Baked Chicken Tenders

Even though it's definitely not a big, dramatic story, one of my family's most-mentioned vacation memories is from our first trip to Prince Edward Island, when my sister and I were both in elementary school.

My dad found out about a lobster supper going on at a nearby church, so we all went for dinner one night. He was all excited about it because he liked to hang out with locals and generally stick to "off the beaten path" experiences on our trips. When we got there and saw the menu, the only options were a big lobster supper, with lobsters fresh from the local fishermen, and dino-shaped chicken nuggets.. and my sister and I both opted for the nuggets.

Fortunately we went to the eastern coast of Canada almost every summer, and I had many more opportunities for great lobster suppers! Pretty much ever since that trip, I would always go for the lobster given the choice, especially when they're caught right by where I'm staying, no matter how dinosaur-shaped the other option might be.

(Another related vacation story from around the same age: the time when we were at a diner and I ordered a BLT without the bacon or lettuce...)

That said, I also love chicken tenders (although not nuggets so much anymore) and get cravings for them every once a while! This recipe is a good quick one when a craving comes around.

Baked Chicken Tenders
Adapted from Natasha's Kitchen

6-7 chicken tenderloins or about 3 breasts cut into 1" strips
salt & pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko (+ 1/2 cup if necessary)

Honey mustard sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise


Preheat the oven to 425. Prep a baking dish by lining with foil and placing a cooling rack on top.

Mix the mustard, mayo and garlic up in a medium bowl. Make sure the tenderloins or cut up breast pieces are dry, season with salt and pepper and then add them into the sauce. Mix it around so the tenders are all coated.

In another bowl, drop in 1 1/2 cups of panko. One by one, take a tender out, shake off any excess sauce and drip it in the panko. Make sure both sides are coated with panko and try to pat it on so there's a good coating that stays on. Once each one is coated, transfer to the baking sheet. Be careful not to overcrowd them - they won't get crispy if they're too close together.

Bake for about 15 minutes, turing the tray mid-way through. If the other side doesn't get crispy enough, carefully flip them over and bake for another 3-5 minutes.

To make a honey mustard dipping sauce, just combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.