10 Delicious Chicken Tender Recipes (for When You Need a Dinnertime Win)

A crunchy, flavorful breading makes these chicken strips a winner for an easy family-friendly dinner any night of the week.

Garlic and Parmesan add a layer of flavor to this easy-to-prep chicken tender recipe, which cuts the typical three-bowl breading process down to just two simple steps.

If you’re looking for a classic recipe for chicken tenders, this one delivers, and it includes three easy dip recipes to keep dinner interesting. (The creamy honey mustard option includes Dijon, so use yellow mustard if you want to avoid its trace alcohol, as well as honey; children younger than 1 year old should never be given honey.)

Buttermilk and lemon juice start these tendies off on a tangy note, and a garlic butter dipping sauce takes them the rest of the way to Flavor Town.

Bite-size popcorn chicken proves that format is everything — these crispy nuggets disappear even faster than chicken strips or tenders. (Skip the honey if you’re serving this to kids younger than 1.)

An air fryer is the perfect tool for getting chicken tenders exquisitely crispy without deep-frying or heating up the oven.

Breading chicken tenders in blitzed-up Extra Toasty Cheez-Its takes them to a whole new level. Feel free to pass on the hot sauce if your kids won’t want it, but don’t skip the buttermilk ranch on the side for dipping.

These baked chicken tenders use two smart tricks that contribute to their crispiness: They’re baked on a wire rack so the air circulates (no soggy spots!) and, most importantly, they are coated in a layer of crushed-up potato chips.

Using almond meal as a breading for chicken fingers makes them gluten-free, and it also gives them a delicious nutty, savory flavor.

Not all tenders have to be fried. These simple grilled chicken tenders make a strong case for skipping the breading entirely.