Truly crunchy chicken tenders are easy to make at home - no frying needed. Coated in a crunchy crumb, these delicious tenders are oven-baked!
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken tenderloins (~21oz)
- 1 ½-3 teaspoons salt (notes 2)
- 2 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons oil (40ml, notes 1)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons water (40ml, notes 1)
- ½ cup plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
- Remove the tendon from each of the tenderloins. The easiest way is to grab hold of the end of the tendon that’s sticking out, then slide the tines of a fork over it against the chicken. Now pull the tendon towards you while gently pushing the fork away, keeping it up against the chicken flesh and the tendon should come out fairly easily.
- THE DRY BRINE: The dry brine is highly recommended to get the seasoning through the chicken and it also helps to keep them more juicy, however it does need 30 minutes chilling time.Add the chicken tenderloins and 3 teaspoons of salt to a medium bowl. Mix well to coat and chill for 30-40 minutes.
- TOAST THE BREADCRUMBS:Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix the crumbs and the oil together until well distributed. Toss them onto a baking sheet and spread out. Bake for 8-10 minutes, tossing halfway through until nice and golden brown.
- Use the baking paper to lift and tip them back into the same bowl and set aside to cool. Put the baking paper back onto the baking sheet.
- THE BATTER: In a clean bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the water, flour, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper. If you did not dry brine, add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. If you did do the dry brine, don’t add any salt.Whisk the ingredients to a smooth batter.
- IF YOU DRY BRINED: (if not skip to the next step)Add some water to the bowl of chicken tenderloins, give them a mix around and drain. Repeat one more time. This will remove excess salt.
- Pat the chicken tenderloins dry with paper towel.
- Tip all the tenderloins into the batter. Use tongs or hands to mix well until thoroughly coated.
- One by one, using tongs or hands, transfer the tenderloins to the cooled crumbs, turning to coat. Make sure to really press the crumbs on firmly.
- Transfer them to the baking sheet about 1 inch apart to allow some air flow (the more airflow - the crunchier they’ll be).
- Place into the oven and bake for 11-14 minutes. Baking time will depend on the size of your tenderloins. To check if they’re cooked through, you can simple cut one open and make sure it’s white all the way through (no pink) or use a meat thermometer inserted into the centre of the thickest part - it should read 74C/165F if done.
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Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Salt quantity: If you choose not to dry brine the chicken tenderloins then just use 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. If you choose the brining method (recommended), use the 3 teaspoons of salt. It sounds like a lot but most of it gets rinsed off. You need to add this much to allow the salt to really penetrate the meat though for flavour.
- Air fryer instructions: You can use an airfryer to cook them as well. Make sure to give them space for air flow and cook at 200C/400F for 8-10 minutes.
- Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.
