Crispy and flavorful, these baked chicken tenders are an easy, family-friendly dinner! Just coat the strips in a combination of bread crumbs and Corn Flakes, and then pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Served with waffle fries, pickles, and your kids' favorite dipping sauces, the baked breaded chicken tenders make a quick and delicious weeknight meal!
Odds are good that my kids will order chicken fingers whenever we go out to a restaurant. While I sometimes fry chicken tenders or chicken nuggets at home for a special treat, these oven baked chicken tenders are definitely much easier and healthier (and they're actually kid-approved)! I'll show you how to make the quick lunch or dinner at home with just a handful of very basic ingredients.
What's the difference between chicken tenders and chicken strips?
Chicken strips are slices of the whole chicken breast. The chicken tender (pectoralis minor) is the tender muscle located underneath each of the chicken breasts. For this baked chicken tenders recipe, I always purchase a package of boneless, skinless "chicken tenderloins" in the meat section at the grocery store. Then just season the meat, dredge in flour and egg, and coat with a flavorful breading. Bake for about 15 minutes and dinner is ready!
My kids love these chicken tenders even more than regular fried chicken because they don't have to navigate any bones. Plus, they can eat the chicken with their hands!
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for easy baked chicken tenders. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Italian-style breadcrumbs: to coat the chicken.
- Corn Flakes cereal crumbs: for extra flavor and a crispy exterior.
- Brown sugar: adds a subtle note of sweetness in the background, which is one of the secret ingredients in Chik-Fil-A's fried chicken.
- Kosher salt and pepper: to season the meat.
- Olive oil: added to the breadcrumb mixture, the oil helps the outside of the chicken turn especially golden brown and crispy in the oven.
- All-purpose flour: for dredging the chicken; helps the egg adhere to the meat.
- Eggs: coats the chicken and helps the breading adhere.
- Chicken tenderloins: the base of your chicken fingers!
How to Make Baked Chicken Tenders
Baked instead of fried, these homemade chicken tenders are crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and so incredibly flavorful! They have all of the texture and taste that you crave from classic fried chicken tenders -- but without an oily mess on the stovetop and without too much prep. The oven baked breaded chicken tenders are quick, easy, and incredibly family-friendly!
- Prepare breading mixture.
- Set up dredging station with flour, eggs and breading.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Dredge chicken in flour, dip in eggs, and coat with breading.
- Bake chicken tenders in a 375° F oven for about 14-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. The chicken should be crispy and golden brown on the outside, the juices should run clear, and the meat should reach an internal temperature of 165° F.
What to Serve with Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders
These oven baked chicken fingers pair perfectly with just about any of your favorite classic Southern sides. Here are a few easy recipes to round out the meal:
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, Aunt Bee's 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits or Drop Biscuits
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- Charleston Red Rice
- Baked Beans
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese or Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Skillet Cornbread, Honey Cornbread or Corn Muffins
- Southern Macaroni Salad, Classic Pasta Salad or Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
- Southern Collard Greens
- Baked Potato Wedges, Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives, Skin On Mashed Red Potatoes, or Easy Potato Salad
- Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, Southern-Style Green Beans or Roasted Green Beans
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Fried Apples
- Southern Succotash
- Creamed Peas
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Storage
You can prepare the breading mixture in advance, but I do not recommend breading the chicken until just before baking.
Leftover oven baked chicken tenders will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. This chicken is best when served immediately, however, since it does not stay as crispy once it's chilled.
To reheat leftover chicken fingers, preheat the oven to 400° F. Meanwhile, place the chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet and allow the chicken to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes (this ensures that it reheats evenly). Next, reheat the chicken until it feels hot and very crispy, about 5-10 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- If you don't have Italian-style breadcrumbs, you can use regular breadcrumbs. The Italian-style breadcrumbs include seasonings like oregano, basil and parsley, so you'll want to add some extra seasoning to your plain breadcrumbs to replace that missing flavor. Good options include seasoned salt, cayenne, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
- I love the combination of the breadcrumbs and Corn Flake crumbs, because the Corn Flakes add extra crunch and flavor that you can't get from the breadcrumbs alone. I prefer the finer texture of regular breadcrumbs to coat the chicken when paired with the crushed Cornflakes, but you can substitute with Panko breadcrumbs if that's all that you have.
- For a special touch, add a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to the breading mixture.
- Cooking just for two? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake just 1 lb. of chicken tenders. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
Tips for the Best Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe
- The Corn Flakes make these tenders extra crispy and flavorful, so don't try to substitute with additional breadcrumbs.
- The oil in the breading is a key to this extra crispy oven fried chicken recipe since the fat helps the breading turn brown and crunchy in the oven. Don't skip the oil, or the end result won't be nearly as good.
- I like to use chicken tenderloins because it cuts down on prep work. That said, you can certainly use regular boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut it into strips at home.
- Serve the homemade chicken fingers with ketchup, honey mustard, or Chik-Fil-A sauce for dipping!
More Oven Fried Chicken Recipes to Try
- Ranch Oven Fried Chicken
- Corn Flake Chicken
- Goldfish Chicken Nuggets
- Parmesan Ranch Chicken Tenders Recipe
Baked Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 cup Corn Flakes cereal crumbs (about 2 ½ cups measured before crushing)
- 1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning the chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 lbs. chicken breast tenderloins
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Pour crushed Corn Flakes, breadcrumbs, brown sugar and salt in a shallow dish.
- Drizzle the oil evenly over the crumb mixture and toss until oil is mixed throughout.
- Pour flour into a separate shallow dish.
- Place eggs in a third shallow dish.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Working with one tenderloin at a time, dredge chicken in flour and turn to coat. Shake off any excess flour. Then dip the chicken in the eggs, shaking off any excess egg before finally coating the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Arrange breaded chicken on prepared baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden brown, about 14-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. The chicken should be crispy and golden brown on the outside, the juices should run clear, and the meat should reach an internal temperature of 165° F.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is merely an estimate, assuming that all of the breading is used to coat the meat. If you have extra breading that you discard, the nutrition information will vary.
- The Corn Flakes make these tenders extra crispy and flavorful, so don't try to substitute with additional breadcrumbs.
- The oil in the breading is a key to this extra crispy oven fried chicken recipe since the fat helps the breading turn brown and crunchy in the oven. Don't skip the oil, or the end result won't be nearly as good.
- I like to use chicken tenderloins because it cuts down on prep work. That said, you can certainly use regular boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut it into strips at home.
- Serve the homemade chicken fingers with ketchup, honey mustard, or Chik-Fil-A sauce for dipping!
- If you don't have Italian-style breadcrumbs, you can use regular breadcrumbs. The Italian-style breadcrumbs include seasonings like oregano, basil and parsley, so you'll want to add some extra seasoning to your plain breadcrumbs to replace that missing flavor. Good options include seasoned salt, cayenne, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
- I love the combination of the breadcrumbs and Corn Flake crumbs, because the Corn Flakes add extra crunch and flavor that you can't get from the breadcrumbs alone. I prefer the finer texture of regular breadcrumbs to coat the chicken when paired with the crushed Cornflakes, but you can substitute with Panko breadcrumbs if that's all that you have.
- For a special touch, add a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to the breading mixture.
- Cooking just for two? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake just 1 lb. of chicken tenders. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
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