Name: Baked Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders with Greek Yogurt Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: North American
Ingredients: 1lb (454g) chicken breasts, cut into 1-1.5 inch wide strips (approx 3-4 strips per breast); 1 cup almond meal (approx 1.5 cups of whole almonds if grinding them up yourself, or buy pre-prepared almond meal); 2 tsp paprika; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp pepper; ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated *optional; 1 egg; Avocado oil (or other high heat cooking oil) and/or spray; ½ cup 2% Plain Greek yogurt; 1 tbsp honey; 1 tbsp yellow mustard

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This 35 minute recipe for healthy baked chicken tenders is so simple! Paired with homemade honey mustard, this recipe is a healthy twist on everyone’s favourite comfort food! The chicken tenders are also kid-friendly and gluten-free!

Baked chicken tenders on a white plate with greek yogurt honey garlic dipping sauce all over a white surface with a baking sheet that has baked chicken tenders on it with a plate of yam fries beside it.

Who doesn’t love a good plate of chicken tenders. Adult, kid, pub food lover or not it’s a simple comfort food that never gets old. And if you’ve been looking for a gluten-free chicken tenders recipe, you’ve landed in the right spot!

There are a few people in my life who have recently had to cut out wheat or gluten so I was inspired to play around with the recipe and try out some different ways to bread the chicken that would make it suitable for everyone. This recipe is gluten-free and grain-free but you really wouldn’t know the difference!

What are your favorite alternatives for breading?

The final product ended up looking a little different than what you see in these pics cause I just wasn’t quite satisfied with them so I ended up testing them a couple more times after I shot these. I had to get them perfect! Haha.

I know, I’m crazy, but your taste buds will thank me for it.

I tried them with both almond flour (ground much finer into a flour-like consistency) and almond meal (ground almonds with a coarser texture and I found that the almond meal gave much better flavor and browned up a lot more nicely! With a few other spices in the mix the flavor was just right!

Homemade Honey Mustard Recipe

I love making my own homemade honey mustard. It takes about 2 minutes and is made with just 3 simple ingredients.

Store bought versions are often packed with preservatives and fillers and extra sugar. This way you know exactly what’s going into it, can sweeten it to taste and it’s almost as quick as squeezing a ready made one out of the bottle!

One of my best tricks for creamy dips – Greek yogurt!

I often use it as a sub for mayonnaise for veggie dips, or instead of cream for soups and pasta dishes.

What you’ll need:

Plain Greek Yogurt
Honey
Mustard
Salt to taste

As a major bonus, these 3 ingredients happen to add to the nutrition of the meal!

Homemade Honey Mustard Nutrition Benefits

Greek Yogurt

Protein

Provides mechanical support and helps protect the immune system.
They store and transport other molecules (like oxygen) within cells and throughout the body.

Calcium

Helps with the formation and metabolism of bone.
Calcium is important for normal muscle movement and exercise.

Honey

Vitamin B6

Plays a role in keeping the body’s nerve and blood cells healthty.
B12 is important for cellular energy production.

Lindsay Pleskot, RD holding onto a baked chicken tender over top of a surface that has a white plate of baked chicken tenders, a baking sheet with baked chicken tenders, and a plate of yam fries.

How to Bake Chicken Tenders

To get that perfect crispy browned texture took a bit of trial and error but here are a few of the tips I found ended up working best!

Use tinfoil instead of parchment paper to line the baking sheet
Grease the tinfoil and spray the tops of the chicken fingers – this is key!
Pat chicken dry before starting the breading- this helps to get rid of any extra moisture so it doesn’t seep into the coating and prevent it from crisping up
Don’t crowd the tray too much, leave a bit of space between each of the fingers
Using a high heat. I tried with 350F, 425F and 450F and just couldn’t seem to get them to crisp up at the lower temperatures
Bake on the top rack of the oven

How Long Should You Bake Chicken Tenders?

This is an important one, especially when using chicken breasts! When you get them just right they are so nice and juicy so make sure you don’t overcook them!

One of the benefits of cooking them at a higher heat is that they cook quickly!

Bake for 8 minutes
Flip them over and finish baking for another 2 minutes to get both sides nice and golden brown!

How to Meal Prep & Store Chicken Tenders

These crispy golden chicken tenders are also a nice addition to salads, wraps & sandwiches and even on pasta or buddha bowls. I love to prep extras for quick meal add ins throughout the week!

To batch prep them, simply make double or more of the recipe.

To store in the fridge:

Store in an airtight container using parchment paper between each layer of chicken tenders
Store for up to 4 days

To store in the freezer:

Store in an airtight container using parchment paper between each layer of chicken tenders
Store for up to 1 month (technically they will last longer but may start to form freezer burn if kept too long)

Reheating Chicken Tenders

Oven/Toaster Oven: I strongly suggest reheating these babies in the oven or toaster oven if possible to bring back that crispiness!

I find that usually 2 rounds of toasting or about 10 minutes at 375-400F does the trick (time math vary between ovens)

Microwave: You can totally reheat these in the microwave as well. Start with 1-2 minutes and add more time as needed!

Other Recipes that Pair Well with Chicken Tenders

I hope you enjoy! I’d love to hear what you think! Share our creations with me on Instagram tagging @lindsaypleskot and #makefoodfeelgood.