Crispy, juicy, and tremendous flavorful, this home made Hen Tenders Recipe leaves quick meals hen tenders within the mud! Better of all, you don’t even have to fry them—simply pop them within the oven for a straightforward 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), nevertheless 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 good grownup, I make this hen tenders recipe at dwelling—and as an alternative of straight-up honey, I whip up a creamy honey mustard dipping sauce.
- Wholesome. Not like heavy drive-through fare, home made hen tenders are wholesome and one thing you may really feel good having fun with frequently (like these and !).
- Freezer-Pleasant. Make a giant batch in bulk, then pop them into the oven straight from frozen. Who wants the sort within the field?!
5 Star Assessment
“I made these for in all probability the tenth time final night time. Household favourite.”
— Elizabeth —
About This Do-it-yourself Hen Tenders Recipe
Right now’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 overwhelmed into the egg that you just’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 !
After you make this baked hen tenders recipe, you’ll by no means need to eat quick meals nuggets ever once more.
The right way to Make Hen Tenders
Fortunate for me (and also you), making your personal baked hen tenders from scratch is fast and straightforward.
The Components
For the Hen Tenders:
- Kosher Salt. Kosher salt crystals are bigger than desk salt, so for those who substitute desk salt, you’ll want to make use of about 1/4 much less.
- Smoked Paprika. Smoked paprika is a type of magical components that belongs in each kitchen pantry. You should utilize common candy paprika, nevertheless 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 flowery spreadable stuff.
- Low-Fats Buttermilk. For the marinade of our goals.
- Hen Tenderloins or Boneless Skinless Hen Breasts. Should you use hen breasts, lower them into 3/4-inch strips.
- Complete Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs. Common Panko is ok too for those who can’t discover entire wheat.
- Additional-Virgin Olive Oil. For our breading.
- Egg Whites. Or just use one massive 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”. This may assist the breadcrumbs stick.
- Get Prepared for Dredging. This course of is simpler if all the things 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 for those who’d like. (Skip the mustard within the egg whites right here, too.)
- Spicy Hen Tenders. As a substitute of mustard, whisk your favourite sizzling sauce into the egg white combination, then add cayenne pepper to the breading. Pair your fiery hen tenders with cool ranch dressing.
- . Excellent for pairing with sweet-and-sour sauce!
Storage Suggestions
- 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 gained’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
- . Whereas you need to use your palms (or a single hand, as described beneath) for this hen tenders recipe, tongs will preserve your fingers from getting coated in panko.
- . This ingenious little set has linked shallow dishes to reduce the mess whenever you’re breading hen and veggies.
- . For crispy hen tenders within the oven, a wire rack is vital. Like an air fryer basket, it permits the recent 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
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, plus further 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 out to be 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 prime 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 just a few 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. Along 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 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 further honey as desired. Serve hen sizzling 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 instead of Panko, however the hen tenders is not going to be as crispy.
- Dietary info for this recipe is a tough estimate, as a result of a lot of the marinade is discarded. Use this info 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 gained’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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Steadily 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 lower of hen known as the tenderloin or interior filet.
There are just a few suggestions 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, you should definitely totally 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 not less than 15 to twenty minutes. The precise cooking time will rely upon the scale and thickness of the items, however a great way to test 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 constituted of the tenderloin, which is a small strip of muscle situated on both aspect of the breastbone.
The most effective methods to maintain hen moist and juicy is by utilizing a marinade; this hen tenders recipe makes use of a easy buttermilk marinade for excellent, succulent hen. It’s additionally necessary to not overcook your hen—test for doneness after quarter-hour or test the interior temperature of the hen and take away it from the oven when it reaches 165 levels F.
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