This collection of recipes with chicken tenders presents some delicious yet practical recipe ideas to try out at home using the much-loved chicken fillets. The recipes utilize a variety of cooking methods which include baking and grilling. Some of the recipe ideas are suitable for special occasions such as parties, yet others will be most appropriate for weeknight meals requiring minimum effort.
Table of Contents
Suggested Chicken Kitchen Equipment
Chicken in all its dimensions is a wonderful, easily accessible, and very tasty white meat ingredient. It matters how the meat is prepared not only in the case of chicken tenders but also in general terms. The following is our recommended list of kitchen tools and equipment that enhances chicken preparation in the home kitchen. Some of the equipment is also a requirement or necessary when preparing many of the chicken tender recipes in this collection.
- Deep fryer
- Air fryer
- Skillet
- Electric skillet
- Chicken Baking Sheet
- Chicken Shredder
- Chicken Knife
- Non-stick pan
- Instant Read Food Thermometer
- Marinating Container
- Marinating Bag
Chicken Tenders Recipes
1. Easy Chicken Tenders Lettuce Wraps Recipe
- Cooks In: 21 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Frying
- Calories: 428 per serving
First on our collection of recipes with chicken tenders are these easy-to-make Thai chicken tenders lettuce wraps. This recipe produces a scrumptious light keto-friendly meal that can be served for lunch or dinner. The wraps can also be served as appetizers before the main meal.
The most suitable lettuce to use for the wraps is butter lettuce which has leaves that form a cup that can be packed with the chicken tenders filling. Also in the recipe are cucumbers which will be part of the filling. Use bitterless cucumbers such as English or Persian cucumbers.
Other ingredients that go into this recipe are shiitake mushrooms, carrots, cilantro, almonds, and ginger. Any leftover wraps with filling can be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days. However, the filling itself without the lettuce leaves can be stored longer for up to 5 days.
2. Lemon Butter Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Cooks In: 15 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Frying
- Calories: 320 per serving
This recipe delivers a very tasty dish that draws its flavor from the lemon, garlic, parsley, paprika, and other seasonings that are part of the recipe. The dish is made in a single skillet. Other ingredients going into the recipe include olive oil, unsalted butter, and all-purpose flour.
The final product does not disappoint and is delectable for all ages. Serve the final dish with roasted vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, butternut, peppers, and so on. You could also pair the chicken tenders with roasted potatoes or bread for a simple but filling weeknight meal.
To check if the chicken is done, use an instant-read food thermometer (example). The lemon juice is poured and minced parsley is sprinkled over the meat just before serving.
3. Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Cooks In: 40 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Frying, Deep Frying
- Calories: 925 per serving
If you prefer something that looks as coated and tasty as McDonald’s you have a winner with a twist in this recipe. There is certainly a wide range of recipes with chicken tenders that coat and deep fry. The difference with this recipe is that the tenders are coated in a blend of buttermilk, and spices such as cayenne pepper, and paprika.
Furthermore, the chicken tenders are left to marinate in this mixture even overnight. What you get as the final product after the frying is succulent chicken tenders that can be enjoyed by the whole family as is or dipped in a sauce or perched atop a purple and green lettuce salad, for example.
4. Sticky Honey Garlic Recipe with Chicken Tenders
- Cooks In: 40 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Asian
- Method: Frying
- Calories: 612 per serving
If you love chicken strips, this recipe using tenderloins takes things to another level. The real secret to this recipe is in the sauce. Fish sauce to be direct. Combined with honey, the sauce produces a scrumptious sweet and sticky dish with an inviting baked crust.
The fish sauce brings umami flavors that deliciously transform what would otherwise be ordinary baked chicken tenders. If you are not yet ready for the fish sauce, which can be admittedly stinky, you may substitute it with soy sauce.
You could even do a 50-50 between the fish sauce and soy sauce. Furthermore, skinless chicken breast can replace chicken tenders any day. Other ingredients in this recipe include breadcrumbs, all-purpose flour, ketchup, and fresh lime juice.
5. Sweet Potatoes Recipe with Chicken Tenders
- Cooks In: 50 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Method: Baking, Roasting
This is a very interesting and refreshingly different combination one could drum up with chicken tenders. This sweet potato and chicken tenders recipe produce an easy-to-do weeknight supper idea. The final dish can be served with a green salad. One of the best parts about this recipe is that it doesn’t create a lot of dishes to clean up in the aftermath.
All the ingredients are put in one sheet pan and baked to perfection. For a quick roasting, cube the sweet potatoes smaller. You could use Japanese sweet potatoes for this recipe. Other ingredients going into this recipe include chili powder, cumin, red pepper, olive oil, and cilantro. If you are into other sweet potato recipes we have a dedicated recipe collection here. This recipe takes about an hour to make.
6. Sweet Potato-Crusted Chicken Tenders Nuggets Recipe
- Cooks In: 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Frying, Deep Frying
- Calories: 308 per serving
This is yet another recipe with chicken tenders that makes use of sweet potatoes. However, sweet potatoes are used in this recipe as chips (example). If you want to make your own chips, this recipe shows how. The purpose of the chips in the recipe is to add a crunchy exterior and flavor while the inside of the chicken tenders is tender.
This is a deep frying recipe. The chicken tenders will be deep-fried for up to 3 minutes and allowed to drain on paper towels. Other ingredients in the recipe are all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and ground pepper.
7. Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Cooks In: < 30 minutes
- Serves: 2
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Baking
No list of recipes with chicken tenders is complete before the cheese is brought into the picture. This is an easy to accomplish recipe which coats the chicken tenders with a combination of Parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
Other ingredients in the recipe are lemon juice, olive oil, and flour. The chicken tenders will be baked on a baking sheet for up to 25 minutes in the oven. The final dish can be served as an appetizer or complete meal accompanied by a salad, roasted vegetables, and/or some fries.
8. Parmesan Ranch Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Cooks In: 40 minutes
- Serves: 10
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Baking
- Calories: 226 per serving
This recipe with chicken tenders brings some level of health consciousness to the table. It produces a low-carb keto-friendly chicken dish that has no flour or breadcrumbs. Furthermore, no frying is involved in the making of this recipe as the chicken tenders are only baked.
Ingredients that go into this recipe include grated Parmesan cheese, melted salted butter, dried parsley, and a seasoning mix. The chicken tenders can be served for lunch or dinner with a dip such as mustard or ketchup, or mayonnaise. Any leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days with reheating done using a microwave.
9. Crispy Homemade Chicken Tenders
- Cooks In: 20 minutes
- Serves: 1-2
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Air Fryer
- Calories: 520 per serving
Up until now among the recipes with chicken tenders considered, we had not listed any air fryer recipe. This scrumptious recipe produces an air fryer (example) crispy dish. The best part is that the recipe calls for very familiar ingredients many people would already have in the pantry.
Included in the ingredients are vegetable oil, garlic powder, black pepper, all-purpose flour, eggs, eggs, and some cornflake cereals. The chicken tenders will be dipped in three separate bowls with three different ingredients as a way of coating the meat before it is placed in the air fryer to cook. Serve the final product accompanied by a salad or chips, for example.
10. Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Cooks In: 25 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Air fryer
- Calories: 234 per serving
This is yet another air fryer recipe with chicken tenders that eliminate the grease that comes with the pan-frying option. The air fryer (example) produces delicious golden-looking chicken tenders that can be served as a snack with a ketchup or mustard dip.
The chicken tenders can also become a complete meal when paired with fries, steamed veggies, or roast vegetables, for example. Apart from the chicken itself, some 9 other ingredients go into this recipe e.g. breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and so on. In the air fryer, the chicken tenders will be cooked once on each side before they are ready to serve.
11. Honey Mustard Salad Recipe with Chicken Tenders
- Cooks In: – minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Western
This is a succulent salad recipe with chicken tenders. The key to the salad is the honey mustard dressing. It is what makes the salad shine. The chicken tenders are prepared first as desired or as shown on the packaging if store-bought.
Ingredients that go into the honey mustard dressing, the heart of the recipe, are Dijon mustard, honey, and apple cider vinegar. The salad is made using avocado, bell peppers, and tomatoes among other ingredients. If you wanted an enhanced color, you could use a mixture of purple lettuce, red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes and purple tomatoes in the salad. The chicken tenders are served as toppings to the dressed salad.
12. Crunchy Baked Chicken Tender Salad Recipe
- Cooks In: 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: Western
- Method: Baking
This is one of our favorite recipes with chicken tenders. It produces crunchy baked chicken tenders which can be served with a salad or fries for lunch or dinner. This easy-to-make recipe will make use of crushed cheese corn chips to coat the chicken
Other ingredients going into the recipe include cherry tomatoes, grated parmesan, extra-virgin oil, Aioli (example), and lemon juice. Following a few other steps in-between, the coated chicken tenders will be baked for about 20 minutes before serving.
13. Chicken Caesar Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Cooks In: 45 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Baking
- Calories: 247 per serving
This recipe with chicken tenders is a variation of the hugely popular and also disliked Caesar salad. For those who appreciate the original Caesar salad, this one with chicken tenders should be a welcome variation. For anyone who dislikes the original Caesar recipe, the chicken tenders may just make this one an attractive alternative.
This recipe is easy to make and produces a chicken Caesar that you can eat with your hands (unlike original Caesar salads). The chicken tenders are baked and not fried, producing an extra crispy exterior thanks to the panko breadcrumbs. The final product can be served just as is or as a butter lettuce wrap or with rolls with lettuce and dressing. Alternatively, the chicken tenders can also be served with roasted broccoli or cauliflower.
Taco Recipe with Chicken Tenders
- Cooks In: 35 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Cuisine: American/Mexican
- Method: Baking
- Calories: 477 per serving
Who doesn’t love Tacos? Of all the recipes with chicken tenders considered in this collection, this one brings a Mexican angle to using chicken tenders. If you enjoy Mexican food, also see the famous Chilaquiles Rojos.
Although the final baked chicken tenders can be served as tacos, they can also be utilized with a salad after slicing them up and topping the salad. One suitable occasion to serve the chicken tenders as tacos is at parties because the dish is family-friendly and super easy to eat.
Whereas many recipes coat chicken tenders with breadcrumbs, this recipe utilizes crushed tortilla chips. In addition, there are only a handful of ingredients in this recipe. Apart from the chicken and tortilla chips, you only have flour, taco seasoning, and eggs.
15. Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken Tenders
- Cooks In: 35 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Grilling, Broiling
- Calories: 477 per serving
The chicken tenders in this recipe are prepared in a significantly different way than what is done in most cases. Instead of breading and frying or baking, the tenders are marinated in Caesar salad dressing. The dressing will be the source of the flavor of the final product.
There are also no large amounts of oil used in the recipe. The tenders are placed directly on the grill rack for the grilling. The rack may be lightly oiled to prevent the meat from sticking. Once done the marinated chicken tenders can be served as part of a full meal paired with rice, potatoes, and side veggies. Other serving options are a salad with the tenders as a topping or in a sandwich.
Conclusion
The foregoing list of recipes with chicken tenders offers a wide range of recipes to try out using chicken fillets. The collection offers a variety of suitable recipe ideas for any occasion from parties to weeknights. Furthermore, apart from being easy to make, just about all the recipes in this collection are family-friendly and of good appeal to young children.
Random But Good Reads:-
- Chilaquiles Rojos Information
- Sweet Potato Recipes
- Brussels Sprouts Recipes
- Boy Choy Recipes
- Meatball Recipes
- Casseroles with Chicken
- Chicken Salad Recipes
- Recipes with Lentils
- Best Way to Hard Boil Eggs
