These easy chicken tenderloin recipes are delicious and quick. They’re perfect for busy weeknight dinners or days when you want to have something light and fun. Pair these chicken tender recipes with your favorite dipping sauce or add easy side dishes to make a chicken meal.
Why Share?
Chicken Tenders (chicken tenderloins) are budget-friendly and easy to find in the grocery store. However, meal ideas with them can get a bit boring.
This collection of some of my favorite chicken tenderloin recipes includes a range of family favorites like crispy chicken tenders, as well as some other healthier chicken tenders options like these frozen chicken tenders in the air fryer and pan-fried chicken tenders that fit a low-carb, gluten-free, and/or keto diet.
How To Make An Easy Chicken Dinner
Pair any of these chicken tenderloin recipes with sides for chicken tenders, which include everything from simple side salads to dips.
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Below are simple chicken tenderloin recipes you’ll enjoy cooking and eating:
Best Chicken Tenderloin Recipes
A collection of the best chicken tenderloin recipes that are sure to satisfy your cravings and impress your taste buds. Whether you're in the mood for something savory, spicy, or sweet, I've got you covered. Perfect for those who are tired of the same old chicken dishes and looking for some new, tasty chicken dinner ideas.
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Use my frozen air fryer chicken tenders to make Nashville Chicken Tenders easily at home! This recipe comes together in under 30 minutes with an easy sauce featuring brown sugar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and more.
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Make air fryer buffalo chicken tenders without breading using this simple recipe. It comes together with simple spices in about 15 minutes.
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Tenders
Make crispy chicken strips in your air fryer with this easy air fryer frozen chicken tenders recipe.
Pan-Fried Chicken Tenders (No Breading)
Make the best pan-fried chicken tenders in a skillet using this easy recipe. Includes simple ingredients and ready in less than 20 minutes.
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tenders
These BBQ Chicken Tenders have all the barbecue flavor without needing to start the grill. These include my bbq chicken rub and your favorite bbq sauce. I make these in the air fryer to keep things easy.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders (No Breading)
Substitute chicken dry rub for flour or panko bread crumbs to make crispy and super tasty chicken tenders. More flavor, fewer carbs.
Keto Chicken Tenders
Crunchy and flavorful, these chicken tenders are perfect! They're keto-friendly, and the kids will love them. This recipe uses thin strips of chicken breasts, but a pack of tenderloins work too! The crispy breading is from a low-carb flour mix.
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Try these tenders if you need recipes using chicken tenderloin to impress kids and adults alike. They'll be ready in 25 minutes. Enjoy them with dips like ranch dressing and bbq sauce.
Coconut Crusted Chicken w/Bang Bang Sauce
This chicken dish is a complete package—easy, quick, low-carb, and flavorful. It uses 3 basic ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes from prep to plate.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
Entertain your tastebuds with a healthy version of breaded chicken tenders. They are served with a DIY honey mustard sauce for extra goodness.
Whole30 Cashew Coconut Chicken Tenders
Make paleo-friendly, gluten-free, daily-free, and insanely delicious tenders in under 30 minutes. One serving is just not enough!
Sheet Pan Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders
Are you looking for a hassle-free and healthy chicken tenderloins recipe that everyone will love? These Balsamic tenders are the real deal. These are a great way to make an entire meal on one baking sheet.
Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
Enjoy sweet and savory flavors in one meal. This baked honey mustard chicken is simple and effortlessly delicious.
Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders
You need only 7 ingredients to whip up crispy, golden brown Whole30, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly baked tenders.
Easy Grilled Chicken Tenders
Your whole family will love these tender, juicy, and mouthwatering grilled chicken breast tenders. Even the pickiest eater cannot resist.
Air Fryer Fried Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Recreate your favorite restaurant buffalo chicken tenders into a healthy, tasty meal. They'll be done in 30 minutes with a simple sauce of hot sauce and melted butter.
Baked Chicken Tenders
Tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, oven-baked tenders are healthier than deep-fried ones and just as delicious.
Shoyu Chicken (Soy Sauce Chicken)
This Japanese cuisine will leave everyone licking their fingers. Shoyu chicken is juicy and packed with bold flavors.
Mushroom Chicken (With Homemade Cream of Mushroom)
Here's one of the best recipes using chicken tenderloin. Creamy and tasty, this mushroom chicken is a wholesome, family-friendly dish.
Hot Cheeto Chicken Fingers
If you enjoy flaming hot dishes, this is your treat. Hot Cheeto chicken fingers use less than 10 ingredients and about 25 minutes of cook time.
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Sweet Black Pepper and Rosemary
This 4-ingredient chicken bacon combo is perfect for a yummy weeknight dinner. It comes together in under 20 minutes.
Frozen Chicken Tenders Instant Pot
Cook-from-frozen chicken tenderloin recipes are a lifesaver if you forget to thaw your dinner. These take about 12 minutes from prep to plate.
Pistachio Chicken
You only need 5 ingredients to make this incredibly delicious chicken dish. It's keto, gluten-free, Paleo, and dairy-free.
Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
Use less than 10 ingredients to get the flavors and crispiness of fried tenders without breading or deep frying.
Parmesan Breaded Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
These 15-minute chicken tenders are your go-to main dish whenever you need something easy, quick, flavorful, and family-friendly.
Chicken Tenders (Lemon Garlic Butter)
Enjoy crispy, tender, and super tasty chicken strips without the extra carbs in flour breading. These will be ready in about 15 minutes.
Balsamic Chicken
Try these tangy, juicy, and perfectly seasoned tenders for an easy weeknight dinner. You’ll need only 7 pantry ingredients.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Inspired by Italian flavors, creamy Tuscan chicken is all you need after a long day. It’s easy to make and comes together in about 25 minutes.
Crispy Gluten Free Chicken Tenders
Treat your family to gluten-free, crispy, and drop-dead delicious chicken strips. They are baked to perfection, delivering extra flavor without deep frying.
Chicken Gyros
If you’re looking for adventurous recipes using chicken tenderloin, chicken gyros are the bomb. It’s creamy, garlicky, and juicy.
Cheez-it Chicken Tenders
The goodness in these strips is unmatched, yet they require few common ingredients. They are tender, crispy, and bursting with Italian flavors.
Spicy Buttermilk Baked Chicken Tenderloins
You’ll need 7 simple ingredients and 15 minutes of cook time to make this delicacy. It’s easy to make and packed with bold flavors.
Teriyaki Glazed Chicken
Are you ready for some Asian flavors? Teriyaki glazed chicken balances the salty, sweet, and spicy to deliver super-juicy results.
Almond Flour Chicken Tenders
Enjoy crispy and tender chicken strips with fewer carbs. These are super delicious without flour breading or the deep frying mess.
Oven Fried Chicken Tenders
Oven-fried chicken is tasty and crispy without excess oil. Serve it with your favorite side or dip.
Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders
Sweet and garlicky, these juicy chicken tenders are your go-to dinner option on a busy weeknight. They’re easy to make and come together in just 20 minutes.
Chicken Stroganoff
Substitute chicken for beef to make a modern version of the original dish. Make a complete, soul-refreshing meal in as little as 30 minutes.
Hot Honey Pretzel Chicken Tenders
These are sweet and spicy, perfect for those who enjoy old flavors. This dish uses simple ingredients and 20 minutes of cook time.
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders
These mouthwatering tenders will brighten even the dullest days, yet they require less than 10 basic ingredients.
FAQs
Cook meat that is at room temperature as to meat that is right out of the refrigerator. Do not overcook them. Use tried and tested recipes like the options included here.
Tenders can include chicken breast cut into strips or the actual tenderloin. Tenderloin is part of the breast. Most people use the terms interchangeably, though.
Generally, chicken breast tenderloin has a quick cook time of about 30 minutes or less.
When chicken tenderloins are done, the internal temperature of the meat should be 165 degrees (according to an instant-read thermometer). Other ways to check for doneness are to feel the meat, poke the meat to see whether the juices are red or clear, or check whether the meat shrunk.