Hi friends,
I don’t know about you but chicken strips always have and always will be a favourite of mine. Sometimes I feel like a kid when I order them a restaurant but they always seem to hit the spot. I don’t buy frozen foods like this anymore so if I want them, I make them myself! It’s surprisingly so easy when you’ve done it a few times. My biggest tip when making homemade chicken tenders would be to have your dipping station close and everything organized.
You don’t want to be running around with raw chicken so it’s super important for safety reasons too that your station is clean and small.
This is what I had for dinner with the chicken tenders along with a tahini sauce to go on the vegetables. Satisfying is definitely an understatement! Surprisingly, these get SO crispy even though they are baked. You definitely don’t need to deep fry them at all. The buffalo sauce offers a bit of kick but not too much that most people wouldn’t be able to handle it. If you want to make them spicier, I would add some cayenne powder or siracha to the mix – NEXT LEVEL 😉 .
This recipe is dairy-free & gluten-free + whole 30 friendly.
Gluten free: substitute gluten-free flour & gluten-free breadcrumbs
Whole 30: substitute coconut or almond flour & then hemp seeds (for that crunch factor) instead of bread crumbs.
I hope you’ll try out these easy Spicy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders! They actually are delicious for meal prep too. They definitely don’t stay as crispy but if reheated properly in a toaster oven, they taste pretty damn good!
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Notes
I used Nature's Path Turmeric Cereal and breadcrumbs to dip. It made the strips super crispy and added some flavour. You could also just use panko! If you're gluten free: substitute gluten-free flour & gluten-free breadcrumbs. If you're doing Whole 30: substitute coconut or almond flour & then hemp seeds (for that crunch factor) instead of bread crumbs.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 small chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano
Breading
- 2 cups breadcrumb mixture (I used 1/2 breadcrumbs & 1/2 corn flake cereal) (GF if required)
- 1/2 cup flour (any kind - GF if required)
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or any kind)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 415F. Line baking tray with parchment paper.
- Marinade chicken - set aside for 10 minutes.
- Assemble dipping station. You'll need 3 bowls, 1 with your breadcrumb mixture, 1 with flour, 1 with milk.
- Once everything is ready to go, dip 1 chicken strip at a time first in flour (shake off any excess), then in milk, then in crumbs. Transfer to tray.
- Repeat above step with all the chicken pieces. It helps to use a spoon to coat the crumbs so it doesn't get all wet and stuck to your hands.
- Once they are all coated, bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through (depending on the size of your strips).
- Serve with your favourite dipping sauce & enjoy!
