Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders

Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders are the perfect 30-minute weeknight meal.  Juicy chicken coated in a gluten-free, garlic parmesan breading and baked until crispy and golden brown.

Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders

You are seriously gonna want to try this recipe!  We can’t get enough of these Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders.  I usually double the batch because everyone wants seconds and there never seems to be enough.

I also love the fact that these Baked Chicken Tenders are made in about 20 minutes, so dinner is on the table in roughly 30 minutes.  

Traditionally, the tenders are dredged in flour, then dipped in an egg mixture, then coated in breadcrumbs.

Not here! For this healthier version, there’s no flour or bread crumbs, but you still end up with crispy, yet tender chicken pieces.

Total bonus in the mom handbook! I would definitely add these to your Weekly Meal Planning!

How to Make Healthy Chicken Tenders

One of the great things about this recipe is you can customize the spice in your breading.  My daughter was helping make them and added a little too much cayenne pepper, but they still turned out tasty as ever!

So, technically, tenders are breast meat, but we like to use chicken thighs in this recipe.  They come out juicy and create such wonderful flavor. 

You can either buy chicken tenders or purchase thighs and cut them into tender-size pieces. 

Step 1

Now, gather all your supplies.  You’ll need two shallow bowls or plates for this recipe.  One for the egg and one for the almond flour breading mixture.  The spices and parmesan go into the almond flour to create the yummy, yet healthier breading. 

Step 2

For efficiency, I like to create a little assembly line and dip the chicken into the egg and then the breading, and finally put it on the parchment lined baking pan. 

Step 3

You dip each piece of chicken into the egg and then the breading and then it’s ready to slide into the oven and bake and until nice and crispy.

So, I’ve tried the recipe several ways. I like using parchment paper to line the baking sheet.

The parchment helps get the delicious crispy coating and flipping the pieces half way through the cooking time ensure you have crispy chicken on both sides.  

Plus, it’s easy clean up!

How Long To Bake Chicken Tenders

For our family, we really like our chicken tenders crispy, so we bake them at a higher temperature – 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12 – 13 minutes.

Depending on the size of your tenders, it may take a few minutes longer, but we always test with a meat thermometer to make sure they’re done.

With this higher temperature, you don’t need to leave them in the oven that long, but flipping the tenders halfway through is crucial to get them crispy on both sides.

Tips for Making Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders

• As I mentioned, you can use chicken breast or thigh meat for this recipe.  Whatever you prefer. 
• These Baked Chicken Tenders come out crispy straight from the oven, but the almond flour breading doesn’t stay crisp the second day. So, they are best eaten when finished cooking. However, I like them so much, I totally eat them leftover in a salad for lunch the next day. 
• For the cheese, make sure you use grated Parmesan cheese, not shredded as it sticks to the chicken meat better. 
• If you can, use fresh chicken! The fresher the meat, the more juicy and tender it will be!
• Serve your Baked Chicken Tenders with a dipping sauce.  I like honey mustard, the kids like ketchup, but a healthy ranch dressing is also nice.

For Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:  Mix 2 tablespoons honey with 1 tablespoon mustard. This 2:1 ratio of honey to mustard can be used to create any amount of sauce.

Supplies Used to Make Baked Chicken Tenders

This post contains affiliate links.  Disclosure policy here.

Baking Pan – 

Meat Thermometer – the best way to tell if meat or poultry is done and safe to eat. Instant read and easy to use.

If you’ve tried these Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders or any other recipe on Suburban Simplicity, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food, fun crafts + DIYs and what I’m up to on a daily basis!

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5 from 2 votes

Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders

Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders are the perfect 30-minute weeknight meal.  Juicy chicken coated in a gluten-free, garlic parmesan breading and baked until crispy and golden brown.

Course dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Author Erin Henry

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound chicken thighs cut into strips
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian herbs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg beaten

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Whisk egg in a shallow bowl or plate. Set aside.
• Mix almond flour, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian herbs and salt in another shallow bowl of plate.
• Dip a piece of chicken into the egg mixture and coast on both sides. Then, dip the chicken into the almond flour mixture, also coating both sides. Put breaded chicken on your lined baking sheet and repeat until all pieces are done.
• Place chicken into the oven and bake for 7 minutes and then turn each piece over and cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy and until internal temperature measures 165 degrees.

Notes

You can use chicken breast or thigh meat for this recipe.  Whatever you prefer.

For the cheese, make sure you use grated Parmesan cheese, not shredded as it sticks to the chicken meat better.

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

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