Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Truly crunchy & crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders with a delicious medley of roasted veggies — an entire, well-rounded, nutritious dinner prepared all on one sheet pan!

Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders

It’s tricky getting super crispy and crunchy chicken tenders without loads of oil and a deep fryer, but we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to give you truly crispy baked chicken that is far more nutritious than the fried counter-parts. What are our tricks? I’ll quickly outline them below:

1. Using Panko breadcrumbs. Panko bread crumbs are similar to regular bread crumbs, but they create a much crunchier, lighter, and more delicate result. Using panko ensures a more crispy and crunchy end product than regular bread crumbs.
2. Baking on a wire cooling rack. If you have a wire cooing rack, place it right on top of a sheet pan and bake the chicken on top. This ensures more even circulation of heat in the oven which ensures crispier chicken all around as opposed to just being crispy on one side. Bonus: the panko that falls off the chicken gets nice and toasty on the sheet pan which we can then toss with the veggies making them even that much more flavorful! 
3. Spraying the chicken with cooking spray. The cooking spray not only ensures the chicken doesn’t stick to the pan or wire cooling rack, it also contributes to that ultra crispy and crunchy texture.

And while we’re getting nice and crispy chicken, why not make veggies at the same time? One pan for the main dish and sides? Yes! The veggies surround the chicken on the sheet pan and are baked at the same time.

Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders Process Overview

This recipe is fun because we get hearty veggies and crispy chicken all at the same time. Below is a quick overview of how to make this recipe.

• Start by tossing together the seasoning mix. While we get the oven nice and hot, quickly mix the seasonings. The seasoning blend is made once and used twice in this dish!
• Once the seasoning is prepped, chop the veggies. Add all the veggies to the pan with some olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the seasonings. Roast.
• Meanwhile, prep the chicken and place prepared chicken tenders on a generously greased, oven-safe wire cooling rack.
• The sheet pan is removed and the veggies get moved to one half of the pan or to the edges of the pan to make room for the wire cooling rack (with the chicken on it) to sit on the sheet pan. Add back to the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove the pan, toss around the veggies and flip the tenders. Return to the oven for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.
• If the veggies aren’t quite tender, but the chicken is cooked through, simply remove the wire cooling rack with the chicken on it and place the veggies back in for another few minutes.
• And that’s it! You’ve got your meat, potatoes, and veggies all deliciously seasoned on one sheet pan!

One Seasoning Mix — 2 Uses

This recipe starts with 1 simple seasoning mix that we split into 2 parts. One part seasons the veggies and the other seasons the chicken!

The blend contains: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, dried oregano, and dried parsley.

We keep the salt relatively low for the amount of chicken and veggies in this recipe because there is so much Parmesan in this dish (which is salty!). If you find the flavors lacking or less exciting than hoped, you may just need an extra pinch of salt at the end! Give the veggies and meat a quick taste test before serving and adjust salt as needed.

Let’s Talk Chicken Tenders

Ok, first things first. We use chicken tenders for this recipe. You can use chicken breasts, but you’ll need to cut them into thin strips — so they’re the size of tenders. Depending on the breast size, you can get 3-4 tenders from one breast.

To prepare the chicken tenders, you’ll need to remove the tendons. This may seem like a tedious task (I used to hate it), but wait till you see and try this easy hack! For more deeply imbedded tendons, I like to cut them out with a sharp paring knife.

Once tendons are removed, cut out any other gristle or fat and then pat dry the tenders with paper towel. Why pat meat dry? A few reasons, but for the purpose of this recipe, it helps the batter and breading stick to the chicken better and prevents it from cooking unevenly (excess liquid steams instead of roasts) which ultimately will make the chicken taste better!

Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders Breading

Once the chicken is prepped, it’s time to dredge it in the batter, then the breading, and then throw it in the oven. Here’s a quick breakdown of the batter and breading:

First, the batter:

• Egg and mayo. These two ingredients contribute flavor and are the main components of liquid in this batter.
• Dijon mustard. This ingredient is for a more complex flavor.
• Flour. A little flour thickens the breading to ensure it stays on the chicken.
• Spices. I like to add the spices to the batter, not the breading, to ensure the chicken gets that spice blend all over it. 

Then, the two-ingredient breading:

• Panko. Panko bread crumbs are typically found near other breadcrumbs in the baking aisle of the grocery store. If not there, they may be in the Asian food asile.
• Parmesan Cheese. Use a block of Parmesan cheese and grate on the small holes of the cheese grater. Measure loosely. I don’t recommend jarred/canned parmesan cheese — the flavor will be overpowering and too salty. 

Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders Dipping Sauces

We love a good chicken dipping sauce! I’ve included two different recipes for dipping sauces in the “notes” section of the printable recipe. Use whichever you prefer to grab a store-bought dipping sauce you know you love!

The two sauces included in the recipe notes: a honey mustard and then an all-purpose chicken dipping sauce (similar to fry sauce!)

To keep things super simple you could serve plain ketchup on the side (my kiddos love it) or even marinara sauce (again, inspired by the kiddos!)

Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders Recipe Tools

The following products are what I personally recommend for making this Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders & Veggies recipe:

• 15×21-inch extra-large sheet pan. The more space the vegetables and chicken have (and the less-crowded they are) the better they roast in the oven. When vegetables are overlapping on a sheet pan, they end up steaming instead of roasting which results in softer, somewhat soggy-tasting veggies. I recommend using a (this) 15×21 inch sheet pan.
• Veggie turner. To quickly flip the chicken tenders and toss the veggies, I love using this metal spatula.
• Cooling racks. To ensure ultra crispy chicken, we bake it on cooling racks. Be sure the cooling rack you’re using is indeed oven safe and a size that will fit comfortably on the sheet pan!  

Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders Storage

This recipe is best enjoyed after being made. The tenders don’t stay crispy when stored, so I recommend cooking only enough for one meal/what will be enjoyed that same day.

As far as making ahead of time, it can be done, but I recommend waiting to dredge the tenders in the Panko-Parmesan mixture until right before baking. Otherwise, the breading will get soft and the chicken won’t be near as crispy/crunchy after baking.

More One Pan Recipes

• One Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies with turkey sausage & veggies
• One Pan Jambalaya even the rice cooks on the sheet pan!
• Chicken Pot Pie Pasta made in one pot
• Mini Meatloaf with mashed potatoes & green beans
• One Pan Shrimp and Sausage with garlic-herb seasoning blend