This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Make truly crispy baked chicken tenders with this simple technique. The secret to these crispy chicken tenders is to coat them first with homemade buffalo sauce then dredge them in toasted panko breadcrumbs. Crispy baked tenders are all about double toasting the breading!!
I’ve been on the hunt for awhile now for a way to make truly crispy buffalo chicken tenders in the oven. After the success of these crispy Baked Buffalo Wings, I thought, “How hard can it be to make crispy tenders?” It was harder than I thought.
How to Make Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tenders
A little perseverance and a genius tip from a fellow blogger led to these truly crispy, juicy Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders with that addictive spicy buffalo kick. But before I tell you how to make these beauties, I want to tell you (and show you) what NOT to do.
As you can see I thought I had a winner in hand – to the point of photographing it. But then I took a bite. Hello soggy breading. Problem #1: the breading wasn’t crunchy enough to start with. That’s where the genius tip from my friend Nagi of Recipe Tin Eats came in. Genius Tip: toast the panko crumbs BEFORE you use them to bread the tenders.
Problem #2: I’d coated the tenders in buffalo sauce after baking, a mistake. This time I made the butter and hot sauce mixture part of the egg dip and voilà! – all of the flavor without making the breading soggy. And baking the tenders in the upper third of the oven on an oven safe cooling rack ensures that all sides get crispy.
These make perfect party or football watching fare, with blue cheese dip of course!
More Delicious Party Food
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings (There is a secret to truly crispy baked chicken wings. Hint: it’s NOT baking powder.)
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings (With a Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce that is good on everything!)
- Salt Potatoes (Just 2 ingredients to make crispy on the outside, buttery on the inside potatoes that will have people begging for the recipe.)
- Bacon Wrapped Dates (6 mouthwatering versions of this party favorite!)
- Brie Puff Pastry Bites (A quick and easy party app that you can make and freeze well in advance!)
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes (A rich and creamy side dish for your next holiday meal or get together.)
Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup hot sauce such as Frank’s Red Hot or Cholula
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 pound chicken breast tenders
Simple Blue Cheese Dip
- 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbled
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- milk for thinning
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spread panko breadcrumbs in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to shallow plate immediately to keep them from continuing to cook. Stir in kosher salt.
- Place an oven-proof cooling rack inside the rimmed baking sheet and spray or brush with oil to keep tenders from sticking. (If you don’t have an oven-proof cooling rack, just line the baking sheet with parchment paper)
- Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
- Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan and transfer to a bowl. Whisk hot sauce into butter to cool it down.
- Whisk egg and garlic together in a shallow bowl. Add butter and hot sauce mixture and whisk to combine.
- Spread flour on a shallow plate for dredging.
- Pat tenders dry with paper towels. Dredge one tender in flour and shake to remove excess. Dip in egg mixture and lift to let excess drip away. Then dredge the tender in toasted panko crumbs, patting crumbs down to be sure they adhere. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tenders.
- Bake tenders at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes until breading is crisp and chicken is cooked through but still juicy.
- Serve with Simple Blue Cheese Dip (recipe below)
Simple Blue Cheese Dip
- Add blue cheese, garlic and sour cream to a medium bowl. Using the back of a fork, smash blue cheese crumbles into sour cream until flavors have melded. Stir. Add milk, a teaspoon at a time to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- If you can’t find packaged chicken tenderloins, buy boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them lengthwise into thin chicken strips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow this was delicious. They were very crispy on the outside and you could hear the crunch. We will definitely make this again, but might add some more hot sauce for an extra kick.
Hi Jena! So glad you enjoyed these. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know.
Delicious! I’m from the Buffalo area, so I am a bit of a chicken wing snob (LOL). Made this recipe for yesterday’s Bills game. Everyone loved it! Outstanding!!
I love it! I’m so glad these tenders were a hit, Amy. Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Best ever! The pre- baking of the bread crumbs is genius and works every time. This is definitely my go to recipe!
I love to hear that, Karen! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
The absolute best!!
Thanks so much, Robin!
Wow! We just polished off a big pan of these chicken tenders in the first 15 minutes of Super Bowl LV! Tender, flavorful and crispy, as promised. I added a teaspoon of Sambal Oelek for an extra kick. Mm mm mmm. Thanks for another winner.
aww…my pleasure, Deborah! I’m so glad that you enjoyed these.
These were delicious! The hot sauce came through just enough. Loved how crispy they were. Will definitely make again.
This is wonderful to hear, Nicole! I’m so glad you enjoyed these and thank you for coming back to let me know!
This recipe was fantastic! I followed the recipe to a T except adding a bit of Tabasco for an extra kick. All of your tips were super helpful as well. Thank you so much, it was a big hit in our house! Will definitely be making again.
That’s so great to hear, Jessica! Thank you for coming back to let me know. 🙂
Oh my goodness! Made these last night and cannot get over how good they were! I’ve NEVER had tenders come out so crispy. I couldn’t believe it! Instead of Frank’s plus butter and garlic, I just used Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo sauce on it’s own because it’s what I had on hand, but I followed the rest to the letter. (Well, almost to the letter. I had to quadruple the recipe because I have 4 sons, 3 of whom are teenagers – but that’s my own fault, not the fault of the recipe LOL ;-).)
I’ve never used sauce UNDER the bread crumbs before, and I’ve never pre-toasted the coating. Both techniques worked out beautifully. Highly recommend! We served ours on Hoagie rolls with some melted pepper jack cheese and ranch dressing. HUGE success!
You made my day, Naomi!! So glad they were a hit!
These came out great!
Crispy and crunchy!
I used the cooling rack on the baking sheet and prebaked the panko breadcrumbs. I baked the breadcrumbs a little longer 5 minutes at 400 degrees so they were really toasty
Thank you for this great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed these, Katharine!! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Hi! I’ve tried these twice now, and I’m still struggling, just wondering if you have some advice. Despite toasting the panko, the breading is always a bit soggy and the hot sauce flavor doesn’t come through. It just tastes like slightly spicy breaded chicken. I’ve used franks red hot and franks buffalo sauce but still have to add sauce after cooking as I can barely taste it. I feel like I must be doing something wrong!
Hi Chelsea! Interesting about the breading – are you baking them on an oven safe cooling rack? That’s my best advice for making sure the breading stays crisp. And to kick up the heat, how about using a hotter hot sauce, maybe a habanero based sauce?