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.
Michael says
Made these in a Weber kettle with a vortex. It took 15 minutes per batch of tenders. Outstanding recipe. This will be in regular rotation. My super picky wife loved these.
Kayla says
I’ve ended up modifying these using eggs in place of butter, but these are AMAZING. My non-lowcarb boyfriend absolutely loves these and asks for them all the time. I make them at least once a month and in fact will be making them tonight! Seriously loves these so much, it’s unreal.
Cindy R says
Delicious recipe. Seasoning was perfect! I needed my oven for another dish at a much higher temperature so I used my air fryer and they came out just fine! Not terribly crispy but very tender. Thanks for sharing!
Venita says
I love this recipe. Easy to make and we had all of the ingredients. My grand daughter and husband loved and they are picky eaters. Definitely going to be a household favorite.
Lynda says
I made half of the recipe. It is delicious. Probably the best chicken I’ve ever made. I halved everything except I did use a scant cup of cheese. Oh, and I really did set off the smoke alarm, but who cares.
Ann DD says
A favorite across my guys!
Sandy says
Very tasty. Nice spice mixture. Cooked on a silpat mat and they came out crispy enough.
Has anyone tied this with egg wash or olive oil instead of butter?
Donald Shoemaker says
This recipe is one of the best I didn’t dry them out on the rack from butter and was still very very good..will make again…wife loved them ..trying to get away from carbs from breading..
CINDY CULP says
I am not overly concerned about keto friendly so I added some panko bread crumbs to the dipping mix. I loved how easy it was to put together and it was delcious. I will definitely make again.
Becky Grimmett Adams says
Very good tenders! I’m printing now to add to my low-carb collection.
Becky in Caruthersville, MO
Christy N says
Very good recipe! I had to substitute items. I had smoked paprika instead of regular. I used mozzarella cheese because I didn’t have parmesan cheese. I also used accent instead of salt. It was so good! Thanks for sharing!
Melissa Guardia says
These are incredible! I made some for my husband and I. I even made a keto calzone and put them inside.
shel says
these turned out mushy. 🙁 like the spice mixture.
DsWife says
Love this low carb coating. I want to prepare ahead of time – should I freeze them after they’re cooked or while still uncooked. I see you haven’t done this. Does anybody else have an opinion on when would be best to freeze these – before or after cooking? I’m coating them now so I’d appreciate a quick response…lol.
Gina Buchanan says
WOW these are great. Even my husband liked them. This is definitely a keeper.
Lei says
These are so tender, moist and oh so tasty!
Ana says
Can I substitute the parsley? Only asking because I don’t have any on hand. Or can I omit it without ruining the recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
You can omit it 🙂
Janet says
Can I use dried parsley? I don’t have fresh.
Amanda says
Absolutely, although I would use about 1/3 as much 🙂
Ash says
I have trouble getting my toddler to eat anything and she scarfs these down! These turn out perfectly crispy. I add some shredded parm into the dry mix too. This is honestly my favorite keto friendly recipe.
Amy says
These are delicious!! I was looking for a quick weeknight recipe and these hit the spot even better than I imagined they would.
Dana says
Loved it!
Uticababs says
Made for dinner . Husband loved it and so did I. Nice kick!