crunchy baked chicken tendies
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
SERVES: 3-4
Protein
4 chicken breasts
Milk & Dairy
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
Pantry
2 cups panko
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp hot sauce
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup honey
Marinate your chicken. Slice your chicken into thick strips - about 3 strips from each breast. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add all your marinade ingredients except for the flour: 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup hot sauce, 2 eggs, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp salt - and whisk well. Once mixed, add your flour and whisk again until no lumps.
Add chicken and mix to coat. Place in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes to overnight (the longer the marinade, the juicier the chicken).
Add your crunch. Preheat your oven to 450. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet, and a cooling rack on top. Cooking the chicken on the cooling rack keeps bottom from getting soggy.
To a large flat bowl, add your crunchy mix ingredients: 2 cups panko, 1/3 cup sesame seeds, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika - and mix well.
One at a time, take each tender out of the marinade - leaving as much marinade on as you can, and drop it into the crunchy mix bowl. Using your hand or spoon, sprinkle the crunch mix over top. Gently flip over and repeat. Place on your baking sheet/cooling rack set-up and repeat, ensuring none of the strips are touching.
Spray tenders generously with olive oil or cooking oil, flip and spray other side.
Cook for 15 minutes, flip and cook another 10 or 15 until lightly browned and edges are nice and crunchy.
Make your sauce. Heat a small sauce pan or mini non stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup butter and let it melt. Add 1/4 cup honey and 2 tbsp hot sauce and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly reduced.
Drizzle sauce over cooked strips, use sauce as a dip, OR BOTH.
Questions? Drop a comment below if you have any questions, and don’t forget to let me know if you make it!