Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Creole Sauce
Pecan and Panko bread crumbs coating chicken tenders with a tangy creole dipping sauce. These are baked not fried and super delicious. Great for dinner, snacks, game day snacks! These tenders freeze really well!
Servings 5 servings
Calories 547kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
Buttermilk Marinade
- ½ cup low-fat buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Flour Mixture
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Egg Wash
- ½ cup low-fat milk
- 1 large egg beaten
Pecan Panko Mix
- 1 cup ground pecans
- 1 cup Seasoned Panko bread crumbs
Creole Dipping Sauce
- ¾ cup low-fat mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 Tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sat
Instructions
Make the Buttermilk Marinade
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
- Add the chicken tenders to the buttermilk mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at least 3 hours up to overnight.
Assemble the Chicken Tenders
- Preheat oven to 425°F Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or use a Silpat liner.
- Line three medium bowls up. The first bowl is the flour mix. Add and mix well flour, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.The second bowl is the egg mixture; whisk together milk and egg. The third bowl is the pecan breading. Mix the ground pecans and panko bread crumbs to combine well.
- Dip each chicken piece in flour mix, shake excess flour off the chicken. Next, dip into egg mixture, shake off excess egg. Last, dip chicken into pecan crumb mix. Then place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat this process with all the chicken tenders.
- Spray the tops of each breaded chicken quickly with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the chicken in the preheated oven on a center rack. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and bake another 10 minutes or using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F.
Creole Dipping Sauce
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, yellow mustard, stone ground mustard, horseradish, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Mix well and check seasonings, re-season if needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made 3 days ahead.
Notes
- These tenders freeze really well. Make a double batch and freeze some for later.
- To heat frozen tenders, cover tenders in foil, reheat at 325 degrees until warmed through.
- Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.
Nutrition
Serving: 3tenders | Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1.7mg
