Low-Fat Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders With a Manage a Trois of Sauces

Ok – I sold out for the title bling.  It’s tough to make chicken tenders sound exotic; but menage et trois of sauces could be positively naughty!  Although I went for the suggestive title, the dinner itself was positively G-rated.  Over my holiday break from blogging, I took an additional respite from complicated, grown-up dishes.  Some ultra-simple food just sounded good for a change.

Taking the opportunity to fulfill my kiddie-craving, I served these simple, tasty tenders with carrot and celery sticks, and Napoleon Dynamite’s fave … crispy tater tots.  I hadn’t had them in years and oh MAN! I forgot how good they are.  I’m already conjuring up a few less than healthy recipes for future posts! – but I digress.

After the kids recovered from the shock of such a mainstream dinner, they dug in and chowed down.  The tenders themselves are very subtly flavored, so any dipping sauce they were able to conjure up worked well.  We like our “fried” foods very crispy.  If you do too, be sure to cook the tenders in a very hot oven to ensure crispiness; but be careful not to over cook so they remain true to their name….tenders.  The end result will be crispy, juicy tenders you’d swear had been fried – tenders just begging to be dunked into something sassy and saucy.  I provided a few options for you; but let your imagination run wild.  If you’re feeling traditional, stick with the ranch and honey mustard.  If you’re feeling a little more adventuresome, try hoisin, satay, or peach salsa.   The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1/2 cup non-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup coarsely crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil or olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° – 425°
Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 15 minutes.
Drain chicken and discard liquid.
Combine cornflakes and next five ingredients in a large zip-top bag or deep bowl.
Coat tenders in coating mixture.
Place on baking sheet drizzled with oil.
Bake for 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Sauces

Sweet and Pungent: 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
Hot Tomato: 1/3 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons Chile garlic sauce
Cool Cucumber: 1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup finely diced English cucumber and a dash of salt

Related Posts:

Skinny Luau Pork Skewers
Hearty Chicken Barley Soup
Tarragon Chicken on a Bed of Mushrooms and Onions
Fit Foodista’s Week in Review – September 27
Mediterranean Tilapia – Quick, Easy, Healthy