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Chicken tenders are a go-to meal for my family. They’re tasty and easy. I love to make these spicy pecan crusted chicken tenders on the weekends as an extra special treat. They have a great flavor and just enough heat, and they’re baked so there’s no oil or extra fat either.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders – Quick. Easy. Delicious.

These chicken tenders are a wonderful recipe anytime. They’re quick and easy to make, which means they’re perfect for game day, the weekend, and even hectic weeknights. There’s really nothing to making these, and they’re SO delicious.

One of the things that makes this recipe so good is the pecan. We’ve all had breaded chicken tenders. Most of us have probably had the old cornflakes crusted tenders as well. When I first tried making these pecan crusted chicken tenders, I knew I’d found a winner. They give a nice texture, and the pecan has such a great flavor after it’s toasted up while the tenders bake.

Just look at the texture on these strips of spicy goodness. One of my favorite times to make these spicy pecan crusted chicken tenders is for game day. During football season, we eat a TON of these. If you serve these up with a nice dipping sauce and a side of some sort of veggie, you’ve got yourself a completely balanced meal that still feels like game day heaven. =D

Spicy Pecan Crusted Baked Chicken Tenders

Yield: 10 Tenders

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Ingredients

• 1 lb Package of Chicken Tenders or 1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Cut Into Tender Sizes, About 3-4 Per Breast
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs, Japanese Style Bread Crumbs
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
• ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
• ? tsp Black Pepper
• Dash of Salt
• 2.25 Ounce Package of Pecan Pieces, or 1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Egg White
• Nonstick Spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a large baking sheet, line with foil, then top with a wire cooling rack (the wire kind you cool cookies on)**. Spray cooling rack liberally with cooking spray; set sheet aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine panko, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, garlic, black pepper, salt, and pecans. Process for 20-30 seconds or until well combined and a fine crumb texture. Pour into a shallow bowl; set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix whole egg and egg white, whisking until frothy; set aside.
4. Taking each chicken strip, dip into the egg mixture, allow excess to drip off, then press into crumb mixture, turning to coat well. Place chicken onto wire rack. Repeat for all chicken tenders.
5. Lightly spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray; place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on size of tenders. Once tenders are cooked through, remove and serve immediately accompanied by your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

Note: For less spicy tenders, just leave out the chili pepper or chipotle pepper- these are great without the extra spice, or great with half the spice. Serve with ranch along the side to help cool down the spice while eating.

**If you don’t have a wire cooling rack, you can set the tenders directly on the backing sheet. By using a wire cooling rack, you allow the heat to distribute evenly and crispy up the undersides of the chicken as well.

As you can see, this recipe isn’t involved at all. The most labor intensive part of this entire recipe is actually breading the tenders. The bake time of these spicy pecan crusted chicken tenders is actually the longest part of this recipe. Which is fine, because you can be in the living room watching the game or playing a board game or whatever you love to do with the family.

These spicy pecan crusted chicken tenders make a delicious, satisfying meal any time of the week, and that little extra kick in the breading is so nice. If your family loves chicken tenders and a recipe with just a little kick, give these tenders a try. For those of you with delicate mouths, you can make this recipe without the chipotle powder to get a flavor chicken tender without the heat. Give it a try. It’s super tasty!

Courtney P.

I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!

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