Crispy, juicy, and tremendous flavorful, this do-it-yourself Hen Tenders Recipe leaves quick meals hen 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. Children LOVE this recipe (my 4 nieces can attest, they eat them each week), however it’s healthful and elevated sufficient to be loved by adults.
- Nostalgic. After I was a child, my default quick meals order was hen tenders with honey for dipping. Now that I’m a decent grownup, I make this hen tenders recipe at residence—and as an alternative of straight-up honey, I whip up a creamy honey mustard dipping sauce.
- Wholesome. In contrast to heavy drive-through fare, do-it-yourself hen tenders are wholesome and one thing you possibly can really feel good having fun with regularly (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 type within the field?!
5 Star Evaluation
“I made these for in all probability the tenth time final evening. Household favourite.”
— Elizabeth —
About This Selfmade Hen Tenders Recipe
Right this moment’s baked hen tenders recipe combines delightfully crispy hen with a honey mustard sauce that’s creamy, tangy, and juuuust candy sufficient to make issues attention-grabbing.
Don’t be mistaken, although—there’s extra to those hen tenders than that crispy baked coating. There’s additionally a candy and tangy buttermilk honey marinade, together with mustard crushed into the egg that you simply’ll use for dredging.
The marinade locks within the moisture and provides the hen 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 hen tenders recipe, you’ll by no means need to eat quick meals nuggets ever once more.
The way to Make Hen Tenders
Fortunate for me (and also you), making your individual baked hen tenders from scratch is fast and straightforward.
The Substances
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 kind of magical components that belongs in each kitchen pantry. You need to use common candy paprika, however 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 type of honey, not the flamboyant spreadable stuff.
- Low-Fats Buttermilk. For the marinade of our desires.
- Hen Tenderloins or Boneless Skinless Hen Breasts. Should you use hen breasts, minimize 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.
- Additional-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 hen 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 little thing is in a line.
- Dredge. Dip every hen tender into the egg combination, adopted by the breadcrumbs, then place the hen tender on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.
- Bake. 350 levels F for 15 to twenty minutes, or till the hen tenders golden brown and the juices run clear.
- Make the Dipping Sauce. Serve the baked hen 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 an alternative. 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 an alternative of paprika. You too can 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 scorching sauce into the egg white combination, then add cayenne pepper to the breading. Pair your fiery hen tenders with cool ranch dressing.
- Crispy Asian Hen Tenders. Good for pairing with sweet-and-sour sauce!
Storage Ideas
- To Retailer. Refrigerate baked hen 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 need to use the microwave, however the exterior received’t be as crispy.
- To Freeze. Prepare the hen 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 immediately from frozen.
What to Serve With This Hen Tenders Recipe
- Tongs. Whereas you need to use your arms (or a single hand, as described beneath) for this hen tenders recipe, tongs will preserve your fingers from getting coated in panko.
- Stainless Metal Breading Set. This ingenious little set has linked shallow dishes to reduce the mess while you’re breading hen and veggies.
- Wire Baking Rack. For crispy hen tenders within the oven, a wire rack is vital. Like an air fryer basket, it permits the new 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 nicely mixed. Add the hen tenders, toss to coat, then let stand at room temperature for half-hour. (Don’t enable to sit down longer, or the hen will turn into too salty.)
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In a big, shallow dish (a 9×13-inch pan works nicely), 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 high 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 hen at a time, along with your left hand, take away the hen from the marinade and shake off any extra (that is the “moist” hand). Nonetheless along with your left hand, dip the hen into egg combination, turning to coat all sides, then place in breadcrumb combination. Together with your proper hand (the “dry” hand), pat the hen on all sides with the breadcrumbs, urgent them on flippantly in order that the hen is nicely coated. Nonetheless along with your dry hand, place the hen on the baking sheet, leaving a bit of house between every. Repeat for remaining tenders.
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Bake the hen till golden brown and the juices run clear, 15-20 minutes.
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Whereas the hen bakes, stir the dip components collectively in a small bowl: Greek yogurt, Dijon, honey, and salt. Style and add extra honey as desired. Serve hen scorching 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 too can use common, unseasoned breadcrumbs rather than Panko, however the hen 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 too can calculate it your self and tweak ingredient quantities at myfitnesspal.com
- TO STORE: Refrigerate baked hen 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 need to use the microwave, however the exterior received’t be as crispy.
- TO FREEZE: Prepare the hen 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 immediately from frozen.
Serving: 3hen strips with 3 tablespoons sauceEnergy: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 46gFats: 1gSaturated Fats: 2gLdl cholesterol: 107mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6g
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Often Requested Questions
Hen strips and hen tenders—to not point out hen fingers—are phrases which are typically used interchangeably, however they’re not fairly the identical. Hen strips and fingers are made by slicing hen breasts into strips; hen tenders are an precise minimize of hen referred to as the tenderloin or inside filet.
There are a couple of ideas for ensuring the breading sticks to hen tenders. First, shake off the surplus marinade; let the surplus egg drip off too, then press the hen 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 hen usually tend to come off on my fingers if I have already got a layer of breadcrumbs and egg on them.
Lastly, make sure to completely coat the wire rack with cooking spray to maintain the breadcrumbs from sticking to the rack and pulling off when the hen is completed baking.
For finest outcomes, hen tenders must be cooked for a minimum of 15 to twenty minutes. The precise cooking time will rely upon the scale and thickness of the items, however a great way to verify if the tenders are cooked is to pierce them with a fork or knife—if the juices run clear, then they’re prepared.
Sure, hen tenders are actual hen. They’re constructed from the tenderloin, which is a small strip of muscle situated on both facet of the breastbone.
Among the best methods to maintain hen moist and juicy is by utilizing a marinade; this hen tenders recipe makes use of a easy buttermilk marinade for good, succulent hen. It’s additionally vital to not overcook your hen—verify for doneness after quarter-hour or verify the inner temperature of the hen and take away it from the oven when it reaches 165 levels F.
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