A cheesy coating makes these Parmesan Ranch Baked Chicken Tenders a delicious dinner recipe the whole family will love. Dipping the homemade chicken nuggets in a spicy ranch dressing gives them an extra fun flavor kick.
As a family with three children, we have gone through our fair share of chicken nuggets and dipping sauces over the years from various fast food restaurants.
Ok, fine even I am guilty of ordering chicken nuggets for dinner when we go to McD's...and that was just the other week. Don't judge me...I had a salad with them.
The other day my husband and I were picking up some groceries from Sam's Club. Anyone else love sample day? You know it's going to be a good trip when you see all those booths lined up down the aisles. You also know you are bound to see and hear some funny things.
That day they were sampling the dino-shaped chicken nuggets. We happened to walk by that booth and overheard a customer talking to the worker. "So, what's in these?" "Oh, it's chicken?" "But they are shaped like dinos?"
My husband is convinced this lady thought those dino nuggets really were made with dinosaur meat because why else would she seem so surprised to find out they were chicken. We may have laughed like crazy all around the store because it was seriously so funny!
Or she was a professional sampler. You know the ones, right? They walk up to see what the sample is and then act like it is something they have never seen or tried before.
Don't try to act like you haven't done that too. "Oh, what is this?" "Popcorn?" "Why no, I have never tried that before." Ok, so maybe that's being a little too silly.
Because eating out or buying chicken nuggets all the time can be pricy, so I like to make these easy baked chicken tenders at home. You can bump up the spicy flavor by adding some hot sauce to the buttermilk that you marinate the chicken in. Adding cheese and Ranch powder to the breadcrumbs make these chicken tenders taste so much better too.
My family went crazy for these homemade chicken tenders. I'm thinking with 3 hungry kids, I am going to need to double the batch next time if I went any leftovers for the rest of the week. These chicken tenders will be perfect for all those salads that I have been eating.
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Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders
A crispy ranch and cheese coating will make these baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders disappear in a hurry at dinner time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup dry ranch powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Trim any fat from the tenderloins. Pour buttermilk over the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread panko crumbs on tray and lightly spray with extra virgin olive oil. Bake 3-5 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove and cool.
- Stir together the toasted crumbs, parmesan cheese, ranch powder, and pepper. Roll the chicken in the crumbs. Gently press on crumbs to coat.
- Place a wire rack on baking sheet and place crumb coated tenders on it. Spray lightly with EVOO. Bake for 15-18 minutes (depending on size of tenders) or until internal temp is 165°. Do not over bake or chicken will not be juicy.
- Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve immediately with ranch dressing.
Notes
- Freezer Friendly - Cool baked tenders completely. Place in freezer safe bag and freeze for 2-3 months. To bake, place frozen tenders on a parchment lined tray. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until internal temp is 165°.
- Want a spicier chicken tender? Stir 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce in the buttermilk. (1 for milk, 2 for spicier)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 854mgCarbohydrates: 10gNet Carbohydrates: 4gFiber: 6gSugar: 1gProtein: 32g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
Meg
This is my first time visiting your lovely website and while I originally stopped by to pin another recipe, I must say I'm even more excited about these spicy parmesan ranch chicken tenders! This recipe has pretty much all of my boyfriend's favorite flavors so I think that means I have to make these for dinner this week! Thanks for creating such a great recipe. I'll be sure to come back to share how they turned out when I make them. Looking forward to becoming a regular reader.
Jocelyn
I am so glad you found a recipe to try out. Definitely keep me posted on how you guys like them. And I am so happy to have you here as a regular reader 🙂
Meg
Just wanted to stop back by and tell you that this recipe turned out wonderfully. The flavors were all present and accounted for and the chicken was absolutely moist and delicious. The recipe came together so quickly and, other than the buttermilk, I like that the ingredients are ones I usually have on hand without an extra trip to the store. I ended up freezing the leftover buttermilk in one-tablespoon measures in an ice tray and then storing the cubes in a freezer bag so it's not wasted.
I will definitely be adding this recipe to my regular rotation and look forward to trying more recipes from your site!
ChiChi
These chicken tenders looks really delicious. Love the parmesan ranch coating.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
I love the parmesan and ranch combo, Jocelyn! Sounds like it makes for one delicious chicken meal. And I love easy meals like this, too! Pinned!
Jocelyn
Thank you 🙂
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg
Yes! I love the combination of parmesan and ranch together. The samples at wholesale stores are the best. There's a grocery store in CT that isn't wholesale, but they give out the best samples of cheese, homemade apple cider donuts, and other goodies. I can eat a meal just from the samples. I'm 24 and I would be happy eating chicken tenders every night of the week 😀
Jocelyn
We love when there are lots of samples...less time making dinner that night 😉 Nothing wrong with chicken tenders every night...I could totally do that too!
kentuckylady717
Yep, they look good and much healthier than the fast food ones.....but if you like McDonald's, you gotta try Wendy's.....they have the best ever.......and it is 100 % chicken......I don't know about McDonald's now, but they used to be horrible.....wasn't chicken....but some kind of chicken flavor fillers.....yuk so bad.....
But I will try these, don't need all the grease 🙂
Thanks,
Jocelyn
We like Wendy's and McDonald's chicken nuggets...I think they are both 100% chicken. Chickfila has some awesome chicken too!!!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel
DINO MEAT. LOL! I was totally laughing out loud at that part. Seriously, what the heck? I cannot even imagine thinking that was dino meat. But I totally agree with you on sample day - I try to get as many samples as humanly possible without feeling totally gluttonous 🙂 These chicken tenders look like a total money saver and sound way better than dino nuggets... or their chicken counterpart!
Jocelyn
LOL! We seriously were cracking up the entire time we walked through the store! She was too funny!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
For years Jordan would ONLY eat Dino Nuggets. I should have told her they were made with dinosaurs. I was so happy when she finally ate "real" chicken tenders - love this recipe!
Jocelyn
Hahaha! That might have ended the dino nugget streak pretty quickly!
Beth
Dino meat?! This lady IS crazy!!! I know this would be a popular recipe if we had kiddos!
Jocelyn
Hahaha! Yeah, she sounded so crazy! And this is definitely a kid friendly meal!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
Dino meat? Yup, sample day is awesome, just like these chicken tenders. Love a new twist on a classic. Thanks for more great inspiration Jocelyn!
Jocelyn
Gotta love sample day and the crazy people attacking the booths 😉
Medha @ Whisk and Shout
These look amaIng! Love the bold flavor a and that they are baked 🙂
Jocelyn
Thank you!!!!