Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders are perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner! Serve these crispy baked chicken tenders with sweet and tangy maple mustard dipping sauce for a meal that will be a hit with the whole family!
If you love everything bagel seasoning then you have to make these everything bagel roasted potatoes!
This post has been updated since it was originally published on 10/14/19.
Why I love them
Baked not fried – Every now and then I enjoy eating an extra crispy piece of fried chicken, but frying food at home has never been my thing. It’s messy and makes the house smell for days. Baking the chicken tenders you can still get that crispy exterior and it’s less work, smell, and calories.
Everything bagel seasoning – Onion, garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, a winning combination for flavoring and coating chicken tenders. Buy this spice blend at the grocery store or make your own.
Family friendly – Chicken tenders with dipping sauce are a meal most families can agree on. It’s an easy meal to prepare and one that kids tend to enjoy eating.
What is everything bagel seasoning?
Everything bagel seasoning is a blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion and garlic, and sea salt. Most notably used on bagels, but can be used as a seasoning for chicken, salad dressing, dips, potatoes, popcorn, pasta, and almost anything else you can think of.
Benefits of making homemade chicken tenders
- You control the type of chicken being used. It’s hard to say what quality of meat is being used in the boxed ones. If you want to use organic, free range, breast meat, dark meat, you have control over it.
- The breaded exterior of homemade chicken tenders is generally only a few ingredients. The boxed version can be a paragraph long list of ingredients.
- Frozen chicken tenders fall into the category of processed foods, perhaps not as processed as some, but why put random ingredients in your body that don’t need to be there?
The ingredients
- Chicken tenders – you can either buy a package of chicken tenders or buy boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into “tender” sized pieces.
- Panko – Panko is a Japanese style breadcrumb. I like to use it over traditional breadcrumbs because it has a flakier and crisper texture.
- Everything bagel seasoning – Trader Joe’s has a great blend or you can buy a bottle from Savory Spice, which is the brand I use.
- Egg – The egg is used to bind the panko and seasoning blend to the chicken.
- Dijon mustard – Tangy, a little spicy, and great for dipping sauces.
- Maple syrup – Used to sweeten the dipping sauce. You could also use honey.
- Sriracha – Adds a little bit of spicy, tangy, garlic flavor to the dipping sauce.
How to make baked everything bagel chicken tenders
- You’ll need two pie plates or shallow bowls. Crack an egg in one dish and add a splash of water. Whisk it. Add panko and everything bagel seasoning to the other, stirring them to combine.
- Line a baking sheet with foil sprayed with cooking spray or parchment paper and place the prepared chicken tenders on them in a single layer.
- Take a few of the chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into tenders like I did) and coat them in the egg wash. Use a fork to move them into the panko mixture and toss them around until coated. Place them on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat the process until all the chicken is coated.
- Bake the chicken tenders at 400° F. for 12-15 minutes depending on their size. Chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature is 165° F.
Dipping sauces to serve with chicken tenders
If you don’t want to make the maple mustard dipping sauce, serve them with ketchup, barbecue sauce, spicy ranch dressing, aioli, or swap maple with honey and make a honey mustard sauce.
Can you freeze chicken tenders?
Yes. Prepare the chicken tenders coating them in the egg, panko, and everything bagel seasoning. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer for until they’re hard, 1-2 hours. Store them in a resealable freezer bag for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to eat them, place a cooling rack onto a baking sheet. Spray it with cooking oil and place the frozen chicken on it. Spray the chicken with more cooking oil and bake at 400° F. for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165° F.
What to serve with chicken tenders?
More chicken tenders recipes
Did you make these everything bagel chicken tenders? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders
- 1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup panko or gluten-free panko
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 egg
Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. If using foil spray it with cooking spray.
- Take two pie plates or shallow bowls. Crack an egg in one, add a splash of water and whisk together. Add the panko and everything bagel seasoning to the other and combine.
- Take several chicken tenders and coat them in the egg wash. Use a fork to move them into the panko mixture and toss them around until coated. Place them on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat the process until all the chicken is coated.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on their size. The chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature is 165° F.
- While the chicken bakes whisk together the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Serve with the finished chicken tenders.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 345Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 646mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 48g
turned out fantastic!!! used 1/2 gf breadcrumbs and 1/2 gf panko, increased the amount of everything bagel seasoning, and marinated the chicken in buttermilk instead of using egg. air fried for 16 min on 360F. a huge hit in my house!
So good! It was an easy and delicious week night dinner.
Glad you liked them Katie and thank you for the comment!
Would regular bread crumbs work?
Hi Brooke. Yes, regular bread crumbs will work. I usually use panko for the extra crunch, but use what you have. :-)
These are SO good. Didn’t realize I was out of dijon so I mixed some sriracha and ketchup together to dip them in, and that worked great! Adding these in to my regular rotation.
Glad you liked the chicken tenders Katie!
Where do you get the everything seasoning ? I can’t find it
Thanks
Hi Carol. They have it at Trader Joe’s, Kroger and I buy mine from Savory Spice Shop (you can buy it online from them if you don’t have access to the other places).
My daughter bought hers at Aldi
I buy mine at Costco and Walmart
just made these. Used olive oil in place of egg. They were soo good. Added some stone ground mustard to sauce for a bit more texture and kick. Served with sautéed greens and beans. We loved! Thank you!
This sounds delish and I just so happen to have a bunch of extra everything bagel seasoning sitting in my cabinet right now. I am going to give it a whirl. Thanks for this chicken tenders recipe!
I actually made these in the air fryer and they turned out delicious!
How long did you cook in AF and at what temp? Thanks.
Hi Leslie, I’m sorry, but I don’t own an air fryer so I’m not sure.
I cook chicken chunks I bread in the kitchen at 370F for 8 min then I flip them. I spray the chunks with Pam and the basket. They come out crispy and the meat still moist. Time might vary depending how thick your breasts are. My chunks are usually one inch cubes.
Sorry 8 minutes, flip them then another 8 minutes at 370F.
In Airfryer, 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes on each side.
Can you make these without egg? If so what’s a good substitute?
Hi Lisa, If you can’t do egg I would suggest coating the chicken tenders in olive oil or melted butter and then rolling them around in the panko mixture.
Can I make these ahead and freeze them?
Hi Rachel. I generally prefer not to freeze chicken tenders coated in bread crumbs because they don’t stay crisp. It’s up to you though if that doesn’t bother you.