Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. You miss those chicken tenders! You don’t have to admit it to your college roomies. Instead, here’s a super-easy and delicious recipe to impress your friends while still satisfying that grade school craving! Serve them with your favorite sauce whether – ahem – ketchup, the creamy honey mustard sauce recipe I included here, your favorite barbecue sauce, or all three. Enjoy!

Grown Up Chicken Tenders

1 lb. chicken tenders

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

Water

1-2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grab three bowls from your pantry. In the first, mix the flour with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

In the second, scramble 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon of water.

In the third, add the panko breadcrumbs. You might need more than one cup.

Dredge the chicken tenders in the flour mixture, next coat with the egg mixture, and finally coat in the panko. Do this for all the tenders. Ta-da! You’ve just learned the basics of breading. Easy, right?

Next, in a roasting pan, coat the base of the pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil, moving the pan so it is evenly coated. Add the breaded tenders to the pan, and drizzle them with a little more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook the tenders in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a digital thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the oven. Turn the oven to broil and then place the pan under the broiler for one minute. Remove and turn the tenders over. Put under the broiler for another minute.

Tip: The goal of putting the tenders under the intense heat of the broiler is so that both sides get slightly crunchy without having to fry them. But broilers are tricky machines with minds of their own. The same heat accomplished in yours might take twenty seconds, while mine takes a whole minute. Until you know your oven, don’t leave your food unattended at all, especially under the broiler.

Next up:

Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce:

You’ll need:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/8 cup honey

1/8 cup Dijon mustard

In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, honey, and dijon in that order.

Serve as a dipping sauce alongside the chicken tenders.

Tip: This easy mid-week dinner is great served with a Caesar salad or some easy grilled vegetables – recipe coming soon!