These baked chicken tenders are coated in a deliciously savory crust, yet have zero breading, which makes for an awesomely low carb meal!
Eating healthy has never tasted so good! You won’t even miss the breading on these baked chicken tenders… and the flavor is crazy addictive. Who says you can’t have it all?
So for those of you with little munchkins… do they get stuck in food ruts? My kids sure do…. if it isn’t a fish stick, hot dog, or chicken nugget… they don’t want it. Sound familiar? Doesn’t it make you want to pull your hair out? Cooking a great meal for your family, working hard, and they take one look and promptly say “that looks gross, I want a hot dog”. *insert flip out moment here*
To be fair, I shouldn’t say my “kids”… because my son is the human disposal… he will eat just about anything, and in large amounts! There are some nights I swear he eats more than I do… which honestly, is hard to do… Mama likes to EAT! He is, however, picky about what he wants on certain nights. And my daughter used to be a fantastic eater, and still is, just ohhhhhh my lord is she stubborn!! I shouldn’t even complain because let’s face it, she got it from me… but I’m constantly wracking my brain to get her to eat something that doesn’t come out of a frozen bag.
Chicken is generally a safe bet, especially when I can cut it up into “nuggets” and voila… she’ll eat, especially with some dipping sauce. We eat a good deal of chicken around here 🙂
This chicken… it is beyond addictive and you’ll want it alllllll the time!
Does that look yummy or what?! But wait, it gets even better! These chicken tenders aren’t breaded… that’s right… no breadcrumbs, no panko… zero bread (bring on the low-carb!). A mix of Parmesan cheese and a variety of spices combine to make the “crust” on these baked chicken tenders. And what a delicious crust it is!!
These chicken tenders are also baked, so no babysitting them in a skillet… just pop them in the oven and relax. Okay, maybe not relax, because odds are you’re fixing something else to have alongside the chicken… but at least you don’t have to fuss with the chicken while you’re working on the side dish 🙂
Okay, here’s the breakdown… just mix up your cheese and spices in a large dish and set aside, and melt some butter in a microwave-safe dish.
Dip each chicken tender in the melted butter (seriously, how can you go wrong dipping chicken in butter first!), then roll it in the spice mixture and place in a foil-lined pan. Repeat with remaining chicken tenders and bake for 20-30 minutes. That’s it! So simple right? Plus it’s a fun one that your kids could help you with… they’ll love it! 🙂
These got gobbled up pretty quickly! It was lucky I was able to save a couple of tenders for the pictures the next day 😛
Recipe adapted from Food.com
I want to share that the original name of the recipe on Food.com was Heroin Chicken Tenders, and out of respect for that recipe creator, I originally kept the same name when I shared them. I have since re-named this recipe, but unfortunately the URL still reflects the original name. Any nasty comments pertaining to the name of the recipe will be deleted. I’m sure the original recipe creator named them before heroin was as prevalent a problem as it is today. No one is in poor taste here, just trying to share recipes 🙂
I love serving these with some 3 ingredient slow cooker ranch mushrooms, super crispy parmesan and garlic potato wedges, or a great Caesar salad with homemade dressing!
Helpful Tools for This Recipe:
- NORDICWARE HALF SHEET PANS – I’m a huge fan of these baking sheets, and own them in quite a few sizes!
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenders
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons parsley minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Melt butter in a shallow dish.
- Dip each chicken tender in butter then roll in seasoning mixture and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Karina says
Love your Low Carb Baked Chicken Tenders!! So yummy! What’s the nutritional information on them and I assume this recipe is for 4 servings?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Karina 🙂 Since I’m not a nutritionist and don’t want to inadvertently give out false nutritional information, I don’t provide it with my recipes. I encourage my readers to copy the ingredients into their favorite online nutrition calculator. As for the servings, it really depends how many tenders you want. 2 lbs of chicken tenders could be 4 to 6 servings.
Mammasboy says
Amazing amazing!! I’m obsessed have probably have made it 10x in 3 months already!! Both my boys are picky and scoop these up…never any leftovers….
Wendy Holley says
Tried these today! Very tasty! Figured out per piece serving, 215 cal per serving, 0.4 carb, 13.6 fat grams, 24.5 protein.
Keri says
I made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! My kids loved it! I used egg instead of butter. This is a keeper!
Amanda hanft says
Is it just me or when I make them I don’t have enough “batter” lol do I need to measure out the seasonings better?
The Chunky Chef says
You could always 1.5 or 2x the “batter” ingredients so you’ll have plenty 🙂
Nancy Foster says
How many carbs per chicken tender?
The Chunky Chef says
As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for my recipes (don’t want to inadvertently pass along incorrect information). Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.
Sue says
These are super goood. Next time I will broil a little to get crispy.. yummy
Treverlee says
This recipe was awesome, it was the best recipe I have tried thus far!!!! Turned out great and I will definitely be making it again😋😋😋😋
Bonnie says
Hi a quick question about the dish can it be cooked in the oven in a bed of rice?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never tried that before, so I honestly can’t say for certain
Heidi says
These were great. I used the cooling rack while they cooked after checking on them and the bottom was a lttle soggy. They came out perfect.
Donna says
These are AWESOME! Big hit with the family. I did have to put them under the broiler for a few minutes to get crispy. Seriously a great recipe.
Felicia says
Maybe it was named that because it was so addictive! Either way, it’s amazing!! Thank you for sharing and I’m sorry many have blasted you. I will make this again!!
Melissa says
Hello, I would like to try these in my air fryer. Have you tried this way and if so any tips? Thank you in advance !
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Melissa 🙂 I’ve never used an air fryer, so unfortunately I don’t have any tips. Good luck though!
JHC says
Great for my KETO diet. Made it and it tastes GREAT!!
Kelley says
Does this call for fresh or dried Parsley?
The Chunky Chef says
I use fresh, but dried would work too.
Patti Holshouser says
Do these reheat well? If so, would you hear them in the oven or microwave?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Patti 🙂 We usually don’t have any leftovers, so I can’t really say for certain. But I would say you could microwave them and then crisp them up under the broiler if you wanted them crispy 🙂
Jennifer says
Can you use I can’t believe its not butter instead of regular butter?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jennifer, I’ve never used it, but it might work alright.
Karen Ratliff says
Thank you! These were awesome! I will be making them again and again! The only thing I can add is that I used 1.5 lbs of chicken tenders and needed to make an additional half recipe of the cheese/herb mixture. Maybe I was a little heavy-handed with it, but they are fantastic!
Beth says
Wow. This was easy and quick! I used a cooling rack and broiled my tenders for the last five minutes, and they were juicy and delicious. Glad this popped up in my feed!
Rachel says
Smoking good chicken! Your dinner time issues with your kids… mirror mine 100%. So, I had to try it and i am so happy i did. The kids LOVED IT! Thank you so much!