Crispy Chicken Tenders

by

Chicken tenders are an American staple, and a childhood favorite of mine and almost everyone else. Sometimes you just need a breaded, fried piece of chicken to hit the spot, and this recipe does just that! Traditionally chicken tenders are often first coated in the dredging process with corn starch or double zero (finely ground) flour. This allows the remaining dredges to actually stick to the tender. If you skip this step, the breading will have a tendency to fall off. I have found the finely ground consistency of coconut flour does the trick! The next step is either eggs with milk, buttermilk, or just buttermilk alone. I have opted to simply use egg and add a touch of almond milk to thin it out a bit. Finally, chicken tenders are usually coated in a courser flour mixture with spices; and then either pan fried, baked, or deep fried. My replacement here is almond flour, as it lends itself to a coarser texture and sticks to the wet coating well. Lastly, pan frying is what I like to use as it gives a more ‘restaurant’ flavor, but if you would like to bake them feel free to do so. Just place them on a wire rack with a sheet tray underneath and bake at 375° F for 8 minutes and then turn, and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Temp to ensure it has reached 165° F. I know you and your family will enjoy this American classic as much as me and mine!    

Crispy Chicken Tenders

Serves 4
Prep: 12 min                                                                                                                                                           
Cooking : 16 min                                                                                                                                                                                                             Total: 28 min
Beginner

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. Chicken breast, sliced into tenders

½ Cup coconut flour

2 Eggs

â…› Cup almond milk, no thickeners

1 ¼ Cup of almond flour 

½ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. parsley flakes

¼ tsp. salt 

¼ tsp. black pepper 

4 Tbsp. olive oil (2 tbsp. per batch)

      Method Of Prep:

  1. Gather and prep ingredients.
  2. Start by laying the chicken breast down at an angle.
  3. Cut the chicken breast vertically to create strips. You should get 4-5 per breast, set aside.
  4. Now set up your dredging ingredients.
  5. Heat a large pan on medium low heat.
  6. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and allow to heat while dredging chicken.
  7. Get 3 small containers for dredging.
  8. Put your coconut flour in one, your eggs and milk in the second one (be sure to whisk), and add almond flour and seasoning to the third.
  9. Working with 3-4 tenders at a time start by coating in coconut flour, then egg mix, followed by the almond flour mixture.
  10. Once coated, add to the oiled pan and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until internal temperature has reached 165 F. Be gentle when flipping. I use a spatula rather than tongs to keep the integrity of the coating intact.
  11. Once the first batch has cooked, carefully wipe out the pan to remove any burnt bits of flour.
  12. Now add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the rest of the tenders.
  13. Serve immediately with whole grain honey mustard and enjoy!

                                                             

Nutrition Facts: 
Calories- 518
Carbs- 13.5 g
Fat- 24 g
Protein- 48.1 g