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This Gluten Free Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe yields crispy and flavorful crowd-pleasing chicken tenders that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner!
I worked at a pizzeria during high school. One of my absolute favorite things to eat on break there was a chicken finger (aka chicken tender) sub with blue cheese!
I’ve had this type of sandwich in other parts of the country, so I don’t think it’s a Buffalo thing. But I will say, the best chicken finger subs I’ve ever had are in Buffalo.
I still like chicken fingers (I mean, we all do, right?), but now I like them a little healthier. Enter this Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe, which also happens to be gluten free!
Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe
These chicken tenders are baked instead of deep-fried! Don’t worry, they’re still crispy, golden, and packed with flavor.
And bonus, baking is a lot easier than deep-frying and it requires a lot less supervision. (This recipe cooks up in just 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for a healthy weeknight meal.) And double bonus, your house won’t smell like oil from deep-frying!
Gluten Free Chicken Tenders
This crispy chicken tenders recipe is gluten free and grain free. And I’m telling you, it’s every bit as delicious as the original!
Ingredients for This Gluten Free Breadcrumb Coating:
- Almond flour
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried Italian herb seasoning
- Paprika
- Salt
- Black pepper
Pro Tip: For this recipe, freshly grated Parmesan cheese must be used instead of pre-grated. This is because when you grate the Parmesan (preferably on a microplane, which grates it so it’s very fluffy), it gives the cheese quite a bit of volume, and we need it to coat all the tenders. Not to mention, the flavor of fresh-grated is so much better!
Baked Not Fried – How Long to Bake Chicken Tenders at 350
Chicken tenders take about 30 minutes to cook at 350F. For this recipe, I cook the chicken tenders at 425F to help them cook a little faster, and to help them get a bit crispier.
No matter what temperature you’re cooking chicken tenders at, be sure to fully cook chicken until there’s no pink inside. If you’re using a thermometer, it should read 165F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
What Goes with Baked Chicken Tenders?
While the chicken is in the oven, you can:
- Throw together a salad.
- Cut up carrot and celery sticks.
- Or get out the fixings to make homemade subs/sandwiches/heros/hoagies/whatever you want to call them.
- And don’t forget to serve chicken tenders with something like homemade Buttermilk-Herb Dressing for dipping!
More 30 Minute Chicken Dinners:
- Thai Noodles Recipe with Vegetables and Chicken
- Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
- One-Skillet 30-Minute Chicken Parmesan
- Keto Crack Chicken Recipe
- Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Gluten Free Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 ounce freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 3-inch by 3/4-inch strips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F; drizzle 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on a large baking sheet and spread it around with your hand.
- Lightly beat together the egg, egg white, and milk in a shallow bowl.
- Stir together the almond flour, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian herb mix, paprika, salt, and black pepper in another shallow bowl.
- Dip each chicken strip first in the egg mixture, letting the excess drain off, and then in the almond meal mixture, lightly pressing the mixture into the chicken.
- Arrange the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet so they’re not touching. Drizzle the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on top.
- Bake until the chicken is lightly browned and fully cooked (there should be no pink in the center when you cut into it), about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan once.
Notes
- Net Carbs: 3g per serving
- For this recipe, freshly grated Parmesan cheese must be used instead of pre-grated. This is because when you grate the Parmesan (preferably on a microplane, which grates it so it’s very fluffy), it gives the cheese quite a bit of volume, and we need it to coat all the tenders. Not to mention, the flavor of fresh-grated is so much better!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
Share it with me on Instagram and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on November 1, 2013. It was updated with more information on January 10, 2020.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
Making these next week! Did you use almond meal or blanched almond flour? Thanks!
Bre, I’ve used both almond meal and almond flour to make this, and both products work well. I usually just grab whatever I have stocked in my pantry, which is almost always almond flour (because I prefer almond flour over almond meal for gluten free and keto baking). I hope you enjoy! :)
Tried this recipe (had to use the non-fresh Parmesan because I couldn’t wait to buy the good stuff). I thought that the more batter, the crunchier but the almond meal gives a nice crunch. Overall, I’m quite satisfied and would make again.
Looks really good, going to try it tomorrow.
Chicken fingers are one of our very guilty pleasures! This healthy version will definitely be on our menu next week.
I too loved a buffalo chicken finger sub back in my highschool days when I used to eat with reckless abandon.
What a wonderful healthy take on a guilty pleasure. Love it!
*kisses* H
Love the baked ones, the coating sounds delish.
I love your almond meal + parmesan coating, great idea!
i wish our metabolism stayed the same :( this looks ideal for busy weeknight.
I want to make! i bet Kay would be a huge fan too. Gosh…I can remember all the crazy junk I used to eat ;)
I am Gluten Free and these are the best tasting tenders I have ever had so…. Ditto
Is 2 servings just 2 Chicken Tenders??
Pat, This whole recipe makes between 2 to 4 servings, depending on how hungry people are. The number of tenders you get will depend on how you slice the chicken breasts, but it should be more than 2 tenders per serving.
Scrumptious! Perfect with a salad.
Cheers,
Rosa