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!
Let’s get this week started with an easy dinner recipe reminiscent of something we probably all grew up eating. Crispy, crunchy, chicken tenders. Instead of making traditional crunchy baked chicken tenders, I decided to upgrade mine and add everything bagel seasoning to them. These Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders will satisfy both the kid and adult in you!
There’s many ways to make chicken tenders or chicken nuggets. You can fry them, although I prefer not to go this route. You can still get crispy chicken tenders through baking and you don’t have to mess with frying or the extra calories. Then of course there’s my least favorite method, opening a box of them from the freezer section at the grocery store.
I get that sometimes the box of frozen chicken tenders is convenient and easy, but the flavor, texture and nutrition is nothing compared to when you make your own.
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?
Have I sold you yet on making your own baked chicken tenders? Still need convincing? Let’s talk about how easy they are to make.
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.
That’s all there is to it! Dinner can literally be on the table in less than 30 minutes and it will taste so much better than what you get in the box from the freezer section.
If you’re like me then you’ll need a dipping sauce for your Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders. Ketchup is great, but we can do better than that. Maple mustard dipping sauce is where it’s at friends! It’s sweet, it’s tangy and even a little spicy if you want. Dijon mustard, maple syrup and sriracha are all you need for the sauce. Not into spice? Skip the sriracha.
What Can I Serve with Chicken Tenders?
- Parmesan Pesto Roasted Potatoes
- Sautéed Green Beans
- Lightened Herby Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Maple Mustard Dressing
- Honey Roasted Carrots with Goat Cheese and Thyme
More Baked Chicken Tenders
Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders with Chipotle Ketchup
Sheet Pan Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Broccoli
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
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.