I used to think baked chicken tenderloins had to be breaded in order to taste good. Then one night, I had forgotten to buy breadcrumbs and decided to try something new. I realized something that night- when you season chicken tenders properly and avoid overcooking them, you don’t need breading at all! Our baked chicken tenderloins have a golden, well-seasoned outside from a quick butter and spice coating, and the doneness check further down keeps them tender and juicy every time.
Chicken tenders, or chicken fingers or strips, are a classic dinner staple kids and adults love. If you’re looking for more recipes with chicken tenders, or easy chicken tender recipes for busy weeknights, check out our chicken tenderloin dinner ideas for a whole lot of inspiration!
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Baked Chicken Tenderloins Video Tutorial
Why We Love This Recipe
- Perfect for meal prep: Our recipe is easy to double and you’ll thank your future self if you do. Make extras and use towards meals for the rest of the week- quick lunches, enchiladas, casseroles, on top of salads and even in soups! Give yourself the gift of more time outside of the kitchen by spending just a couple extra minutes in the kitchen doubling this recipe.
- Butter and spice method: dipping the tenderloins in melted butter and then in the seasonings is the secret I discovered for flavorful, golden baked chicken tenderloins without the heaviness of breading. The butter helps the spices cling and browns the edges, which makes this the best way to cook chicken tenders when you want big flavor and no breading.
- Have them on the table in minutes: from prep to plate, dinner is ready in about 20 minutes!
- No breading: this means less mess, fewer dishes, and no flour or breadcrumbs to buy. They taste just as good as a breaded chicken tender because they are still tender, juicy, and full of flavor!
- Just 7 simple ingredients: you probably have most of them in your pantry right now. Chicken, butter, and a few spices are all you need.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Melted butter – We use butter instead of an oil because it browns the chicken perfectly and adds extra flavor. However, you can swap this for any vegetable oil with a neutral flavor or ghee if needed. Oil options include avocado oil, coconut oil, and sunflower oil.
- Seasonings – onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, ground black pepper. These seasonings don’t just make the chicken taste amazing, they also help provide that deep golden brown color you expect from baked chicken tenderloins.
- Tenderloins – use tenderloins or cut strips of breast meat instead. We have a post if you want to learn how to cut chicken breast into strips. Tenderloins are a great cut of meat to have on hand, not only are they an affordable cut, they are also conveniently manageable baking sizes.
Equipment
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A sturdy, heavy baking sheet matters more than you might think. Thin pans can warp in a hot oven and heat unevenly, so some tenderloins cook faster than others. I always line mine with parchment paper too. It makes cleanup easy, so you can get dinner on the table faster.
An instant read thermometer is the one tool I consider essential here. Tenderloins cook fast, and a quick check at 165ºF takes the guesswork out, so you pull them out juicy instead of dry.
Recipe Variations
- Mix up the spices – use your preferred spices. Feel free to swap or add spices, like Italian seasonings, chili powder, cumin, or cayenne pepper for some heat.
- Air fryer chicken tenderloins – the instructions are in the recipe below!
More Recipes for Chicken Tenders and Tenderloins
- Marinated Chicken Tenders: uses a marinade for extra flavor.
- Chicken Tenders in the Instant Pot: check out our kid-approved chicken strips, all made in your Instant Pot.
- Crispy Bisquick Chicken Tenders: our fast and easy chicken tenders recipe uses Bisquick breading.
- Shake and Bake Chicken: Chicken tenderloins that are extra crispy using Panko bread crumbs.
- Blackened Chicken Tenderloins: Bold flavor through seasoning and made right on your skillet.
- Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders: Classic fried chicken taste with a little bit of spice made by frying in oil on your skillet
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Dry the chicken before dipping! This is the key to seasoning that sticks. Drying the meat helps the butter and seasonings adhere, so you get golden, flavorful edges and tender, juicy chicken inside, with no breading. Simply dab the meat with a paper towel until dry. This quick step makes a big difference!
How to Bake Chicken Tenderloins in the Oven
Step One: Mix and Dip
Mix the seasonings in a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken breast tenderloins in the butter or vegetable oil to coat. Then coat the strips by dredging them through the seasonings.
Step Two: Layer them on your baking sheet.
Place them in a single layer so the heat can circulate and brown the tops and sides.
Add your favorite fresh or frozen vegetables like green beans, asparagus, bell pepper, broccoli, or small diced potatoes to the baking sheet for an easy sheet pan dinner.
Below, we prepared our chicken tenderloins in an oven recipe and added asparagus spears. Using a lined sheet pan is genius because there’s little cleanup!
Step 3: Bake or Air Fry
Bake chicken tenderloins in the oven at 350ºF for 15 minutes for standard size tenderloins. If your chicken tenderloins are about 1.5 inches thick or more, add 2-3 minutes bake time and start checking for an internal temperature of 165ºF at the 15 minute mark. You can also air fry at 325ºF for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or fresh parsley.
How to Tell When They’re Done
Check by size, not just the clock:
- Standard tenderloins: bake 15 minutes at 350ºF, then check.
- Larger tenderloins (about 1.5 inches thick or more): add 2 to 3 minutes and start checking at 15.
- Frozen tenderloins: add 3 minutes.
- Air fryer at 325ºF: 10 to 15 minutes.
- Always check for 165ºF in the thickest piece.
What to Make With Chicken Tenderloins: Dips and Sides
We recommend serving them warm with kid-friendly dipping sauces like ketchup, ranch dressing, our 3 ingredient BBQ sauce, yogurt-based chicken shawarma sauce, or honey mustard sauce.
Add these easy veggies sides to the oven: oven roasted green beans and potatoes or roasted carrots and asparagus for a complete meal.
This entree pairs perfectly with a fresh salad, as a topping or a side dish. Check out our favorite salads like Tex Mex cowboy salad or Panera goddess salad.
Recipe FAQs
Make sure you completely dry your tenderloins before dipping in butter and seasoning. This allows the butter and seasoning to adhere better and not be diluted by moisture on the chicken. Give them space on the pan too, since crowded tenderloins steam instead of brown.
Bake them at 350ºF or use the air fryer at 325ºF for tender, juicy poultry.
Overcooking is the usual reason, and tenderloins cook fast. Check the temperature at 15 minutes and take them out as soon as the thickest piece reaches 165ºF. Let them rest a few minutes before serving.
Bake for 15 minutes and check the temperature at this time. Chicken should be light golden brown. Add 2-3 minutes if your chicken tenders are about 1.5 inches thick or more. Check the internal temperature in the center chicken strips to ensure they are 165º internally before serving. You can also air fry for 10-15 minutes. See our “How to Tell When They’re Done” section above.
Since they’re small, thin slices of chicken, baking chicken tenderloins from frozen is easy! Just add 3 minutes of baking time and check the internal temperature of the chicken to be sure it is 165ºF.
Chicken tenderloins are small, triangular-shaped cuts of meat attached to chicken breasts. They are ideal for quick baking methods like grilling, broiling, or stir-frying.
Chicken breasts are much larger than tenderloin. They are popular and versatile, but they have longer baking times. If you do not have tenderloins on hand, an easy substitution is to cut a chicken breast into finger-size strips. See our how to cut chicken breasts tutorial on how to cut it into strips.
More Easy Chicken Recipes Recipes To Consider…
- Cajun Chicken Fingers
- BBQ Baked Chicken Tenders
- Smoked Chicken Thighs On A Traeger
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs And Vegetables
If you tried making our chicken tenders recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Baked Chicken Tenderloins
Equipment
- Baking Sheet - or rimmed baking sheet
- dipping trays - or plate
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds chicken tenderloins fresh or frozen *for frozen, see Notes below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF or Air Fryer to 325ºF. Prepare the shallow casserole dish or baking sheet by spraying with cooking oil or use parchment paper.
- Add all seasonings to a dipping tray and stir gently so they are all well incorporated. Use a separate tray for the melted butter or oil.
- Dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel before dipping, dip the chicken strips in the butter to coat on all sides. Let excess butter slide off before dipping them into the seasoning. Flip the chicken and dip the other side into the seasoning, being sure to cover the entire tenderloin in seasoning.
- Place dipped chicken on the prepared casserole pan or baking sheet in a single layer. Add fresh or frozen green beans, asparagus, broccoli, or small diced potatoes (see below) to the sheet, if desired.
Baking Instructions
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken tenders reach an internal temperature of 165ºF in the center. If your chicken tenderloins are about 1.5 inches thick or more, add 2-3 minutes bake time and start checking for an internal temperature of 165ºF at the 15 minute mark. Serve the chicken tenders warm with your favorite dipping sauces like ranch, BBQ, or honey mustard.
Air Fry Instructions
- Air fry the chicken tenderloins for 10-15 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the chicken strips to ensure they are 165º internally before serving.
- Serve the chicken tenders warm with your favorite dipping sauces like ranch, BBQ, or honey mustard.
Video
Notes
- Add 3 minutes baking time for frozen chicken tenderloins.
- If using diced potatoes, ensure that the size of the potatoes are less than 1″ dice so they will be baked through.
- Standard tenderloins: bake 15 minutes at 350ºF, then check.
- Larger tenderloins (about 1.5 inches thick or more): add 2 to 3 minutes and start checking at 15 minutes.
- Frozen tenderloins: add 3 minutes.
- Air fryer at 325ºF: 10 to 15 minutes.
- Always check for 165ºF in the thickest piece.
- Mix up the spices – use your preferred spices. Feel free to swap or add spices, like Italian seasonings, chili powder, cumin, or cayenne pepper for some heat.
- Air fryer chicken tenders – the instructions are in the recipe below!
- Put cooked and cooled chicken strips in a sealed container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- They also freeze very well! Seal in an airtight bag or storage container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Alex says
This recipe was excellent – easy and delicious!
Kathy Webb says
Love this recipe. Flavor is spot on. The only thing is I’m having to bake these for a longer period of time. Larger than thumb size? In width? I find standard tenderloins to be bigger than that regardless where I buy them.
johanna burns says
These chicken tenders turned out great. Flavorful, moist and best of all not greasy.
Will make them again for sure.
Thank you,
Anita says
Easy to follow, quick and super yummy