recipe: Baked Chicken Tenders

Uz loves chicken nuggets and chicken tenders.  Well, so do I...  who doesn't?  But we both get really excited when they are homemade.  Bagged chicken nuggs and tenders are all well and good in their own right...  but these just take it up to a whole new level.

Last night we had chicken tenders, bruschetta salad, and mixed fruit.  I ended up eating only one and a half of my tenders, and about half my salad.  I snacked on half a chicken tender and my fruit after a three-mile walk.

The recipe is the same for tenders or nuggs, but I've found that the coating is a little more fragile (falls off easily) on the nuggs as compared to the tenders.  I must need to let them cook a little longer before flipping to keep the crust from falling off.

Also, the recipe calls for cooking spray, but I was out of it and it worked just fine.

Baked Chicken Tenders

Adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Serves: 4
Stats:  ~165 cals per serving

2 lbs chicken breast or tenders (cut into chunks if you're doing nuggs!)
2-3 tsp olive oil
6 TBS whole wheat Italian breadcrumbs
2 TBS panko
2 TBS grated parmesan
A couple shakes of crushed red pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Put the chicken in a bowl with the olive oil and toss to coat evenly, adding salt and pepper if desired.  Mix together the breadcrumbs, panko, parm, and crushed red pepper in a separate bowl.

Dip and cover each piece of chicken.  Slightly shake to get off any extra coating.  Lay on a nonstick baking sheet. 

Before sticking the sheet in the oven, lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray.

Let cook for 8-12 minutes (depending on if it's nuggs or tenders... tenders need 12-14 minutes).  Take a fork and GENTLY flip the chicken over to the other side.  Cook another 4-6 minutes until golden.

Using a fork, move the chicken to a baking rack and let cool for a few minutes.  If you stack them on top of each other, they'll be mushy, so it's important not to overlap them.

If you'd like to freeze these, bake as normal and let cool.  Flash freeze on a baking sheet (lay on the baking sheet, NO OVERLAP, and stick in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour).  Gently place tenders/nuggs in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze.  To heat, simply cook in the oven or microwave until heated through.