Crispy Baked Sesame Chicken Tenders

No deep-frying needed! These Crispy Baked Sesame Chicken Tenders come in a mouth-watering panko sesame coating. Baked in the oven, they are a crunchy and balanced treat to serve a crowd.

Crispy Baked Sesame Chicken Tenders

The colder season is in full swing, and I’m all for comforting dishes this time of the year. That doesn’t mean eating only soups and stews for the winter months. There are savoury dishes that are still comforting but don’t come in a mostly liquid form. I’m talking about fried chicken here, as you may know already. But fried chicken is loaded with saturated fat and carbs, so I wanted to try a healthier but equally as delicious version of a comforting classic.

Right here, these crispy baked sesame chicken tenders come into play. The flavourful quick meal doesn’t need tons of oil and deep-frying to get them crispy. All you need is an oven and a little bit of vegetable oil to get crunchy and flavourful chicken tenders. Scroll down for some tips and the easy recipe.

How to make these crispy chicken tenders

1. Start with cutting the chicken breasts into tenders, similar in size, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Pour the buttermilk in one bowl and the panko-sesame-curry mixture into another bowl. Then dip every chicken tender into the bowl with buttermilk and transfer to the bowl with the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Shake the bowl until the chicken is fully coated. Now carefully press the crumbs on with your fingers.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat with 1 tablespoon of oil and arrange the chicken tenders on the baking sheet, leaving some space in between. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden. Turn the chicken tenders after 10 minutes of baking.

Tips for making these chicken strips

This recipe is easier than you think because it skips one step when coating the chicken strips in the panko breadcrumb sesame mix. Here are some tips and tricks to make it even easier:

• Work with two bowls to coat the chicken tenders in the crust. One bowl for the buttermilk and the other bowl for the panko breadcrumb sesame mixture. When you 
• I used unshelled sesame seeds in the breadcrumb mixture. But this recipe works with shelled sesame seeds too.
• Use grapeseed or sunflower oil for baking the chicken tenders in the oven. These vegetable oils have a neutral taste and high smoke point.
• This recipe is intended for two when eating it as a main dish. But you can also serve it as a starter or snack. To serve a crowd, scale up the ingredients.

Craving more chicken?

Try these flavourful and balanced chicken dishes to change it up:

• Middle Easter Chicken Wraps
• Coconut Curry Poached Chicken