Crispy Baked Sriracha Chicken Tenders

Fried foods. Something I swore I would NEVER make in my kitchen, and to this day, I am proud to say I have kept that promise. Unfortunately, we LOVE chicken tenders. There is just something about a crispy, juicy chicken tender that entices your taste buds. Friends, I am here to tell you that you don't need a deep fryer to produce crispy, juicy tenders!

I started following the food blog, Katie's Cucina after the Great Food Blogger cookie swap last year. She was one of the random bloggers that I sent my Cherry Walnut Oatmeal cookies to. 

Baked, Not Fried

She recently posted a recipe for baked (not fried) chicken strips that promised to be just as crunchy and tender as the fried version. I was immediately intrigued and drawn to one of my most requested (and most raved about) recipes for inspiration, the Buttermilk-brined Pork Chops. Why not marinate the chicken in a Sriracha-buttermilk mixture before coating in spicy, herby flakes and baking? 

Glad I merged the two recipes together, because it was fantastic, and a healthy alternative to fried chicken tenders. Crispy outside, tender and juicy inside...yummy!

These will be great for game day with several condiments for dipping. I also tried a few of the tenders in Panko bread crumbs instead of Corn Flakes. It was a nice alternative, but the Corn Flakes were my favorite.

Crispy Baked Sriracha Chicken Tenders 

Adapted from Katie Cucina's Crunchy Baked Chicken Strips
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes + marinating time
Cook Time: 25 minutes

2 14oz. packages of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 2 lbs of chicken tender cuts

2 c fat-free buttermilk

3 T Sriracha or other chili sauce

2 T salt, split

2 egg whites

4 c Corn Flakes or other unsweetened corn cereal

2 T paprika

1 tsp dried thyme
1 T garlic powder

If starting with whole chicken breasts, rinse and dry the chicken. Cut the breasts into long strips, similar to the size of a tender. I got about 6-8 tenders from a whole chicken breast.

In a large ziploc bag, mix the buttermilk, Sriracha and 1 T salt until the salt has disolved. Add the chicken and massage the mixture into the chicken and seal the bag. Place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer the chicken marinates, the more juicy the tenders.

Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F and lightly grease a cookie cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Whisk the egg whites in a shallow bowl and set aside. In a food processor, pulse the corn flakes, thyme, paprika and remaining salt. Pour this into a separate shallow bowl.

Remove each piece of chicken from the bag and dip into the egg white bowl to evenly coat. Then dip into the corn flake mixture bowl to evenly coat and place on the prepared racks. Repeat for all of the tenders and bake for 25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.

Serve with favorite dipping sauce such as Sriracha ketchup or honey mustard.