A cheesy coating makes these Spicy Parmesan Ranch Chicken Tenders a delicious dinner the whole family will love. Dipping the breaded chicken tenders in a spicy ranch dressing gives them an extra fun kick in taste.
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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 dino 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…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, 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 that much better.
My family went crazy for these spicy Parmesan Ranch chicken tenders. I’m thinking with 3 hungry kids, I am going to need to double the batch next time if I went leftovers. These chicken tenders will be perfect for all those salads that I have been eating.
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A spicy ranch and cheese coating will make these chicken tenders disappear in a hurry at dinner time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1-2 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup ranch powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Stir together the milk and hot sauce. (Use 1 for mild, 2 for spicier) Pour over the chicken in a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Stir together the crumbs, cheese, ranch powder, and pepper. Roll the chicken in the crumbs.
- Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until the juices run clear. Serve immediately. Serves 6
Notes
*Serve with ranch dressing and hot sauce mixture. Mix in enough hot sauce to suit your taste buds.
Medha @ Whisk and Shout says
May 27, 2015 at 7:36 AMThese look amaIng! Love the bold flavor a and that they are baked 🙂
Jocelyn says
June 8, 2015 at 10:06 AMThank you!!!!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
May 27, 2015 at 8:15 AMDino 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 says
June 8, 2015 at 10:07 AMGotta love sample day and the crazy people attacking the booths 😉
Beth says
May 27, 2015 at 8:52 AMDino meat?! This lady IS crazy!!! I know this would be a popular recipe if we had kiddos!
Jocelyn says
June 8, 2015 at 10:07 AMHahaha! Yeah, she sounded so crazy! And this is definitely a kid friendly meal!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
May 27, 2015 at 9:59 AMFor 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 says
June 8, 2015 at 10:08 AMHahaha! That might have ended the dino nugget streak pretty quickly!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
May 27, 2015 at 12:44 PMDINO 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 says
June 8, 2015 at 10:08 AMLOL! We seriously were cracking up the entire time we walked through the store! She was too funny!
kentuckylady717 says
May 27, 2015 at 3:07 PMYep, 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 says
June 8, 2015 at 10:09 AMWe like Wendy’s and McDonald’s chicken nuggets…I think they are both 100% chicken. Chickfila has some awesome chicken too!!!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
May 28, 2015 at 6:58 AMYes! 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 says
June 8, 2015 at 10:10 AMWe 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!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
May 28, 2015 at 7:50 AMI 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 says
June 8, 2015 at 10:11 AMThank you 🙂
ChiChi says
May 28, 2015 at 3:55 PMThese chicken tenders looks really delicious. Love the parmesan ranch coating.
Meg says
June 15, 2015 at 10:21 AMThis 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 says
June 15, 2015 at 10:30 AMI 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 says
June 17, 2015 at 11:52 PMJust 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!