Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders

Hello and welcome to Djalali Cooks. Today I have a fast and easy recipe that you may have seen on the internet recently. Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders, along with Cheetos® Breaded Chicken have been trends on social media for some time now. The recipes involve making a breading from the crackers. Since I am kind of slow to pick things up from social media, it took me a while to try this. But I am so glad I did! It’s a very simple recipe, it’s versatile and I think it would be a great recipe for kids to help with – and they will love the result!  Let’s get started.

Buttermilk Marinade

This recipe has only a few simple steps. The first is to marinate the chicken tenders in buttermilk with a few splashes of hot sauce. Put the chicken tenders, I have about 2 pounds worth in a bowl and pour on enough buttermilk to cover. Add a few splashes of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Crystal or Tabasco. Stir to coat all the tenders with the buttermilk, cover and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.

When you’re ready to bake the tenders, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray. If you’re worried about the tenders sticking to your sheet pan, lay a sheet of parchment on the sheet tray and spray the parchment with cooking spray. Set the tray aside.

Cheez-It® Breading

One box of Cheez-It® crackers is enough to work with. I decided to mix two kinds of Cheez-It® crackers: hot & spicy and white cheddar. Go with your favorite flavor or flavors. So I added half of each bag to the bowl of my processor and pulsed until the crackers were a coarse sandy texture.

Transfer the Cheez-It® breading to a rectangular baking dish and set up your breading station with the buttermilk chicken tenders, the Cheez-It® breading in the center and the tray to catch the breaded tenders on the right.

Then, you can work a few chicken tenders at time; lay the buttermilk coated tenders in the Cheez-It® breading, turn a few times to evenly coat the tender and place the breaded tenders on the sheet tray. Repeat with the rest of the tenders.

Then drizzle olive oil over the tenders. Now bake the tenders for 15-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (temped at 165 degrees F) and the Cheez-It® coating is golden.

Let the tenders sit for several minutes to let them cool and the Cheez-It® coating will crisp up a bit more. While you’re waiting for that, you can chop up some parsley to sprinkle over the top. Once they’ve cooled and crisped up a bit, transfer the Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders to a serving dish. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces. I have Ranch dressing and hot honey mustard.

Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders

And that’s it! So Simple! These are great on their own with dipping sauce, they’re also great sliced up to top a salad. Next time you want to get the kids involved with cooking, or you’re just looking for something fun to serve them for dinner, give these Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders a try! For a more traditional (yet no less fun) breaded chicken recipe try: Easy Popcorn Chicken. Have a great day! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders

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Dinner, Main Course, Side, Appetizer, Lunch – American

By Adapted from Diane Morrissey – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 15 Minutes, plus an overnight marinate – Cooking Time: 15-25 Minutes – Total Time: ~40 Minutes

In only a few simple steps you can have Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders for dinner! A fun cooking project for kids – they will love it!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Chicken Tenders (or 4-6 chicken breasts sliced lengthwise into 2-inch strips)
• Buttermilk (enough to cover chicken tenders in bowl)
• A Few Dashes of Hot Sauce, like Frank's Red Hot or Tabasco
• 1 box Cheez-It® Crackers
• Olive Oil
• Minced Parsley for garnish
• Dipping Sauces

Instructions

1

Place Chicken Tenders in a bowl and pour on enough buttermilk to cover. Add a few splashes of Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Crystal or Tabasco. Stir to coat all the tenders with the buttermilk, cover and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.

2

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray. If you're worried about the tenders sticking to your sheet pan, lay a sheet of parchment on the sheet tray and spray the parchment with cooking spray. Set the tray aside.

3

Add Cheez-It® Crackers to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the crackers are a coarse sandy texture.

4

Transfer the Cheez-It® breading to a rectangular baking dish and set up your breading station with the buttermilk chicken tenders, the Cheez-It® breading in the center and the tray to catch the breaded tenders on the right.

5

Work with a few chicken tenders at time; lay the buttermilk coated tenders in the Cheez-It® breading, turn a few times to evenly coat the tender and place the breaded tenders on the sheet tray. Repeat with the rest of the tenders.

6

Then drizzle olive oil over the tenders. Now bake the tenders for 15-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (temped at 165 degrees F) and the Cheez-It® coating is golden.

7

Let the tenders sit for several minutes to let them cool and the Cheez-It® coating will crisp up a bit more. While you're waiting for that, you can chop up some parsley to sprinkle over the top. Once they've cooled and crisped up a bit, transfer the Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders to a serving dish. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

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