Homemade Chicken Tenders are an easy recipe for homemade baked chicken tenders with a crunch panko breading. This easy chicken tender recipe bakes up crispy and delights the entire family in less than 30 minutes!
Serve these Chicken Tenders with Baked Fries and a Carrot Raisin Salad for a kid friendly meal that is healthy and satisfying.
Homemade Chicken Tenders
My mom made homemade chicken tenders quite frequently for my family while we were growing up. And they were a family favorite–one of the few meals that pleased all four of her picky kids.
Fast forward 30 some years, and I am making Chicken Tenders for my own two picky kids–and they, like their mom, love this simple meal.
However, I do have a secret that makes my chicken tenders so much better than my mom’s version: Panko bread crumbs.
Panko bread crumbs are a variety of bread crumbs that is typically used in Japanese cooking and they are known to be super light and crisp up beautifully when baked or fried.
Panko gives these chicken strips a crunchy coating that is reminiscent of a deep-fried restaurant chicken tender, just these happen to be oven baked (so much healthier and in my book tastier without all that grease!)
How To Make Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
Not only is using panko for my breading for these homemade chicken tenders a very important tip to creating crispy baked chicken strips, but I have a few other tips that are sure to make THE BEST HOMEMADE CHICKEN TENDERS ever!
Steps One: Prepare Your Breading Station
I use a 3 step breading process and this is another key to crispy oven baked chicken tenders.
Shallow pie pans work best for the breading station and I fill the 3 pans with the following:
- Flour Seasoned with Homemade Seasoned Salt
- Eggs Seasoned with Homemade Seasoned Salt
- Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs
The flour helps the egg wash stick to the chicken strips and the egg wash helps the panko stick to the chicken, so each of the these 3 steps is crucial for Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders.
It is also important to season both the flour and the egg wash as this will help you have very flavorful chicken strips.
Step Two: Prepare your Chicken Strips
You have two choices when it comes to selecting chicken for breaded chicken strips.
- Purchase Chicken Tenders
- Cut Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts into 1 inch thick strips lengthwise–which typically will save your money in the long run.
Regardless of which chicken you decide to use, be sure to cut off any fat or tendons–that is not pleasant to bite into!
Step Three: Bread your Chicken Strips
For breaded chicken strips, follow the following steps:
- Place chicken strip in flour mixture and coat. Shake off any excess flour.
- Place floured chicken strip into egg wash and coat both sides. Shake off excess egg wash.
- Place chicken into panko bread crumbs and coat evenly, using your hands to help breadcrumbs to adhere to chicken strip.
Step Four: Bake Your Chicken Strips
Once your chicken is breaded place on prepared baking sheet and bake until browned and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
How to Bake Chicken Strips so they are Crunchy
If you want your oven baked chicken strips to be incredibly crunchy, on all sides, it all comes down to HOW you bake your chicken tenders.
- Place an a rimmed baking sheet lined with an oven safe cooling rack.
- Lightly grease the cooling rack.
- Place breaded chicken strips on cooling rack.
- Bake at high temperature.
By placing the breaded chicken tenders on a cooling rack to bake, air circulates evenly around the chicken, allowing the breading to get crispy on all sides without flipping.
What is the best way to serve these Chicken Tenders?
My kids prefer homemade chicken tenders with ketchup. I prefer mine with Sweet Chili Sauce. My husband prefers his chicken strips with Homemade Ranch or BBQ.
Whether you want to serve these chicken tenders with a dip, cut up on a salad, or even on a bun for a crispy chicken sandwich, I guarantee your family is going to love Homemade Chicken Tenders!
How to Freeze Homemade Chicken Tenders
If you happen to have leftover chicken strips, you can freeze them in a freezer bag for future use.
To freeze chicken strips
- Place cooled chicken strips on oven sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.
- Place in freezer until frozen solid.
- Transfer to freezer safe bag.
To reheat chicken strips
- Remove chicken strips from freezer.
- Place on baking rack over rimmed cookie sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until warmed through.
More Kid Friendly Meals
- Healthy Homemade Hamburger Helper
- 6 Pita Bread Pizza Recipes
- Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
- Baked Ravioli Lasagna
Homemade Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt divided
- 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place an oven safe cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly spray with non-stick spray.
Prepare Breading Station
- Place flour and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt in one shallow dish and mix well.
- Whisk eggs and water together with the remaining teaspoon of salt in a second shallow dish.
- Place panko bread crumbs in third shallow dish.
Bread Chicken Tenders
- Dip chicken into flour, tossing to coat. Shake off excess. Dip into egg wash, and then finally into panko breadcrumbs, using your hands to help panko coat chicken strips.
- Place breaded chicken tenders on prepared baking sheet.
Bake Chicken Tenders.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Notes
- It is much cheaper to purchase boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of and cut into 1 inch strips then to purchase chicken tenders.
- Be sure to clean off all fat and tendons from chicken strips.
- I use whole wheat panko for the breading on these chicken tenders, but you can certainly use regular panko.
- I don't recommend regular bread crumbs for the breading on chicken tenders, as they will not yield a crispy oven baked chicken strip.
- I find love to use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour for the breading station, but any type of wheat flour will do.
- If you happen to have an Egg Allergy, dip your chicken strips into flour first, then something moist, like mustard, and finally panko.
This post was originally published in August 2017, but has since been updated in January 2020 with a video and new tips. The recipe remains the same.
Kristen Chidsey
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These were SO good! My teenage boys loved them!
I used them the second night to make barbecue pizza-cut up the chicken tenders and added red onion and cheddar cheese.
These are fantastic! I breaded these in French’s Crispy Fried Onions. What a difference. So good!!
What a great idea Tracy to change up the flavor! So glad you enjoyed!
Made them tonight. Very good. Husband loves chicken tenders and with this recipe, it is now one of my favorites.
I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed! And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
These turned out great. I didn’t have the Panko crumbs as I thought in my pantry so I used a bag of stuffing which we pounded into crumbs. That worked great and my daughter said it Gave the chicken a “Thanksgiving Flair”!
Oh I LOVE how you improvised Debbie! Thanks for sharing!
This one’s a keeper! Hubby polished his off with great enthusiasm! I’m a reluctant cook, so if someone else had made them, I would have voted 5 or more stars. The breading process is one of my least favorite things to do, but gosh darn these were good! For these, I will actually do the 3 step breading – it was SO worth it! Thanks for sharing a very straightforward and satisfying recipe!
I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed Jane!
Best recipe ever.
Ah, thanks so much Alice!
Wonderful recipe. I did not have the panko bread crumbs, so i was skeptical and almost done a recipe, that called for frying in oil, but it worked just plain Italian bread crumbs worked. amazing recipe thank you
I am so glad you persevered with what you had on hand and you still enjoyed Sandy! Thanks for taking the time to let us know your results with substitutions.
This was the best chicken I’ve ever made! I will use this recipe again and again!
That makes me so happy you enjoyed so much! I hope it remains a favorite!
Instead of egg are used gluten-free rice flour, mayonnaise, and gluten-free Panko. Kept the same temperature and length of time and it was yummy.
I love those modifications! I use gluten-free Panko myself at times and it works wonders. And my mom always used mayo to dip chicken nuggets in too 😉
These were delicious!! 🤤
Is it possible to do these for a meal prep? Any idea how long they’ll last in the fridge?
Hi Ashley! I love to make a big batch of homemade chicken tenders. I will bake and keep in fridge 3-4 days. And then broil before serving (to keep crunchy) But if you freeze after they have cooled completely on a baking sheet until frozen solid then pop in a freezer bag–they will last 3 months! Just bake at 300 for 10-12 minutes from frozen. Enjoy!
Can I use butter/margarine vs eggs???
Hi Cathy! Melted butter will help to hold the bread crumbs for sure, especially if you dip in flour first. Enjoy!
I do flour, butter, bread crumbs
PERFECT!!!!!
Made these for dinner tonight. Easy and they were quite good. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so glad your family enjoyed Amy!