Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders

garlic parmesan chicken tenders on small white plate on wooden board

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5 from 2 votes

These chicken tenders are baked until golden and crisp, then coated in the most irresistible garlic parmesan butter.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Starter

Cuisine: Western

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £2.50 / $3

Equipment

Large Baking Tray & Wire Rack
3 Large Shallow Dishes (for coating chicken)
Fine Cheese Grater (for parmesan)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Small Bowl & Brush (for butter)

Ingredients

Tenders

600g / 1.3lb Chicken Tenders (see notes)
75g / 1 1/4 cups Panko Breadcrumbs (see notes)
30g / 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
50g / 1/3 cup Plain Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp EACH: Salt, Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Black Pepper
Oil Spray, as needed

Butter

100g / 7 tbsp Butter, softened
20g / 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
1 tbsp very finely diced Fresh Parsley, plus more to serve
3 cloves of Garlic, very finely grated then mashed into a paste with the side of your knife (see notes)
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Lightly spray a large baking tray then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs. Give the tray a shake so they're evenly dispersed, then spray the top. Bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden (please be vigilant as they'll burn quickly). Remove from the oven and place in one of the shallow dishes. Raise the oven temp to 200C/400F.
In a small pot or bowl combine 1 tsp salt and paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp onion powder and black pepper.
Line up 3 large shallow dishes: the first with the flour and half of the seasoning mix, the second with 2 beaten eggs and the third with the breadcrumbs, parmesan and the rest of the seasoning. Place the baking tray at the end with an oiled wire rack on top.
Take a tender and coat it in the flour, then egg, then in the breadcrumbs and place on the wire rack. Make sure you thoroughly coat at each stage (especially the last). Repeat with all the tenders then spray them with oil. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and crisp and white/piping hot through the centre (smaller ones typically 15 minutes, very large ones more like 20 minutes - just be careful you don't overcook them).
Meanwhile, combine all of the garlic butter ingredients in a small bowl. You want the butter to be soft enough to brush, but not completely melted. A little creamy if you will. Pop in the microwave for 5 second blasts until you reach this consistency. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper (to taste).
Once the tenders are cooked, use a brush to dab the butter over the top side of all of the tenders. Serve with extra parmesan and parsley (measure with love). Enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Tenders - You'll find packs of chicken tenders in most supermarkets (sometimes called 'chicken breast mini fillets'. If you can't find any, just grab some chicken breast and slice it into strips (you'll probably get 12 or so strips from 600g/1.3lb breast).

b) Panko - These are Japanese breadcrumbs, which you'll find in most supermarkets. They're perfect because they're big and airy, meaning they crisp up really nicely. It's important to give them a pre-bake in the oven. This gives them a head start and results in them being perfectly crisp by the time the tenders are cooked.

c) Garlic - This must be fresh - don't use pre-diced pickled garlic. It'll throw off the flavour. If you don't have a microplane or fine grater, just dice it as finely as you can, then use the side of your knife to spread/mash it into a paste as best you can. This will help the garlic evenly distribute through the butter and ensure there are no big lumps. The garlic will very lightly 'cook' from the residual heat of the tenders, but 3 cloves will still result in the tenders being pretty garlicky. Even if you love lots of garlic, try 3 the first time around then increase next time if you want to.

d) Calories - Slight overestimate as not all the flour, egg and breadcrumbs are used.

Nutrition