Panko Buffalo Chicken Tenders Food

BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Preheat deep fryer to 360 degrees.
• Combine chicken tenders and hot sauce in plastic bag. Store in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Combine flour, Cajun seasoning, and salt on one plate. Put buttermilk on second plate.
• Place chicken tenders in flour and dredge to coat. Transfer to buttermilk, dredge, then return to flour and dredge once more. You should have a nice, thick crust.
• Place breaded tenders on a wire rack for 5 minutes, to set the crust. If you skip this step, the crust may fall off during frying.
• After crust has set, dredge once more in flour and drop into oil. You can skip the final dredge, but I find it makes for a crispier result.
• Fry for 4-6 minutes until golden, brown, and delicious.

BAKED PANKO-CRUSTED CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine Greek yogurt, red peppers, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder in a mini food processor. Blend until smooth and refrigerate dipping sauce until ready to use.
• In a small bowl combine 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over chicken tenders and toss to coat evenly. Set aside.
• Toast panko crumbs in a skillet over medium-high heat until a golden brown color, 4 to 5 minutes. Place panko into a shallow dish. Crack egg into a separate shallow dish. Dip chicken tenders first into egg, letting excess drip off, then coat with panko. Place tenders on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, turning over halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes total. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Serve with the dipping sauce.

PANKO BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine panko bread crumbs, Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour Buffalo wing sauce into a separate bowl.
• Coat chicken breast pieces on both sides with the Buffalo sauce then evenly coat with bread crumb mixture. Lay pieces flat on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, juices run clear, and chicken has reached desired crispiness, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

CRISPY BAKED BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spread panko breadcrumbs in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to shallow plate immediately to keep them from continuing to cook. Stir in kosher salt.
• Place an oven-proof cooling rack inside the rimmed baking sheet and spray or brush with oil to keep tenders from sticking. (If you don't have an oven-proof cooling rack, just line the baking sheet with parchment paper)
• Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
• Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan and transfer to a bowl. Whisk hot sauce into butter to cool it down.
• Whisk egg and garlic together in a shallow bowl. Add butter and hot sauce mixture and whisk to combine.
• Spread flour on a shallow plate for dredging.
• Pat tenders dry with paper towels. Dredge one tender in flour and shake to remove excess. Dip in egg mixture and lift to let excess drip away. Then dredge the tender in toasted panko crumbs, patting crumbs down to be sure they adhere. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tenders.
• Bake tenders at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes until breading is crisp and chicken is cooked through but still juicy.
• Serve with Simple Blue Cheese Dip (recipe below)

CRISPY BAKED BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Mix buttermilk and 2 Tbsp. each hot sauce and vinegar in large bowl until blended. Add chicken; toss to coat. Refrigerate 10 min., stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, mix remaining hot sauce and vinegar until blended; set aside. Combine sour cream and blue cheese; refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Place bread crumbs and garlic powder in shallow dish. Drain chicken; discard buttermilk mixture. Dip chicken, 1 piece at a time, in crumb mixture, turning to evenly coat both sides of each piece. Place in single layer on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with red pepper.
• Bake 20 min. or until done. Transfer to platter; drizzle with vinegar mixture. Serve with vegetables and blue cheese dip.

BUFFALO BAKED CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pour the flour into a shallow dish or plate.
• Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl.
• Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in another shallow dish or plate.
• Rinse each chicken tender under water.
• Then place each chicken tenderloin into the flour, then into the whisked eggs and then into the Panko breadcrumb mixture.
• Place each chicken tenderloin onto the parchment paper and brush with buffalo sauce.
• Bake for 25 minutes then flip the chicken tenders and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
• Serve with bleu cheese or ranch dipping sauce.

PANKO-CRUSTED CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Put the flour in one shallow pie plate or baking dish, the egg mixture in another, and the panko in another.
• One at a time, dredge the chicken tenders in flour to coat them lightly but evenly. Tap to release excess flour, then dip in the egg mixture, and finally in the panko, turning and rolling the tenders to coat evenly. This will not be messy if you use tongs, or use one hand for dipping into the dry ingredients and the other for dipping into the egg. Make sure the tenders are evenly coated. Shake off the excess crumbs. Place on a baking sheet, and chill uncovered for 15 minutes or up to a day.
• Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil. When it is rippling hot, add the breaded tenders. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook for four to five minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp. Cook in batches, if necessary, so that you don't crowd the pan. Watch carefully; the panko should not blacken, but the chicken tenders should be dark brown on each side. Remove from the heat and serve.
• Advance preparation: The chicken can be breaded up to a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

BAKED BUFFALO CHICKEN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and the pasta, and cook until just shy of al dente, about half as long as the box suggests (it will continue cooking in the oven). Drain and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat the hot sauce and 2 tablespoons butter, and swirl together to incorporate. Reserve ¼ cup of the buffalo sauce and set aside. Add the remaining sauce to the shredded chicken and mix well. Set aside until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the same pot used to boil the pasta. Add the flour to make a roux and whisk until it is nice and smooth. Cook for a couple minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor, but do not allow the roux to brown.
• Add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking in between each addition, until all of it has been added. Cook, constantly whisking, about 7 to 10 more minutes on medium heat until thickened, allowing it to bubble and simmer, but not come up to a full boil. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and whisk in the shredded cheeses, a little at a time until completely combined.
• Once the cheeses are all combined and melted, add the pasta and stir to coat. It will be very saucy. Fold in the celery and shredded buffalo chicken.
• Pour the pasta mixture into a greased 3-quart shallow baking dish. Drizzle ½ of the reserved buffalo sauce over the top.
• Add ½ cup of the panko to a small mixing bowl and add the garlic and blue cheese. Use your fingers to cut the blue cheese chunks into the panko as if you're making biscuits, yielding a mixture of pea-sized blue cheese/panko chunks. Add the remaining buffalo sauce and combine. Crumble the mixture over the top of the casserole.
• In the same small mixing bowl, add the remaining panko and olive oil and mix to combine. Distribute the panko mixture over the pasta. You now have a double crust of blue cheese-buffalo-panko crumbs, and regular panko crumbs.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until nice and bubbly, and golden brown. Allow the pasta to rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving, as it will be extremely hot and also need a few minutes to set.

CRUNCHY BUFFALO BAKED CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a wide-mouthed bowl, stir together salt, pepper, and all-purpose flour.
• Combine melted butter and hot sauce in a shallow bowl, and whisk until combined.
• Add panko breadcrumbs and blue cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined. Transfer mixture to a plate.
• Pat chicken cutlets dry with paper towels. Dredge one chicken cutlet in the seasoned flour, then coat with the hot sauce and butter mixture. Place cutlet on top of the panko blue cheese crumbs and gently press down to coat one side. Turn the cutlet over and press down again gently to coat, being sure to cover the edges as well.
• Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.

AIR FRYER BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• If you prefer to preheat your air fryer, preheat it to 400 degrees.
• Coat the chicken tenders with your desired amount of salt and pepper. (I use about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.)
• Pour buffalo sauce in to a small, shallow dish.
• Pour panko crumbs in another shallow dish.
• Begin dipping each chicken tender in to buffalo sauce, then immediately in to panko crubms.
• Once fully coated, place each chicken tender in to air fryer basket. (Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to do multiple batches.)
• Cook on 400 degrees for about 10 minutes if air fryer has been preheated and about 15 minutes if not preheated.... flipping half way thorugh cooktime.
• When cook time has completed, check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer, making sure it has reached 165 degrees.
• Serve with your favorite sauce! (See notes in blog post for dip ideas and side dish sugestions!)