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Home » Recipes » Chicken » Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

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A 30 minute, kid-friendly recipe for crispy, baked, Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders that are crunchy and flavorful on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

My family loves garlic parmesan chicken tenders and since I don’t like frying food I had to come up with a more hands-off way to make crispy chicken tenders.

With these Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders, all you have to do is coat the chicken and let the oven do the rest of the work.

A few months ago I shared a recipe for Key Lime Chicken Tenders and that recipe, along with this one for Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders are two of the recipes from my blog that I make the most.

How To Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

Step One:

Melt the butter and stir in the lemon juice.

Breadcrumbs for Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

Step Two:

In a separate bowl, combine panko, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, garlic powder, salt, ground pepper, parsley, oregano, onion powder and grated lemon peel.

Step Three:

Cut four boneless, skinless chicken breast into three or four strips, depending on how thin you want your chicken tenders to be.

Another option would be to cut the chicken into smaller pieces to make chicken nuggets.

dip chicken tenders in butter for lemon pepper chicken tenders

Step Four:

Dip the chicken pieces in the melted butter and lemon juice mixture.

coat chicken tenders with breadcrumbs for lemon pepper chicken tenders

Step Five:

Coat the chicken tenders in the breadcrumb mixture.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders on pan

Step Six:

Place them on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with additional pepper, if desired.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

Optional: use a thin, metal spatula/turner to flip the chicken tenders (making sure to scrape up the coating along with the chicken) halfway through cooking to help brown both sides.

To brown the chicken tenders a bit more, put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

These Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders are crunchy and flavorful on the outside while remaining tender and juicy on the inside. When I made baked these chicken tenders, my kids and my husband were gone.

So, I brought the chicken tenders over to my sister’s house and shared with her family. Everyone seemed to love them as much as we do!

Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders Recipe Tips

1. How to make chicken nuggets?

Cut the chicken breasts into nugget size instead of tenders and then follow the rest of the recipe.

2. Can I leave the lemon juice and lemon peel out? Yes, you can make the recipe as written but skip the lemon juice and lemon peel.

3. Want to skip adding the seasonings? Use seasoned panko and seasoned breadcrumbs.

4. How do you make fried chicken tenders? Follow steps 1-5 to cut and coat the chicken. Then, heat two tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook about 6 chicken tenders for 3-4 minutes per side until the fully cooked. Repeat the process with more oil and chicken tenders. Do not overcrowd the chicken in the pan or it won’t be able to get crispy.

5. How to prevent soggy chicken tenders? Try cooking the chicken tenders on a wire baking rack on top of the baking sheet if you are having issues with getting crispy tenders.

6. How can I make my lemon pepper chicken tenders even crispier? After cooking them, brown them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

7. How to keep chicken tenders from sticking to the pan? Allow them to cool a bit and then use a thin, metal spatula/turner to scrape the chicken tenders along with the breading off the pan.

Continue to Content
Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

A 30 minute, kid-friendly recipe for crispy, baked, Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders that are crunchy and flavorful on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup butter
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed or bottled
  • 3/4 cup panko, (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
  • 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp grated lemon peel
  • Sprinkle of ground black pepper, optional

Instructions

  1. In a small, wide bowl melt the butter and stir in the lemon juice.
  2. In a separate small, wide bowl, mix together panko, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, onion powder and grated lemon peel.
  3. Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in thirds or fourths.
  4. Dip the chicken tenders into the butter mixture.
  5. Coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture.
  6. Place them on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with additional ground pepper, if desired.
  7. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.
  8. Optional: use a thin, metal spatula/turner to flip the chicken tenders (making sure to scrape up the coating along with the chicken) halfway through cooking to help brown both sides.
  9. To brown the chicken tenders a bit more, put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 858mgCarbohydrates: 13gSugar: 1gProtein: 21g

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© The Gunny Sack
Cuisine: American / Category: Dinner

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Comments

  1. Cicely Everson says

    May 28, 2020 at 8:13 pm

    A little time consuming but delicious. I think I’ll make up the breading ahead of time (in batches) and keep on hand because the whole family loved them! Should cut down on time considerably next time. I also subbed vegan parm for the parmesean cheese. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Paige says

    April 8, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    My breading sticks to the pan and the skin that is remaining is soggy…what am I doing wrong? Any tips appreciated!

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      April 11, 2018 at 3:03 pm

      Hi Paige,
      If mine don’t get crispy enough, after baking them, I put them under the broiler for a couple minutes. You could also try baking them on a wire baking rack on the baking sheet instead of baking them directly on the baking sheet.
      Also, once they finish baking, allow them to cool for several minutes, then use a thin, metal spatula/scraper to scrape the chicken tender and breading off of the pan.
      If all else fails, you can pan fry the chicken tenders instead.
      Good luck!
      ~Tonia

      Reply
  3. Georgia says

    February 19, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I love it and so does my husband. Will be making again for sure. I made it with 1.5 lbs so added a little extra of each ingredient. Yum!

    Reply
  4. Sharon says

    February 6, 2018 at 10:50 pm

    I’ve made these several times. They’re delicious! Even my picky kids like them! I sprinkle with lemon pepper before I bake them.

    Reply
  5. Marc says

    April 25, 2017 at 5:22 pm

    Tried these twice. Baking just leaves the coating soft. Second tI’m I pan fried in a bit of olive oil. Huge improvement in texture.

    Reply
  6. Ali says

    February 5, 2017 at 1:29 pm

    I tried this recipe with 1.75 pounds of chicken tenderloins and there was more than enough breeding for all of it! Very yummy!

    Reply
  7. Adrie says

    January 30, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    Is the Parmesan cheese just for added flavor?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      January 31, 2017 at 11:01 am

      Hi Adrie! I add it for flavor and crispiness. The cheese gets “toasted” when it is baking. But you can skip it and just add more breadcrumbs instead if you want. Happy Cooking! ~Tonia

      Reply
  8. Destiny says

    August 10, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    What is thr benefit of frying then baking? Can i just fry instead?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      August 11, 2016 at 1:07 pm

      Hi Destiny,
      These chicken tenders are only baked…not fried but you can fry them instead if you prefer.
      Enjoy,
      Tonia

      Reply
  9. Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says

    August 27, 2015 at 10:40 am

    We love pairing lemon pepper with chicken! Can’t wait to try these chicken tenders!

    Reply
  10. Liz says

    August 26, 2015 at 5:41 pm

    Yum – thank you – nice and easy!

    Reply

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Tonia LarsonHi, I'm Tonia, a lover of food and photography! Fill a gunny sack with ingredients, tie on an apron and let's get cooking!
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