Sesame Crusted Chicken Tenders
on Jan 22, 2020, Updated Jul 09, 2024
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Sesame Crusted Chicken Tenders with sweet chili dipping sauce are a quick and easy family friendly dinner. You’ll love these healthy, gluten free, Asian inspired chicken tenders!
You all have gone absolutely crazy for my Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders that I made this past fall. It’s been so popular that I decided it was time for a new chicken tender recipe. Meet the crunchy, Asian inspired, Sesame Crusted Chicken Tenders with a delicious sweet chili sauce to dip then in!
Just like the everything bagel chicken, these chicken tenders are incredibly easy to make and if you make a lot of stir fry’s there’s a good chance you already have most of the ingredients to make them.
What Do I Need to Make the Chicken Tenders
- Chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Low sodium tamari (gluten-free) or soy sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- Rice vinegar also referred to as rice wine vinegar
- Ground ginger
- Sesame seeds
- Sambal Oelek (chili sauce/paste)
- Honey
- Cornstarch
Instead of using breadcrumbs or panko to make these chicken tenders crunchy, you’ll be using sesame seeds. I used a combination of both white and black sesame seeds, primarily for presentation. Black sesame seeds can sometimes be difficult to find, so feel free to use all white if you can’t find them.
Making the chicken tenders is so easy! Start by adding the rice vinegar, sesame oil, tamari and ginger to a large bowl. Stir everything together and then add the chicken tenders in. Toss the chicken tenders around in the mixture until they’re coated. In a shallow dish such as a pie plate, pour in the sesame seeds. Coat the chicken tenders in the sesame seeds and then lay them out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Depending on the size of the chicken tenders, they need between 10-12 minutes to bake. Since the cooking time is so short, there shouldn’t be an issue with the sesame seeds burning.
How to Make Chicken Tenders from Chicken Breasts
If your store doesn’t have chicken tenders you can use chicken breasts instead. All you need to do is cut them lengthwise into approximately 1/2 inch thick strips.
As I mentioned above and you probably noticed in the photos, the sesame crusted chicken tenders are served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Now, of course you can take the easy way out and buy a bottle of sweet chili sauce. However, making your own only takes a few minutes, costs less than buying a bottle and you can control the ingredients in it.
To make the chili sauce, simply add rice vinegar, water, sambal oelek and honey to a small saucepan and stir everything together. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the honey dissolves. Once dissolved, whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until it’s dissolved. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the chili sauce and stir until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch. The whole process takes maybe 10 minutes.
These crunchy Asian inspired chicken tenders taste amazing and are a stress free meal that you and the whole family will enjoy!
More Chicken Tender Recipes
Sheet Pan Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Broccoli
Skillet Enchilada Chicken with Black Beans and Corn
Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders with Chipotle Ketchup
Sesame Crusted Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, or boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
- 2 teaspoons low sodium tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3-4 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chili paste, such as sambal oelek
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. If using foil spray it with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine the tamari (soy sauce), sesame oil, rice vinegar and ginger. Add in the chicken tenders and coat them in the mixture. In a shallow dish such as a pie plate, add the sesame seeds along with salt and pepper to taste.
- Put the chicken tenders into the sesame seeds turning them so that they are coated on all sides. Place them on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking make the sweet chili sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the vinegar, water, honey and sambal oelek. Once the honey is dissolved add in the cornstarch/water slurry. Stir the sauce until it's no longer cloudy and has thickened, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Garnish the chicken tenders with cilantro or sliced green onions if desired and serve with the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
