Parmesan Herb Chicken Tenders are almost as easy as frozen chicken tenders. Strips of chicken breasts are coated in flour, egg wash and seasoned panko. Then they're quickly pan fried and finished off in the oven, never losing their crispy texture.
Update: This recipe was originally shared in March 2014. The recipe has been updated and republished with new photos in January 2023.
I never used to be a fan of anything breaded because it always ended up soggy and that texture grosses me out. But these flavorful Parmesan cheese and herb chicken tenders changed my mind forever.
What are Parmesan Herb Chicken Tenders?
These homemade chicken tenders are better than anything you can get out of the freezer section and they don't take that long to make! Chicken breasts is sliced into tenders and coated in Panko breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese and dried herbs.
Ingredients
- chicken breasts
- all purpose flour
- large eggs
- milk
- hot sauce
- Panko bread crumbs
- grated Parmesan cheese
- herbs: rosemary, thyme, parsley
- garlic powder
- crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and set aside. Then add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a heavy-bottomed skillet and set aside.
Next, prepare your chicken. Slice chicken breasts into strips, removing any fat.
Then, prepare your dredging stations. Gather 3 shallow dishes. In the first one, add the flour, salt and pepper. In the second one, whisk the eggs with milk and hot sauce. And finally, in the third one combine the Panko bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, dried herbs, garlic powder and crushed red pepper.
After that, dredge the chicken. Dip each chicken tender into the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Then dip it into the egg wash and finally into the Panko mixture, making sure its fully coated. Place prepared chicken onto a cutting board.
Then pan-fry the chicken. Heat skillet over medium high heat and cook chicken in batches, for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Finally, finish the chicken in the oven. Transfer cooked chicken to the cooling rack and finish baking in the oven for 6-8 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
Serve Parmesan Herb Chicken Tenders with your favorite dipping sauce - such as honey mustard, BBQ sauce, hot honey, etc.
Substitutions
- Skip the step of slicing chicken breasts by using chicken tenderloins.
- Water can replace milk in the egg wash and the hot sauce is optional.
- Swap out dried herbs for fresh herbs if you have them on hand.
FAQ
Make sure that your oil is hot enough before you add the chicken to the skillet - if a drop of water sizzles, it is hot enough. Also, do not crowd the pan. Cook chicken in batches as to not drop the temperature of the oil. Finally, finishing the chicken in the oven on a wire rack will allow it to stay crispy.
My favorite is honey mustard, but BBQ sauce, hot honey sauce or even sriracha ranch is a great option.
No, not even for this recipe because the Panko mixture serves as the crispy coating. You can also replace the all purpose flour in the recipe with Wondra flour, which is lighter and will provide a thinner coating on the chicken.
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Recipe
Parmesan Herb Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon milk (or water)
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup Panko
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1.5 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1.5 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ cup canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack sprayed with non-stick on top. Set aside.
- Add canola (or vegetable oil) to a large skillet.½ cup canola oil
- Cut chicken breasts into strips, removing any fat. (Alternately, use chicken tenders).1 lb chicken breasts
- In one shallow dish add the all purpose flour. In another, whisk together the eggs with milk and hot sauce. In the third dish, combine Panko, parmesan and herbs. Stir to combine.1 cup all purpose flour, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1 cup Panko, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano, 1.5 teaspoon dried parsley, 1.5 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder, 1.5 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Dredge chicken first through the flour, shaking off any excess, then into the egg mixture and finally into the Panko mixture. Place on a cutting board or plate and repeat until all chicken is coated.
- Heat skillet over medium high heat and once hot, place chicken strips into the skillet cooking about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly golden brown. (You may need to work in batches to not overcrowd the skillet).
- Transfer chicken to the cooling sheet and once all chicken is pan-fried, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes until the chicken strips reach and internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Nutrition
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