Pizza Chicken Tenders

Apparently I’m on a chicken tender kick. They are so fun and easy to customize. It is a toss up to which flavor I like better, these pizza chicken tenders or my taco chicken tenders. The chicken tender recipes could have something to do with having a two year old, too. She of course loves anything that she can eat with her fingers, and even better–that you can dip into something: hummus, salsa, mustard, ketchup, and in this case, pizza sauce.  Anything having to do with pizza is usually a winner in her book as well.

I typically just buy boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them up into tender-sized pieces. You can buy the pre-cut chicken tenders, but I typically stock up a bit on the boneless skinless breasts when they are on sale so I feel like that is a more budget-friendly option. One extra step, and your tenders might not all be perfectly shaped, but I think it is worth it! All you do is dip these in some seasoned flour, then eggs, and then a crunchy pizza topping composed of panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, pepperoni and some Italian seasoning. The nice thing about these is that you get the taste of pizza but some added lean protein and far less cheese. Don’t get me wrong, we won’t stop eating pizza any time soon, but this was good for some variety. Oh and did I mention that they are baked, not fried? Enjoy!

Pizza Chicken Tenders

Yield: About 4 servings

Total Time: 35 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

These aren’t your boring, every day chicken tenders. These are baked with all your favorite pizza flavors. Kids will love them!

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1and 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into equal sized strips
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• approximately 1/2 cup of finely chopped pepperoni (I used half of a 3.15 ounce package)
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup pizza sauce for dipping, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with a Silpat baking sheet.
2. Place flour and half of Italian seasoning in a large shallow bowl. Place beaten eggs in another shallow bowl, and bread crumbs, remaining Italian seasoning, pepperoni and mozzarella in a third bowl.
3. Coat each chicken strip in flour mixture, then dip in eggs (let excess drip off), and then finally in bread crumb mixture. Place chicken strip on prepared tray and repeat until all chicken strips are coated.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Enjoy hot with pizza sauce for dipping.

All images and text ©Rachel Cooks.

Verdict: Great flavor of pizza and nice crunch from the panko. I’ll be making these again.
Husband’s take: Loved these! He loves chicken and pizza so this was no surprise.
Changes I would make: None.
Difficulty: Easy!