Healthier chicken tenders cooked in a simple delicious garlic butter sauce. The chicken tenderloins turn out so tender, juicy, succulent, and flavorful. A weeknight dinner ready in just 15 minutes! This one of the easiest and best chicken tender recipes.
Chicken Tender Recipes
Chicken tenders are so easy to cook. I always make them on busy weeknights as they’re ready in no time, and everyone in my family loves them. Sometimes I take out my grill pan and quickly make these grilled chicken tenders. And when I’m craving crunchy restaurant-style chicken tenders, I either make the crunchy buttermilk fried version or the healthier oven-baked chicken tenders.
If I’m not making a large batch, I make them in the air fryer. And another favorite recipe is these unbreaded garlic butter chicken tenders that I make in a skillet. They turn out so juicy, tender, and the garlic and butter make these tenders so special!
What are Chicken Tenders?
Chicken tenders are known as chicken mini fillets in the UK. Many people think that chicken tenders are just thin strips of chicken breast. But a chicken tender is a cut of meat found underneath and attached to the chicken breast, it’s the most tender part of the chicken breast even though it’s so small. Every chicken has 2 tenders, they’re moist and tender when cooked properly.
You can find chicken tenders sold separately from chicken breasts in supermarkets on trays, so you can buy a tray with 10-20 chicken tenders to grill up, fry, or bake.
They are also known as chicken strips, tendies, and chicken fillets.
So if you’re like me, and you prefer home cooked food, grab a tray of chicken tenders next time you go grocery shopping and make this recipe!
The Ingredients
- Chicken tenders – if using frozen, then thaw in the fridge overnight. You can use a boneless skinless chicken breast cut into thin strips.
- Butter and olive oil – Olive oil gives the tenders a great flavor, but can be substituted with any neutral oil.
- Garlic – fresh garlic and lots of it! If using jarred, use 1 and half teaspoon of jarred garlic for every garlic clove.
- Salt, pepper, paprika, and Italian seasoning – I always make my own homemade Italian seasoning blend, it’s so easy to make, healthier, and cheaper than store-bought.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chicken Tenders
- Add olive oil and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan/skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chicken tenders, season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for 3 minutes on each side (season each side as you cook).
- Make room for the garlic, melt the remaining butter, and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Season with Italian seasoning, and cook for one more minute.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan to deglaze it, and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (that’s where all of the good flavor is).
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves, and serve warm.
Top Tips
- Don’t overcook the garlic. Garlic cooks very quickly (about 30-60 seconds), and burnt garlic tastes terrible so keep an eye on it as you cook.
- Don’t overcook the chicken tenders, they cook so quickly and if they’re overcooked they can turn out stringy, dry, and tough.
- To create a flavorful sauce, make sure to deglaze the pan with a splash of water as that’s where the flavor is.
Common Questions About Chicken Tenders
Yes! Just slice the skinless and boneless chicken breasts into thin strips and cook.
Attached to the chicken tender is a tough white tendon. Leaving it on and cooking in is fine, but it’s always recommended to remove it for better results.
It is not recommended to rinse poultry before cooking as that can promote spreading bacteria all over your sink and utensils. All bacteria burns off when the poultry is cooked with high heat (165°F).
Chicken tenders are very lean and healthy. They are also low in calories since they’re skinless
What Should I Serve With Chicken Tenders?
- Garlic butter pasta pairs SO well with these tenders!
- Homemade coleslaw
- Oven-baked French fries with the best ever French fry seasoning! For a healthier version of fries, try these delicious rutabaga fries! Ans for the sauce, try my copycat cane’s sauce!
- Red potato salad
- Basil pesto
- Homemade caesar salad
- Chick-Fil-A Sauce
More Easy Chicken Dinners
- Teriyaki chicken stir fry
- Chicken scampi (Olive Garden copycat recipe)
- Chicken fajita casserole
- Creamy lemon chicken
- Marry Me chicken
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chicken Tenders Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 pound (450g) chicken tenderloins (chicken mini fillets)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley chopped – for garnish
Instructions
- Add olive oil and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan/skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chicken tenders, season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for 3 minutes on each side (season each side as you cook).
- Make room for the garlic, melt the remaining butter, and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Season with Italian seasoning, and cook for one more minute.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan to deglaze it, and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (that’s where all of the good flavor is).
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves, and serve warm.
Notes:
- Don’t overcook the garlic. Garlic cooks very quickly (about 30-60 seconds), and burnt garlic tastes terrible so keep an eye on it as you cook.
- Don’t overcook the chicken tenders, they cook so quickly and if they’re overcooked they can turn out stringy, dry, and tough. They are ready when the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
- To create a flavorful sauce, make sure to deglaze the pan with a splash of water as that’s where the flavor is.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Diana says
Very good 👍
Julie says
This was amazing definitely something to make again
Marta says
Excellent and fast!
Frozen Tuesday says
I just finished my first batch and they were excellent! I used half sweet paprika/half hot paprika so my lips are still tingling. Also used defrosted tenders. Next time I try it (and I will) I’ll try it with fresh to compare.
Lydia says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Diana says
Hi Lydia, I usually use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, just omit the salt, and then when everything is cooked have a taste and add more salt if needed.