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Here I’ll show you the secrets to getting extra crispy chicken tenders in the oven. Easy to make and bursting with flavour, these breaded chicken tenders are the ultimate finger food!

overhead shot of chicken tenders straight out the oven

Baked Chicken Tenders

There’s literally nothing more delicious than a darn good crispy goujon, slathered in your favourite dip. UGH. It actually wasn’t too long ago I uploaded my Fried Chicken Tenders. Understandably deep frying isn’t for everyone, so I thought I’d see if it was possible to get the same delicious flavour, the same crispy exterior AND the same juicy chicken, whilst baking in the oven.

Spoiler alert – the answer yes.

Before we get our hands dirty, just so we’re all on the same page:

What is a Chicken Tender – A chicken tender is actually the strip of meat directly under the breast meat. You know, the annoying bit when you’re trying to butterfly the breast. As the name suggests, it is ever so slightly more tender than the breast itself.

closeup on sliced chicken tender showing chicken inside

CRISPY Breaded Chicken Tenders

In contrast to fried chicken tenders, where you simply coat in flour, for oven baked chicken tenders you’ll want to coat them in breadcrumbs.

Breadcrumb Tip #1 – Make sure that you’re using Panko breadcrumbs. These are Japanese breadcrumbs, which are perfect for chicken tenders as the crumbs themselves are so large. Larger breadcrumbs = more crispiness! You’ll find Panko breadcrumbs in most supermarkets, most likely in the Asian section.
Breadcrumb Tip #2 – Toast your breadcrumbs before coating! As you bake the chicken tenders, they’ll release a small amount of moisture. If the breadcrumbs are too soft, they’ll simply absorb the moisture and come out slightly mushy, as opposed to crispy.

You can simply spray your breadcrumbs with oil and bake them, but I prefer to fry in butter. Simply melt butter into a pan over medium heat, stir in your breadcrumbs and fry until light golden. A ratio of 1 tbsp butter : 1 cup breadcrumbs works great. Although it’s tempting, any more butter and the crumbs become too oily/wet.

how to make buttered panko breadcrumbs - 3 step by step photos

Parmesan Chicken Tenders

The next secret to getting not only super flavoursome chicken tenders, but extra crispy chicken tenders, is using parmesan.

If you’re a regular reader of mine you’ll know I use parmesan in practically everything. Well, these are no exception. By mixing in parmesan with the breadcrumbs you not only inject a nice salty flavour, but the parmesan helps bind the breadcrumbs together. To coat the tenders you’ll need 3 bowls:

Bowl #1 – Flour + Half of Spice Mix
Bowl #2 – Egg + Milk
Bowl #3 – Toasted Breadcrumbs + Parmesan + Half of Spice Mix

How to bread chicken tenders (quick summary)

  1. Set up your bowls and bring chicken to room temp.
  2. Coat in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
  3. Place on a baking tray, preferably elevated on a wire rack if you have one.

how to bake chicken tenders in the oven - 3 step by step photos

From there it’s simply a case of baking until golden and crispy! I then like to rest the tenders on a cooling rack for a few mins just to let the final bit of steam escape. This will allow them to finish crisping up.

Do I have to use parmesan?

I’ve actually tested these with and without parmesan. The parmesan does add a nice salty flavour and also helps with the crispiness, however it’s not a deal breaker if you don’t have it.

What spices to use?

For me, this is the winning combo: paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt.

Can I use chicken breast instead of tenders?

You absolutely can! You’ll probably get around 5-6 ‘tenders’ from one breast.

chicken tenders fresh out the oven on cooling rack

And there we have it! Extra crispy chicken tenders are yours for the taking. Just to summarise:

Tips for Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

  • Use Panko breadcrumbs.
  • Toast the breadcrumbs before baking.
  • Use parmesan in the breadcrumbs.
  • Don’t cook the chicken straight out the fridge (cold chicken seizes up and releases excess moisture).
  • Use a wire rack for baking and for cooling.

If you love the sound of these crispy baked chicken tenders, I know you’ll LOVE my crispy baked jalapeno poppers, crispy baked fries and crispy baked avocado fries. And what’s a tender without a dip?!

Dipping Sauces for Chicken Tenders

Lastly, be sure to check out the nugget version of these beauties! Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets.

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we?!

dunking chicken strip into dip

How to make Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders (Full Recipe & Video)

overhead shot of chicken tenders straight out the oven
4.97 from 31 votes

EXTRA Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

By: Chris Collins
Here I'll show you the secrets to getting extra crispy chicken tenders in the oven. Easy to make and bursting with flavour, these breaded chicken tenders are the ultimate finger food! Makes approx 16 tenders (depending on size) so serving is approx 4 people.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 16 tenders
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Equipment

  • Large Baking Tray + Wire Rack (optional)
  • Cooling Rack
  • 3 Large Bowls
  • Small Bowl (for spice mix)
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
  • Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon

Ingredients 

  • 1.3lb / 600g Chicken Tenders OR Chicken Breast, sliced into strips & at room temp (see notes)
  • 1/3 cup / 50g Flour
  • 1 1/4 cups / 75g Panko Breadcrumbs (see notes)
  • 1 heaped tbsp Butter
  • 1oz / 30g freshly grated Parmesan (see notes)
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • 2 tbsp Milk
  • 1 tsp each: Paprika, Salt
  • 1/4 tsp each: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper, or to taste
  • Oil Spray

Instructions 

  • Melt 1 heaped tbsp butter into a frying pan over medium heat and stir in 1.25cups/75g Panko breadcrumbs. Continue frying for 5 or so mins until the breadcrumbs turn light golden. Remove from heat.
  • Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
  • In a small bowl combine 1 tsp paprika and salt, 1/4 tsp onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste).
  • Line up 3 large bowls. In the first bowl combine 1/3cup/50g flour with 1 tsp of your spice mix. In the second combine 1 beaten egg with 2 tbsp milk. In the third combine breadcrumbs with 1oz/30g parmesan and the rest of your spice mix.
  • One by one dip your tenders first into the flour, then into the egg and finally into the breadcrumbs, ensuring you fully coat at each stage (especially the last).
  • Space out (important so they don't turn mushy) on a baking tray (preferably elevated on a wire rack if you have one), spray with oil then pop in the oven for 15-20mins or until golden, crispy and piping hot through the centre. If at all you notice them starting to char at all, turn down the heat.
  • Place on a cooling rack for a few mins to allow all the steam to escape and crisp up. Serve with your favourite dip!

Video

Notes

a) Chicken Tenders - A chicken tender is actually that strip of meat located underneath the breast. I find them to be ever-so-slightly more tender than the breast itself, so if you can get a pack of pre sliced chicken tenders go for that. However, sliced chicken breast works perfectly. One breast should get around 5-6 'tenders'.
b) Panko Breadcrumbs - These are Japanese style breadcrumbs and work perfectly as they're nice and chunky (i.e extra crispiness). You'll find them in most supermarkets/grocery stores, most likely in the Asian section.
c) Parmesan - I've actually tested these tenders with and without parmesan. I find the parmesan does add extra flavour and a little extra crispiness, but if you don't have it it's not a deal breaker. They come out great without it too.
d) Dips - I served these with Sweet Chilli Mayo, but do check out my other Delicious Dips for more inspo!
e) Calories - Assuming parmesan is used and the whole recipe is shared between 4 without a dip.

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Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.21g | Protein: 41.21g | Fat: 11.21g | Saturated Fat: 4.038g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.418g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.414g | Trans Fat: 0.084g | Cholesterol: 275mg | Sodium: 914mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1.72g | Vitamin A: 603IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

For more similar recipes check out these beauties:

Chicken Tender Recipes

Chris Collins, food blogger at Don't Go Bacon My Heart in white jumper eating a slice of garlic flatbread
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Recipe Rating




79 Comments

  1. Lori says:

    Wow! I’ve been making oven chicken tenders for years but been was feeling they were underwhelming. The browned pankos are the magic ingredient. Thank you so much

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      So pleased to hear, Lori! 🙂 C.

      Reply
  2. Nicole Da Silva says:

    5 stars
    I made t his recipe ahead for a large yankee swap family buffet. I followed all these steps except I froze the tenders after breading and they turned out awesome on the day.

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      So pleased to hear they went down well, Nicole! Thanks for the review 🙂 C.

      Reply
  3. Jen Worthington says:

    5 stars
    I make this a couple times a month! And I use the panko coating on pork loin chops in the oven too.

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      So pleased you enjoy the recipe Jen 🙂 C.

      Reply
  4. Nicolee says:

    5 stars
    I made these yesterday and they were so good!! I didn’t have any parmesan but next time I will make sure I have some. I can’t wait to make them again with the cheese. So much better than frying. I have a couple more if your recipes I want to make and will leave a comment for those too.

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      Thanks so much for the review, Nicole! 🙂 C.

      Reply
      1. Sandra says:

        5 stars
        This recipe was soo good! My daughter even put some aside for herself tomorrow before they’re all gone today LOL!

      2. Chris Collins says:

        So pleased to hear, Sandra! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C.

  5. Carey says:

    5 stars
    Delicious. I’ve made this recipe several times now. I’ve used Italian seasoned panko as well as that’s what I had in the pantry. I had leftovers from last nights meal so I popped them in the oven with some marinara and mozzarella and they turned out great. I chop up leftovers and use in salads as well. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Sincerely, busy mom on the go.

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      So pleased to hear, Carey!! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C.

      Reply
  6. Kait says:

    5 stars
    This is my FAVORITE recipe to make/eat. It tastes DELICIOUS with boom boom sauce. My family really enjoys the dish too. Thank you so much… 🙂

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      So great to hear, Kait! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C.

      Reply
  7. Palyn says:

    5 stars
    These is hands-down the best crispy baked chicken tender recipe on the web – no competition! I’ve followed many recipes for baked chicken tenders using panko from various food blogs and none of them were ever this good and tasty. Most were bland and just lacking flavor. Chris’ technique of toasting the panko is a game changer. My family loves, loves this recipe. I only discovered Chris’ blog about two months ago and I have made the tenders at least once a week since then. I didn’t have the parm the first go around but we love them so much without the parm, so I stick to not adding it. I make homemade honey mustard & Raising Cane’s dipping sauce (copycat recipe) and my family can’t get enough!

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Palyn! And thank you for the review 🙂 C.

      Reply
      1. Palyn says:

        5 stars
        Hey Chris! – I just wanted to let you know I was staring at a boring can of Salmon the other day and wondering how I could make something different other than the same old dill + bay seasoning cakes…and then it hit me! I toasted the panko in butter and used your spice blend from the Extra Crispy Tender recipe (added two eggs, ramped up the Cayenne pepper a little bit and added nothing else). The flavor was amazing and my family couldn’t stop raving about the “awesome” salmon cakes. I’ll never make salmon cakes any other way – thank you!

      2. Chris Collins says:

        This is such an awesome idea! With have to give it a go myself 🙂 C.