Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard
Buttermilk-soaked and double-dredged in panko, baked hot on a wire rack to crisp on every side without a drop of frying oil.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
-
Whisk the buttermilk and hot sauce together, submerge the chicken tenders, and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
-
Heat the oven to 425°F and set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet; coat the rack with olive oil spray.
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Combine the flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in one shallow dish, the beaten eggs in a second, and the panko and parmesan in a third.
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Lift each tender from the buttermilk, dredge in the flour, dip in the egg, then press into the panko mixture until fully coated.
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Arrange the tenders on the rack without touching and spray the tops lightly with oil.
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Bake until the coating is deep golden brown and the thickest tender reaches 165°F, 18 to 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
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Whisk the mayonnaise, dijon, and honey together for the dipping sauce.
Notes
The wire rack is what makes this work without a fryer — it lets hot air move under the chicken so the bottom crisps instead of steaming against the pan. Skip it and you get soggy-bottomed tenders no matter how good the crust looks on top.
The buttermilk soak is doing double duty: it tenderizes and it gives the flour something to cling to, so don’t skip straight to the egg wash even if you’re short on time. Leftovers reheat well in a 400°F oven for five minutes — the microwave will undo all of this.