Baked Chicken Tenders

These Baked Chicken Tenders are tossed in a flavorful batter and coated in crispy, buttery panko breadcrumbs. They're juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and make a super easy dinner idea!

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 367kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or tenderloins
Salt/pepper to taste

Batter

1 egg whisked
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon EACH: salt, garlic powder, paprika

Breadcrumb Mixture

1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons butter melted
¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Slice each chicken breast into 3-4 strips lengthwise, each about 1 ¼ inches wide. Cover with saran wrap and gently pound with a meat tenderizer until just under ½-inch thick. Pat completely dry and season each side with salt/pepper.
Combine the batter ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate while you proceed with the following steps. (You can also cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.)
Combine the breadcrumbs and melted butter in a medium bowl. Transfer to a large, light-colored baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer back to the medium bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Set wire cooling racks over the same large baking sheet if possible, (helps with even cooking and crispy results).
Use kitchen tongs to transfer the chicken from the batter into the breadcrumbs. Use a spoon to generously coat each side of the chicken and transfer to the cooling rack/baking sheet. Repeat, leaving space in between each piece of chicken for crispy results.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce! (Like my honey mustard sauce!)

Notes

Pro Tips:

Feel free to use chicken tenderloin for this recipe, I typically have chicken breasts on hand that I just slice lengthwise, either way works!
Surprisingly, you can't taste the marinade on the chicken outright, it makes the tenders so much more flavorful, but not in an intense or potent way. Trust the process!
I use Frank's Hot Sauce for this recipe, there's only 1 tsp. and it won't make it spicy- this is very kid friendly!
Mayo or Greek Yogurt can be used instead of sour cream if needed. You can also skip the Parmesan but it does add a savory natural umami flavor.
Serve these with my Honey Mustard Sauce and try my homemade Chicken Nuggets, Fried Chicken Tenders, and Chinese-Style Fried Chicken Wings next!

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat at 375° F for 4-5 minutes
These don't freeze well unbaked. To freeze, bake them first and cool completely. Reheat from frozen at 375° for 12-15 minutes, until heated through.

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com - For pro tips, step-by-step photos, storage information, and to save it to your account, visit https://framework-keystone.live/baked-chicken-tenders/%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-67051":{"type":"food","name":"Baked Chicken Tenders","slug":"wprm-baked-chicken-tenders","image_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Baked-Chicken-Tenders-F.jpg","rating":{"count":3,"total":15,"average":5,"type":{"comment":3,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":1,"amount":"1","unit":"lb.","name":"boneless skinless chicken breast","notes":"or 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