Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders
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These new-and-improved baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders produce a crispy, yet healthy version that rivals any deep-fried tender. A delicious chicken tender recipe that cooks straight from frozen! Or try Air Fryer Chicken Tenders instead.
This post is created in partnership with Hy-Vee Columbia.
Why You’ll Love This (New & Improved!) Recipe
- Texture and flavor – Perfectly crispy and a nice balance of seasoning. All ages will like these. I tested these over and over until I got them just right. (My kids didn’t mind that!)
- Healthier – Oven baking is considered a healthier cooking method compared to deep-frying, which is often used for making chicken tenders in restaurants. Baking requires less oil, which reduces the overall fat content and calorie count of the dish.
- Freezer-friendly – Freeze them before baking and cook straight from frozen. I’ve tested the heck out of this recipe to make sure it’s perfect!
- Fast for a weeknight dinner – Takes less than 30 minutes.
- Kid-friendly – Like our Homemade Chicken Nuggets, this is a kid fave. Check out more kid-friendly freezer meals.
If you want to try a similar type of recipe that’s a little fancier, definitely check out our Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Lemon Butter Sauce. Mmmm!
Ingredients
Parmesan Chicken Tenders ingredients are so simple! You’ll find all these wholesome ingredients at your local Hy-Vee (Columbia).
Notes:
- To cut your own with chicken tenders: Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create two cutlets. Then, cut those in half vertically to create chicken tenders.
- I created this recipe with picky kids in mind. These are not very spicy at all. Feel free to kick up the paprika and cayenne some.
- My favorite way to enjoy these is with our Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.
Variations:
- Use 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning in place of paprika for more heat and complexity. Omit cayenne pepper.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed in hand, to the breading mixture.
- Add finely minced fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or basil to add to the breading mixture.
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How to Make Baked Chicken Tenders
Here’s an overview of this easy recipe. Find the full printable recipe at the bottom.
Prep
Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
Add the Panko, Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne to a blender or food processor and pulse several times until breadcrumbs are a finer texture and everything is well combined. Pour this mixture into a shallow dish.
Add the egg and a splash of water to a second small bowl or shallow dish. Whisk with a fork until very smooth.
Bread Tenders
Trim off any tendon that is sticking out. Season both sides of the tenders evenly with salt and pepper.
Dredge each tender in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing it in on both sides.
Place tenders on the pan and spray the tops with cooking spray.
Bake and Serve
Bake on the lower third of the oven for 7-8 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Using a spatula, carefully flip over and bake another 5-6 minutes, until golden on top. Season with a little more salt right out of the oven, if desired. Let cool slightly and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Serving Ideas
Here are some side dish ideas that would go well with this recipe:
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- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce, such as:
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- Ketchup
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- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce, such as:
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- Oven Roasted Broccoli – This cooks at the same temp and almost the same amount of time in the oven!
Ways to Mix It Up
We love providing different ways to use staple recipes like this. Make lots of extras so you can use them in various ways throughout the week:
- Turn these into Baked Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches! After baking, top each tender with a spoonful of marinara sauce, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake 5 minutes more.
- Chop up to use in My Favorite Cobb Salad or Mandarin Orange Salad.
- Chop up and serve on a bed of Romaine lettuce. Top with cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, shredded cheddar cheese, Homemade Croutons, and Honey Dijon Dressing or Balsamic Parmesan Dressing.
How to Freeze Chicken Tenders
You have two options for freezing breaded chicken tenders:
- Dredge the chicken tenders in the breading mixture. Place breaded tenders in a freezer container or gallon sized bag in single layers divided by parchment paper.
- Alternately, flash freeze the breaded tenders on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours until solid and toss into a freezer bag. Squeeze out any excess air, seal, and freeze.
Be sure the label the freezer meal with the title of the recipe, date of freezing, and instructions for baking from frozen.
Baking Chicken Tenders From Frozen
This is one of the main perks of this recipe. You can bake the breaded chicken tenders from frozen! This makes them a perfect recipe for those busy weeknights. Here’s how:
- Prep: Adjust the oven racks so one of them is in the lower third section. Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Bake: Place the frozen chicken tenders on the sheet pan. Bake on the bottom oven rack (in the lower third section of the oven) for 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip over and bake another 5 minutes, or until cooked through.
FAQs
Yes, this is safe to do according to the USDA.
In all my tests, the blending step yielded the most perfectly golden and crispy tenders. However, if you don’t have a blender or food processor, use plain breadcrumbs instead of Panko and be sure to stir the mixture very well until combined.
The flash freeze ensures they don’t stick, but I cheat most of the time and just lay them in a single layer and separate layers with parchment paper.
You certainly can, but in my tests the chicken didn’t turn out quite as crispy and golden brown. You see the difference in my snapshot here after one of the tests (left side has parchment and is less crispy).
More Chicken Parmesan Recipes
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Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders
This crispy, healthier version of Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders is a sure winner!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (sub: plain breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (sub: paprika)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg
- 12 (1 1/2 – 1 3/4 pounds) raw chicken breast tenders
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking spray (recommend: avocado cooking spray)
- Optional for serving: Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, Homemade Ranch Dip, or Homemade BBQ Sauce
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Set Up Stations: Add the Panko, Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne to a blender or food processor and pulse several times until breadcrumbs are a finer texture and everything is well combined. Pour this mixture into a shallow dish. Add the egg and a splash of water to a second small bowl or shallow dish. Whisk with a fork until very smooth.
- Trim & Season Tenders: Trim off any tendon that is sticking out. Season both sides of the tenders evenly with salt and pepper.
- Bread Tenders: Dredge each tender in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing it in on both sides. Place tenders on the pan and spray the tops with cooking spray.
- Bake: Bake on the lower third of the oven for 7-8 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Using a spatula, carefully flip over and bake another 5-6 minutes, until golden on top.
- Serve: Season with a little more salt right out of the oven, if desired. Let cool slightly and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Freeze for Later: Dredge the chicken tenders in the breading mixture. Place breaded tenders in a freezer container or gallon sized bag in single layers divided by parchment paper. Alternately, flash freeze the breaded tenders on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours until solid and toss into a freezer bag. Squeeze out any excess air, seal, and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Adjust the oven racks so one of them is in the lower third section. Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. Place the frozen chicken tenders on the sheet pan and spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake on the bottom oven rack (in the lower third section of the oven) for 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip over and bake another 5 minutes, or until cooked through.
Notes/Tips
- If You Don’t Have a Food Processor/Blender: In all my tests, the blending step yielded the most perfectly golden and crispy tenders. However, if you don’t have a blender or food processor, use plain breadcrumbs instead of Panko and be sure to stir the mixture very well until combined.
- Recipe Updates: This recipe was retested multiple times and updated on 2/12/24. If you’d like the old version, you can download and print it here.
- Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of Panko.
- Dairy-Free Version: Replace the Parmesan cheese with more bread crumbs (and a pinch of salt) or try using nutritional yeast in place of it.
- Be sure to season the tenders generously with salt and pepper to infuse flavor.
- While covering the pan with foil or parchment really helps with clean up, I found that it just wouldn’t get hot like the pan by itself. So your chicken tenders may not brown up as nicely.
- Kitchen shears are very helpful with the task of trimming off the excess tendons.
- It’s safest to only use one hand to touch the chicken in a recipe like this, leaving the other one clean to season the chicken, open the oven, etc.
- Baking on the bottom third of the oven is imperative to the success of this recipe.
- To cut your own with chicken tenders: Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create two cutlets. Then, cut those in half vertically to create chicken tenders.
- I created this recipe with picky kids in mind. These are not very spicy at all. Feel free to kick up the paprika and cayenne some.
- My favorite way to enjoy these is with our Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. (Sooo good!)
- Variations:
- Use 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning in place of paprika for more heat and complexity. Omit cayenne pepper.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed in hand, to the breading mixture.
Photos and video by Whitney Reist from Sweet Cayenne.
Love chicken tenders and so do my kids! Very tasty! Because I am always looking for easy, I stir chicken in mayonaise instead of using egg, eliminates one step. I find that it sticks better and makes the chicken SO moist!
I’ve never heard of that Kelly. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review with your tip! Glad your family liked these.
This recipe is the BOMB. I love that you can cook them straight from frozen. They are seasoned perfectly and come out crispy even though they aren’t deep fried. This has become a staple recipe in my home!
Love hearing that. Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think. This recipe was tested A LOT so glad to hear it paid off.
Could you cook all the chicken tenders and then freeze them? Then possibly just reheat in microwave? Thanks
You probably could but the texture may not be great. I haven’t tested this way, so I can’t recommend it.
For those, like me, who aren’t in the US, what is in Bay seasoning?
Hi Bec. Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company, and produced in Maryland. A lot of times I just substitute something like 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (like Italian Seasoning/basil/parsley/oregano). If you want a little more heat, throw in some cayenne pepper too.
can you thaw frozen chicken, make this and refreeze?
Yes, you absolutely can.
Can I use all purpose flour ?
Absolutely! I just try to sneak in extra nutrition where I can, so that’s why I usually use whole wheat when I dredge meats.
How long can these stay in the freezer? Thank you for putting together these recipes!
I would say up to three months as long as you have them in a very cold place in your freezer or deep freeze and they are well-packaged (i.e. not exposed to a lot of air).
hello again from Kingwood,Texas..
After only being a member with Thriving Home for a couple of months, You Rock , Rachel and Polly!!!
Just yesterday my ever supportive and loving husband and I decided for lunch to make these wonderful tenders and were praying that our beautiful and independent 7 1/2 year old princess who is autistic and epileptic (which neither one stops her) would go after these and guess what? Yep she did,, Mind you she’s not picky like I described when I first subscribed and introduced myself and told about our family.. The only thing we did not put in them was the Parmesan cheese( we both thought we were out,, guess what I found a couple of hours later in the back top shelf in the refrigerator?)..
These tenders were still really great and Cassie loved them.. We are hoping since she is on a new medication for her neurology issue that this will help with her appetite which has a little decreased but seems to be only at school .. So maybe we need to make some homemade lunches for her which she can have and maybe choose more then just having some delicious lunch for the cafeteria which are pretty healthy too..
Cannot wait to check maybe some breakfasts for her to take to school too.. Any suggestions?
We trust you both so very much..
God Bless
Sweet Lydia, thank you so much for your encouraging story. We exist to help families like yours. I’m so glad to hear that your daughter liked the Chicken Tenders, even minus the Parmesan cheese. 😉 Some breakfast ideas: Mini Breakfast Muffins, Breakfast Sandwiches, Banana Pumpkin Muffins, or the Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble Topping might be some good starters for grab-and-go breakfasts. Would love to hear what works for you! Have a great day.
Do i need to flash freeze or can i just put them directly into the gallon bag after i coat the chicken?
Flash freeze ensures they don’t stick, but I cheat most of the time and just lay them in a single layer and separate layers with parchment paper.
It’s actually a dried seasoning used in a lot of seafood and cajun food dishes. You can find it in the seasoning aisle. But, a lot of times I just substitute something like 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (like Italian Seasoning/basil/parsley/oregano). If you want a little more heat, throw in some cayenne pepper too.