In any case, chicken tenders can be useful to have around, especially stored in the freezer for when you want a quick meal. As the name implies, they are tender, having been cut from chicken breasts, and a little soaking in buttermilk helps tenderize them even further.
Where to Buy Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are sold packaged as such, or you can make your own by saving and freezing them when you prepare chicken cutlets. Just find that little strip on the side of the chicken breast half and cut it or pull it off.
Making Baked Chicken Tenders From Scratch
There are so many ways one could play with this recipe. What we present here are simple, basic, breaded and baked chicken tenders, with a classic Italian tomato sauce for dipping. (These little guys make great finger food.) I make my breadcrumbs from scratch, because we often have leftover hard ends of French or Italian loaf bread hanging around, which are so easy to chop up and pulse in the blender.
How to Make the Tomato Dipping Sauce
Sure, you could use store-bought marinara sauce for dipping, but it’s so easy and quick to make your own — and it tastes better! Just sauté some chopped onions and garlic, and add tomato paste and canned tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Purée it all in a blender, and it’s ready to serve. The sauce can also be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to a week. If you have any leftover sauce, it’s great for serving with pasta or layering into a casserole.
Ways to Adapt This Recipe
I’m using Italian seasoning with the breadcrumbs, you could just as well pick one herb, like thyme, and go with that. Or add some grated Parmesan. For a lemony flavor you could soak the chicken in a little lemon juice instead of buttermilk.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
Skillet Chicken with Cheesy Orzo and Zucchini Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Cutlets Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta Sheet Pan Chicken with Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes
A mixture of dried herbs often used in Italian cooking such as marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil
2 pounds chicken tenders (about 12 pieces)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (See Recipe Note)
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning herbs (See Recipe Note)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the tomato dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Add the tomato paste, mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. The tomato paste should darken to a brick-red color. Add the tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Cook this for 5 minutes if using tomato sauce, 10 minutes if using crushed tomatoes. The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Place on the wire rack set inside the sheet pan, spaced slightly apart.
