Healthier chicken tenders cooked in a simple delicious garlic butter sauce. The chicken tenderloins turn out so tender, juicy, succulent, and flavorful. A weeknight dinner ready in just 15 minutes! This one of the easiest and best chicken tender recipes.
Chicken tenders are so easy to cook. I always make them on busy weeknights as they’re ready in no time, and everyone in my family loves them. Sometimes I take out my grill pan and quickly make these grilled chicken tenders. And when I’m craving crunchy restaurant-style chicken tenders, I either make the crunchy buttermilk fried version or the healthier oven-baked chicken tenders.
If I’m not making a large batch, I make them in the air fryer. And another favorite recipe is these unbreaded garlic butter chicken tenders that I make in a skillet. They turn out so juicy, tender, and the garlic and butter make these tenders so special!
Chicken tenders are known as chicken mini fillets in the UK. Many people think that chicken tenders are just thin strips of chicken breast. But a chicken tender is a cut of meat found underneath and attached to the chicken breast, it’s the most tender part of the chicken breast even though it’s so small. Every chicken has 2 tenders, they’re moist and tender when cooked properly.
You can find chicken tenders sold separately from chicken breasts in supermarkets on trays, so you can buy a tray with 10-20 chicken tenders to grill up, fry, or bake.
So if you’re like me, and you prefer home cooked food, grab a tray of chicken tenders next time you go grocery shopping and make this recipe!
Chicken Tenders Recipe
Healthier chicken tenders cooked in a simple delicious sauce. The chicken tenderloins turn out so tender, juicy, succulent, and flavorful.
Total: 15min
Yield: 3
Serving Size: 5 ounces
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 5 ounces, calories 293 kcal, Carbohydrate 3 g, Protein 33 g, Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Trans Fat 0.3 g, Cholesterol 117 mg, Sodium 567 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 0.2 g, unSaturated Fat 9 g
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter (divided)
- 1 pound (450g) chicken tenderloins (chicken mini fillets)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (chopped – for garnish)
Instruction:
- Add olive oil and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan/skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chicken tenders, season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for 3 minutes on each side (season each side as you cook).
- Make room for the garlic, melt the remaining butter, and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Season with Italian seasoning, and cook for one more minute.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan to deglaze it, and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (that’s where all of the good flavor is).
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves, and serve warm.
15 Minute Creamy Garlic Chicken Tenders
FAQ
What are chicken tenderloins good for?
How do you cook chicken tenderloins so they aren’t dry?
What’s the difference between chicken tenderloin and chicken breast tenderloin?
Chicken breast is a large muscle located on the underside of the chicken while the tenderloin is a smaller muscle located between the breast and the breast bone itself. The tenderloin is smaller and more tender and has a slightly higher fat and sodium content.
Can you use chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breast?
