Baked Chicken Tenders
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Published Aug 27, 2021, Updated Sep 12, 2023
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These baked chicken tenders are coated in almond flour or meal, shredded coconut and a blend of spices. They’re absolutely delicious and perfect for dipping in your favorite sauce.
I feel like most adults deem chicken tenders as a kids food. But I’m a big fan of chicken tenders! They’re super flavorful, crispy and can be eaten on their own or in a variety of ways.
Instead of using traditional bread crumbs for breading, I made these baked chicken tenders paleo and grain-free by using almond meal. My family is hooked on this simple dinner!
Here’s What You Need
- boneless skinless chicken breast – cut into strips. You can also buy pre-cut chicken tenders but they’re usually more expensive and it’s easy to slice a chicken breast into strips!
- egg – to bind the almond meal to the chicken.
- almond meal – the base of the breading! I typically use almond meal, but you can definitely use almond flour instead. You’ll mix spices into the almond meal or flour to make it extra flavorful.
- unsweetened shredded coconut – to add flavor and crunch to the breading! If you’re not a big coconut fan, you can just use more almond meal.
- spices – a delicious combination of paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper.
tip! Bake these chicken tenders on a baking sheet with a wire rack. The wire rack will result in a crispier texture!
Dip Pairings
You can’t have chicken tenders without dipping sauce, right?! Here are some of our favorites:
What to Serve Baked Chicken Tenders With
Like I mentioned earlier, these baked chicken tenders are actually pretty versatile! Here are some ways to serve them:
- As a full meal – Eat them on their own with a delicious dip and vegetable fries – my favorites are baked zucchini fries or baked sweet potato fries!
- On a salad – Top a salad with crispy chicken tenders! The options are endless here – swap any protein out for these chicken tenders or add them to a side salad like this strawberry spinach salad for a complete meal.
- In a wrap – Make a wrap by adding greens, any extra veggies, chicken tenders and a sauce. Lunch on the go!
- As a side – Make a pot of vegan mac and cheese or protein packed healthy mac and cheese and serve chicken tenders on the side.
How to Store Baked Chicken Tenders
Leftover chicken tenders store really well! After allowing them to cool, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, I like to pop them in the conventional oven or toaster oven for a few minutes so they crisp back up!
More Popular Chicken Recipes
Baked Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb organic boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- 1 egg
- ½ cup almond meal (or almond flour)
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (or ¼ cup more almond meal)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and coat a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place almond meal, coconut, paprika, cayenne, garlic, sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Crack egg into another shallow bowl and whisk.
- One by one, dredge each chicken tender in the egg bowl, wiping off any access and then dip each into the almond meal mixture. Roll until each tender is covered completely.
- Place the coated tenders on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a wire rack that fits on a baking sheet. The wire rack will make for a crispier texture.
- Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the tenders once at the 10 minute mark. When done the chicken tenders will be golden brown and completely cooked through.
- Remove tenders from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Leftover chicken tenders store really well. After allowing them to cool slightly, store in an airtight container for 5 days. To reheat, I like to pop them in the conventional oven or toaster oven for a few minutes so they crisp back up!
Video
Notes
- Looking for dipping sauce ideas? Try these: homemade BBQ, honey mustard dressing, homemade ranch, or healthy Chick-Fil-A Sauce.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved these! I have a nut allergy, so I made Sunflower Seed meal to substitute and it turned out great!
Woo-hoo! So glad that they turned out with sunflower seed meal. I didn’t even know sunflower seed meal was a thing.
Made these tonight and the family loved them!! I made a double recipe so the kids could take them to school for lunch. Great recipe as I’m really trying to eat clean and feed the family delicious nutritious meals.
These are amazing & have become a regular in my house! Any idea if they would freeze well after baking? Thanks!
I love these chicken tenders. I’ve done the recipe straight up, and then done different variations, using smoked paprika, etc. Also, once I realized I didn’t have almond meal when it was too late to run out and get it, so I used panko. I know they weren’t then paleo, but they still tasted good.
These are so so delicious!!! We’re doing Whole30 and they were such a nice change from roasted chicken. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Also, I tried to give 5 stars but my phone wasn’t having it. Definitely a 5 star recipe!!
Thank you so much, Anne!!
Going to try these tonight, but one of my kids doesn’t like spicy food, so i was wondering about the spice level? maybe i will omit the cayenne even though i LOVE spicy…
Yeah! I would just omit the cayenne. Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Hello, My husband and I just started the Paleo diet. We are having great success with all the meals we’ve been making. I was so excited to find the Baked Paleo Chicken Tenders recipe. I am making this recipe for my husband tonight for dinner along with a Paleo friendly mustard dipping sauce and a Paleo Salad. Thank you for posting this…
We make these regularly for our girls. I like to double the recipe so hubby has leftovers for lunch. Another neat trick is to make an extra batch of the breading and cut up an extra batch of chicken for an easy throw together meal on a night you don’t have a lot of time. Thank you so much for this wonderful, kid friendly, leftover friendly and freezer friendly meal!!
Yay!! So glad that you and your family like these chicken tenders and I love the make-ahead trick you shared too! I’m actually working on a new chicken parm recipe with these.
I loved this recipe! I’m usually not a huge chicken fan but am trying to incorporate more of it into my diet for a boost of lean protein, which means I’m on the hunt for flavor filled, versatile recipes. I can’t wait to work these into my meal prep regularly and use them for salads, grain bowls, and more. Thanks so much for sharing this one.
Great recipe – these turned out perfectly! Very yummy!
“The chicken is not dry!” My husband blurted out after his first bite. We were out of paprika so I used some chipotle powder and I made extra for a salad to take to work tomorrow. Great recipe, thanks!
Hooray!! So glad you both enjoyed these. They’re a favorite over here too! 🙂