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These Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders are the ultimate parent-approved, kid-friendly recipe! They are made with simple ingredients, come together quickly, and bake up golden and crunchy without the mess (or grease) of frying.
My mom's homemade chicken tenders were one of the few dinners she could count on to please all four picky kids (Amish Chicken and Pizza Meatloaf were two more). Years later, I'm making that same recipe for my own picky crew and it still delivers every time.
Kristen's Keys for Homemade Chicken Tenders
This chicken tender recipe has stood the test of the time because the breading is well-seasoned and perfectly crispy, the chicken stays juicy, and the prep (and ingredients) are simple.
- Use panko for the crunch. Panko breadcrumbs are lighter and flakier than traditional breadcrumbs, which means they crisp up better in the oven. That's how you get that golden, crunchy coating without frying.
- Season every layer. It may feel like overkill, but seasoning the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs ensures every bite has flavor. Otherwise, the coating can taste a little flat. And rather than using plain salt, I recommend seasoned salt for a bit more depth.
- Save money by preparing your own chicken tenders. Rather than purchasing chicken tenders, slice chicken breasts into 1-inch thick strips.
- Use a rack if you have one. Baking the breaded chicken tenders on a rack allows air to circulate underneath, which helps the breading crisp evenly without needing to flip.
5-star Reader Review
Tuesdays are usually chicken for dinner days and I made these for my kids tonight and it was a HIT! Thank you for the delicious recipe and for making my kids bellies happy😇 - Vanessa
How to Make Baked Chicken Tenders
Trim the chicken, coat in breading, and bake until crispy. And watch your family (picky eaters included) devour dinner.
Step One: Set Up Breading Station
Before handling the raw chicken, prepare the breading station by setting out three shallow dishes. Add the following to each dish:
- Flour + Seasoned Salt
- Eggs + Water + Seasoned Salt
- Panko Bread Crumbs + Seasoned Salt
Step Two: Prepare Chicken Tenders
If using chicken tenders, remove the small white tendon, as it can turn tough and chewy when cooked.
If using chicken breasts, slice into even strips. Uniform size matters here so everything cooks evenly.
Step Three: Bread Chicken Tenders
Working one at a time, bread the chicken by coating flour, then eggs, then finally the panko. Use your hands to press the breadcrumbs gently onto the chicken to helps the breading stick.
Step Four: Bake Chicken Tenders
Place the breaded tenders on a lightly greased baking rack over a rimmed sheet pan. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray (I like avocado oil). This will help the breading to become golden brown and crispy.
Serving Suggestions
These chicken tenders check ALL the boxes. Wholesome ingredients, reliable results, and a dinner everyone will eat without a second thought. And on a busy night, that's about as good as it gets. Serve them straight from the pan or dress them up to for the parents. You really can't go wrong!
- With a Sauce. Everyone loves to dip chicken strips into a sauce. Homemade ranch, BBQ sauce, bang bang sauce, honey mustard, or sweet chili sauce are all great options.
- The Ultimate Family-Friendly Dinner: Pair with a side of crispy baked fries or air fryer fries and a simple fruit salad.
- Add to a Salad: Turn a side salad into an entree, by topping a BLT salad, Caesar salad, Greek salad, or tossed Italian salad with diced crispy chicken tenders. Go the extra mile and add some of those fries to the salad as well. So good!
- Make Crispy Chicken Tacos: Place one crispy chicken tender on a warmed tortilla and top with your favorite toppings.
- Make a Sandwich. Serve the crispy chicken tenders on a buttermilk biscuit or bun topped with creamy coleslaw or honey for one satisfying chicken sandwich.
Recipe Modifications
- Boost the Nutrition: Swap the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and use whole wheat panko bread crumbs.
- Gluten-Free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free 1:1 flour blend and gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
- Egg-Free: If you happen to have an egg allergy, use something moist like buttermilk, plain Greek yogurt, or mustard in place of the eggs.
- Air-Fryer Option: Use my recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
- Use Less Breading: Some readers have mentioned that they have excess breading leftover after breading the chicken tenders. You can reduce the amounts slightly, but it is much easier to have excess than run out midway through the process.
How to Store Chicken Tenders
Keep in mind that baked chicken tenders freeze and reheat beautifully. So go ahead and make extra batches to save for busy weeknights.😉
- Refrigerate: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat at 400°F for 5-6 minutes (or longer if frozen) to bring back that crisp texture.
- Freeze: Bake as directed, let cool, then flash freeze on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 400°F for 18-22 minutes.
More Kid-Friendly Dinner Recipes
You can browse all of my kid-friendly recipes here, or pick from some favorites below.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch thick strips
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, for seasoning flour
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, for seasoning eggs
- 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, for seasoning breading
- cooking spray, I recommend olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉ (215℃). Place an oven-safe baking rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Prepare the Chicken Tenders. Trim off all fat and tendons (white stringy or hard pieces) from the chicken tenderloins. If using boneless skinless chicken breasts, trim any fat from the breasts and then cut them into 1-inch wide strips.
- Prepare the breading station. Whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt in one shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, whisk 3 large eggs with ¼ cup water and ½ teaspoon seasoned salt. In a final shallow dish, combine 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt.
- Bread the Chicken Tenders. Dip each chicken strip into the flour, tossing to coat. Shake off excess flour and then dip into the egg wash. Remove from the egg wash, shaking off excess and place the chicken tender into the panko mixture. Use your hands to ensure the panko coats the chicken strips evenly. Place each breaded chicken strip onto the prepared baking rack and repeat the process.
- Bake Chicken Strips. Lightly spray the surface of the breaded chicken tenders with additional cooking spray to achieve a golden exterior. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (74℃). There is no need to flip during the baking process if using a baking rack, as the air will circulate around the chicken, evenly crisping it up.
- Serve. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or straight off the pan.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet with Rack one of my most used kitchen tools!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in August 2017 but has since been updated in 2026.
I was so tired of how my chicken tenders always seemed soggy and gross and really hate going to the drive thru for greasy chicken tenders. Man oh man this recipe is a game changer! My entire family LOVED these and so did our friends. The leftover were chopped up and used on homemade chicken parm pizza the next day and it was sooo good! Thank you for this recipe and the tips on the panko crumbs and rack for cooking. Now we have another dish to add to our regular rotation.
I love hearing how much you enjoyed this recipe Anna! So glad you had success with these tips and I love the sound of the chicken parm pizza. YUM
I marinated the chicken in buttermilk and then just breaded them baked them on a silpat hopefully will be good.👍
This is a simple and tasty favorite. Please emphasize it is important to trim away the tendon. It is a picky process but your family will appreciate the effort. Nothing worse than biting into and removing the tendon.
If you love to experiment with sauces, these are wonderful with a wide range possibilities.
I am glad you enjoyed these! And yes, very important to trim away the tendon.
I must be doing something wrong, or my oven needs checked. Mine has been in for 25 minutes and they are not done. And they are small tenders.
Hi Abbe. It may be your oven. At 425 degrees Fahrenheit, chicken tenders should cook within 15 minutes at the most.
I was SO hopeful about how these would turn out but was hugely disappointed! I gave 2 stars for the "breading station" which was great, as well as how crunchy and crispy they turned out but even with the "DIY Seasoned Salt" in both the flour and egg mix, these tenders had ZERO flavor! Not even ketchup or sweet chili sauce could have saved these! 🙁
I hate that you did not enjoy these! They have never had anything but rave reviews before. My guess is that you may not have shook off enough excess flour--and if there was a thick layer of flour, these would not taste very good.
This recipe was AWESOME! However, I needed to bake my tenders way more than 13 min. Perhaps my pieces were too big. (This was my first time making tenders.) My husband loved them. I made some country gravy for dipping, and some zesty-like sauce. Partay! Are all of your recipes this incredible? Way to go!
Hi Valerie! I am so glad you enjoyed. And yes, it may have been the sizes of your chicken tenders that caused the increase for cook time. Anyways, I do hope you find many more recipes here to enjoy!
thank you so much for all of your amazing recipes !!!
Awe, thank YOU for taking the time to thank me Diena!
My recipe tweak was cutting the boneless chicken thighs into nugget size pieces. We were out of Panko, so I used plain breadcrumbs, mixed with cornmeal--3/4 crumbs, 1/4 cornmeal. These came out crispy, with the last 5 minutes of cook time (20 min total) on Speed Bake--the convection oven option on our range. Delicious--we don't buy processed meat, and a bit of extra work is worth it. Kids will love these.
I am so glad you enjoyed this Marilyn! Great tweaks!