Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders (Printable)

Juicy baked chicken tenders with crispy coating and tangy honey mustard sauce, ideal for any meal.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken Tenders

01 - 1.1 lb chicken breast tenders, trimmed
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 2 tablespoons water
08 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
09 - 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling

→ Honey Mustard Sauce

11 - 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
12 - 2 tablespoons honey
13 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
14 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
15 - Pinch of salt

# How-To:

01 - Set the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a wire rack on top if available.
02 - Pat chicken tenders dry and season evenly with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
03 - Arrange three bowls: flour in the first, whisked eggs with water in the second, and panko mixed with a pinch of salt in the third.
04 - Dredge each chicken piece first in flour, dip into the egg wash, then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture.
05 - Place breaded tenders on the wire rack or baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil for enhanced crispness.
06 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F.
07 - Whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt until smooth in a small bowl.
08 - Serve chicken tenders hot accompanied by the honey mustard sauce on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They stay juicy inside while the outside gets genuinely crispy without any deep frying mess.
  • The honey mustard sauce tastes like you spent more time on it than the five minutes it actually takes.
  • You can have dinner ready faster than most drive-throughs, but it tastes homemade.
02 -
  • If your chicken tenders don't get crispy, you either didn't oil them enough or your oven temperature drifted—an oven thermometer changed everything for me.
  • Don't skip drying the chicken; wet chicken steams instead of crisping, and that ruins the whole texture you're working toward.
  • The wire rack makes a noticeable difference but isn't absolutely essential if you flip the tenders halfway through baking.
03 -
  • If you're batch cooking for the freezer, bread the raw tenders and freeze them on a tray before transferring to a bag—then bake straight from frozen, adding just a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
  • Keep an oven thermometer handy because even small temperature differences affect how crispy your coating gets and how fast the chicken cooks through.

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