I think chicken tenders are a universal comfort food and when you have some type of breading on them and serve them with a side of fries, you have the ultimate kid friendly meal that even adults will enjoy. For me, I wasn’t always a fan of chicken tenders especially from fast food chains (OK, maybe except nuggets from McDonald’s), I always found that they lacked flavor and needed something else. I’ve also never been a fan of dipping sauces so for some, the tenders were just fine because of the sauce that they dipped them in.
As I got older and started to watch what I was consuming more closely, I wanted something that was elevated beyond just battered chicken or breaded chicken so, oats it was! In order to add flavor to those oats, I knew I wanted something that was beyond just garlic and onion powder and there came the parm! The beauty of these tenders is that they can be made in the oven, on the stovetop or even in an air fryer! I will be showing you how to bake them in the oven for this recipe but, feel free to try them in the air fryer or lightly pan frying them on the stove top!
Another tip, just like in this photo, you will want to set up a dredging station. First bowl has flour (any flour like all purpose or even coconut flour will do), this will help the rest of the ingredients stick to your chicken. Second is your egg bowl and third are the oats.
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Tenders
- 2 large eggs
- 1 C flour (any flour you choose)
- 1 C Oats (finely chopped) (place in blender and pulse until you get a powder)
- 1 Tbs Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- spray oil
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 395°F, place parchment paper on a large baking sheet , lightly spray with oil (very lightly) and set aside
- Set out 3 bowls. One for flour, other with eggs (lightly beaten) and other with oats. This is your dredging station.
- Add 1/2 of the salt to the flour and mix. Add the rest of the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and parmesan to the powdered oats and mix.
- Dredge chicken in flour, then eggs (making sure all sides are covered) and then oats (making sure to shake off any excess). Place each piece of chicken onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure that each piece of chicken does not touch the other. Repeat the process until all of the chicken is covered in the oats mixture.
- Lightly spray the tops of the chicken with oil and place in preheated oven. Cook for about 10 minutes and then flip over and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes or until outside is crispy and chicken is thoroughly cooked (check using a thermometer – chicken is cooked at 165°F)
- Remove from oven and serve hot
Tips & Tricks: The 3 step dredging station is important as it will help your oat mixture stick to the chicken. You can use any flour that you choose for the 1st step of the dredging. The oat crust may not all crisp when it’s done cooking and that’s ok, just be sure that you don’t overcook the chicken or it will get dry. This can also be made in the air fryer. Just follow the directions to your particular model.