Baked Chicken Tenders

Four simple ingredients gives you a spectacular chicken dish. Baked Chicken Tenders are super easy to make, and they only take 30 minutes, from start to finish. Serve as an appetizer or your main meal, eat them plain or with your favorite dipping sauces.

I can’t eat these as an appetizer, they’re too good. Once I start eating them, I lose all control, and they quickly become my main meal.

As they’re baked, they’re obviously not deep fried, plus they’re not rolled in bread crumbs, making them that much healthier for you.

In other words, they fit into any Keto diet with the low-carb count.

Healthy or not, I am super excited to share this easy recipe with you, because they taste so good.

Making Baked Chicken Tenders

For sake of easy clean-up, line a baking sheet or glass dish with foil. What size? About the size of the package of chicken tenders you just bought, maybe a little bigger so they don’t touch.

Also, spray a non-stick spray on the foil.

Then, in a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, Parmesan cheese, and Ranch seasoning.

One by one, and I wore a glove for this, (LOL) rub each chicken tender in the butter mixture.

Quick detour: my mom used to laugh at me, because I hated the feeling of raw meat; still do, so I wear gloves. Just like it was yesterday, I can remember standing in the kitchen laughing with her. Good times.

Anyway, coat all sides, then place each tender on the foil-lined sheet so that they are not touching each other.

Once all tenders are coated and sitting on the foil, sprinkle extra Parmesan on top.

I’ve used shredded Parmesan, grated, and even spicy grated Parmesan; they all work beautifully. Yummily…new word of the day.

Baking Chicken Tenders

Bake these lil’ darlin’s in a preheated oven set at 425° for 25 minutes. The tops should be golden brown, and yes, there will be a mess on the foil. Aren’t you glad you lined it?

If you’re wondering why I cook my chicken at such a high temperature, it’s because I read about the difference between cooking it at a lower heat (350°) vs. a higher heat (425°).

High temperatures will leave your chicken moist on the inside, plus it’s easier to eat. Huh?

Yeah, the higher temperature also breaks down connective tissues in the meat, leading to tender succulent chicken.

Now, this isn’t true across the board with all pieces of chicken, but it works great on pieces that are of even thickness, like these tenders.

Serving

Well, as I said earlier, I get full if I eat these as appetizers, so I just make them my main meal.

That’s not to say you’ll lose all control of yourself, though. They make delicious appetizers, and it’s fun to serve with different dipping sauces, such as Ranch or BBQ sauce.

As a main meal, these tenders go yummily with Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes or Classic Mashed Potatoes with a pat of butter on top.

They also pair nicely with most any salad, like a Broccoli Salad, a Pesto Tortellini Salad, or some Homemade Mac and Cheese.

If you tried and love this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment below. Thank you so much.

Baked Chicken Tenders

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