These easy baked buffalo chicken tenders are breaded with panko and never fried in oil, for a healthier twist on a classic.

I love this great recipe because it is versatile to make in many different ways. Not only does it scratch that itch for spicy buffalo chicken fingers when I crave it, but I can just as easily smother the breaded chicken fingers in BBQ sauce, or leave them sauceless, depending on what I am hungry for at the time.

What is it?

Baked buffalo chicken tenders are chicken tenderloins breaded in panko breadcrumbs, then baked in the oven until crispy, rather than getting deep-fried. Once cooked, the crispy chicken tenders are tossed in spicy buffalo wing sauce.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Chicken tenderloins - This recipe works just as well with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
• All-purpose flour - Optionally, you can create a seasoned flour mixture by adding garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
• Eggs 
• Milk
• Worchestershire sauce
• Frank Red Hot Sauce - This is optional, but it really helps add a subtle kick to the chicken. You can substitute any other hot sauce.
• Panko breadcrumbs - You can substitute regular breadcrumbs but panko has more crunch. Otherwise, Corn Flakes and crushed pork rinds can also be used.
• Table salt
• Buffalo wings sauce - Homemade buffalo sauce or storebought are both fine.

How to make it

You can make this baked buffalo chicken tenders recipe in approximately 20 minutes. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and set up the dredging station while the oven heats.

Your dredging station consists of one shallow dish of flour, a separate small bowl containing a mixture of eggs, Worchestershire sauce, and hot sauce beaten together, and a final third bowl of panko breadcrumbs mixed with salt.

Dredge the raw chicken tenders in the flour. Shake off any excess and then dip chicken in the egg mixture. Let any excess egg wash drain off then dredge each piece in the panko mixture, ensuring it is fully coated with breadcrumbs.

Set the breaded chicken tenders on a large baking sheet in a single layer and place in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. After taking the chicken strips out of the oven use tongs to toss each piece in buffalo sauce and then serve your spicy chicken tenders with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing or ranch dressing.

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Storing and reheating leftovers

Any leftover buffalo chicken strips should be stored in an airtight container. These are best eaten right away, but if you have leftovers I recommend eating them within three days. The problem you'll find with leftover breaded chicken is the sauce turns the breadcrumbs soggy, so they won't be as crispy the second time around.

The best way to reheat leftovers is baking them in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. You just need to warm them up, don't cook them too long or the meat will become dry.

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