Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders

These Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders will quickly become a favorite of both the adults and kids in your home. They are baked, freezer-friendly, and delicious with my Greek yogurt honey mustard dipping sauce!

Before we had kids, Brad and I used to go out to eat at a certain neighborhood restaurant once a week. It was a causal place, and they served foods like burgers, sandwiches, and salads. For my order, I would alternate between the cheeseburger and the chicken tenders. Their chicken tenders are the best I’ve had at any restaurant, and I’d ask for both bbq and honey mustard dipping sauces. I’m getting hungry just thinking about them now!

My eating habits have changed considerably since then, and while I do enjoy the occasional meal (and burger) at a restaurant, we mainly eat in these days. If I’ve got a craving for chicken tenders, I make a batch of my own. (Plus, I love that I hear squeals of happiness when I announce to my kids that it’s chicken tender night, as chicken nuggets are one of their favorites, too.)

My homemade Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders are baked, so they are considerably healthier than most restaurant versions. It’s just as easy to make a double batch, and I highly recommend that you do so. Save the extras in a zip-top freezer bag in your freezer (after baking), and you’ll have a meal ready when you find yourself in the middle of an extra busy day. I’ve included directions for baking from the freezer in the recipe below.

These days, I most enjoy honey mustard sauce for dipping. You’ll find my easy Greek yogurt honey mustard recipe below. For the kids, ketchup is always a favorite dip of choice. Enjoy!

5 from 1 reviews

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders

 

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These Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders will quickly become a favorite of both the adults and kids in your home. They are baked, freezer-friendly, and delicious with my Greek yogurt honey mustard dipping sauce!

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:

• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp. Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp. honey

For Chicken Tenders:

• ⅓ cup whole-wheat flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. paprika
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 ½ cups Panko crumbs
• 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ lbs. chicken tenders

Directions

1. To make the honey mustard sauce, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust to your preferences. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place an oven-safe wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. (Alternatively, the chicken tenders may be baked directly on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.)
3. To prepare the chicken tenders, you will need three shallow dishes, such as round glass pie dishes.
4. In the first dish, whisk together the whole-wheat flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.
5. In the second dish, use a fork to combine the eggs with the 1 tablespoon of water.
6. In the third dish, use a spoon or your fingers to mix the Panko and grated Parmesan together.
7. Set up an assembly line with the three dishes, so that you can dip each chicken tender first in the flour mixture, then in the egg, and then in the Panko-Parmesan mixture. Be sure to fully coat each piece of chicken with each of the three mixtures; then place on the prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake chicken tenders in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, until cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F. (Baking times may vary depending on your oven and the size of your chicken pieces. If you are doubling the recipe and baking more than one pan at a time, be sure to rotate the pans halfway through baking.)
9. Serve immediately, with honey mustard sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Freezer Instructions: Baked Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders keep well in the freezer. To freeze, follow all of the steps in the recipe, including baking until cooked through. Let the cooked chicken tenders cool and then freeze in a zip-top plastic bag. When ready to serve, bake directly from the freezer until hot, about 18 minutes at 350 degrees F.

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