greatest methods to maintain rooster moist and juicy is through the use of a marinade; this rooster tenders recipe makes use of a easy buttermilk marinade for excellent, succulent rooster. It’s additionally essential to not overcook your rooster—test for doneness after quarter-hour or test the interior temperature of the rooster and take away it from the oven when it reaches 165 levels F.
Associated Recipes
A rooster dinner is at all times a winner! Listed below are a few of my favorites:
