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
These aren’t your boring, every day chicken tenders. These are baked with all your favorite pizza flavors. Kids will love them!
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:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with a Silpat baking sheet.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Enjoy hot with pizza sauce for dipping.
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!
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These sounds like a fun meal that my kids would love; but how many calories are in a serving?
I don’t calculate that information due to wild variations in brands, etc, but there are lots of great online nutrition calculators that you can use!
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Yum! Is there a benefit to panko breadcrumbs over regular ones (like Progresso)? I live in France and haven’t been able to find panko here yet :(
Panko breadcrumbs give a slightly crunchier texture but the regular bread crumbs would still work great! You could even get the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and then probably skip the Italian seasoning in the recipe. :) Enjoy!
These look sooo good! My family would love them!
These are so fun! My kiddos 2 favorite foods all in one :)
Do you think other types of cheese could work too?
I have cheddar and halloumi, could I use those or is mozzarella a must?
I think cheddar would be great, Parmesan would taste fantastic as well.
Thank you!
Oh man– I desperately need these! Pizzafied chicken tenders sound like a dream come true!
I feel like I’m always on a chicken tender kick. I just made baked chicken tenders last night! And now I’m wishing they were pizza style :)
These are so fun! I love that you put pepperoni in the breading!
I love giving Judah baked chicken tenders, homemade. And, to have a variety of flavors like this? Even better!!
These sound amazing, friend. A great crowd-pleaser!
I am a Panko fan…and a chicken tender fan…and a pizza fan LOL. This is perfect!
Love this idea! You are so creative!!!
such a great idea! love these flavors because pizza. duh.
Great idea, Rach! I bet even your picky nephew might be willing to try these :)
What a perfect combo!
Girl you don’t eeveeeeeeen have to twist my arm.
Ohh the flavors in here are fantastic! I love chicken tenders, but they can get blah. These are anything but blah!
Ohhh, my goodness! Now these have to happen, STAT.
How fun! My kids would go nuts for these chicken tenders!!
I make chicken tenders all the time, they’re so easy, and a quick, relatively healthy meal for my son! Love the pizza in this!
Such a clever idea! No wonder they were so popular.
This is such a cool idea!
Chicken tenders are the best! And pizza?! I love it. So these = sure winner.