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Home » Ingredient » Chicken

Chicken

Oven-Baked Buttermilk Chicken Strips

Published: September 13, 2015   |   Updated: July 1, 2022   |   14 Comments

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These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

Today we’re making a relatively simple recipe of buttermilk chicken tenders that should be popular with the kids. Think of this as a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the little ones. They’re pretty crispy for being baked and versatile enough seasoning-wise. So today we’re going to be making some oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips which are crispy breaded chicken tenders marinated in a buttermilk mixture.

I’ve had some moderate success with this technique of breading and baking in the oven in the past. I made some baked Parmesan crusted chicken that turned out pretty good. And it works for seafood as well like this panko crusted tilapia. But my main gripe about baking stuff was the uneven browning, particularly for chicken.

These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

So today we’ll be addressing that with a little hack, which is toasting the bread crumbs prior to breading for even browning. I’m pretty happy with the results. The toasting is done without any oil in the pan until it’s evenly browned, so it’s still healthy.  Pretty nice hack if you ask me. Let’s begin!

These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

OVEN-BAKED BUTTERMILK CHICKEN STRIPS RECIPE TIPS

Start by defrosting your chicken tenders for the buttermilk marination. I used about 3 lbs. of chicken tenders but feel free to scale down if you don’t have that many mouths to feed. I figured if you’re going to be doing all that breading, might as well do it in a big batch and since we’re baking it all anyways, the huge baking sheets can accommodate plenty.

The marinade is just some buttermilk mixed with a little vegetable oil, some garlic, ground cumin, maple syrup and salt and pepper to taste. It’s a technique from Nigella Lawson I wanted to try out. She used this with drumsticks which should be marinated overnight to tenderize them more. But since we’re dealing with chicken tenders, we can significantly reduce the marination time. Chicken tenders don’t need as much tenderizing!

These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. While you’re doing this, we can start toasting the bread crumbs. I used panko bread crumbs because they’re airy and flaky with a good texture that’s perfect for crunch. The toasting of the bread crumbs should take about 5 minutes and you don’t need any oil for this, just a hot pan. It’ll take a while for them to start browning and you won’t notice anything for the first few minutes. But once you notice some browning on the bottom of the pan, start stirring it up to even up the browning and don’t stop stirring. After this, it’ll brown super, super fast so you’ll need to be on your game.

Make sure to stir constantly to avoid some bread crumbs being burnt. You should end up with a relatively even browning but there will be some stubborn pale strays. Once you’re done browning the bread crumbs, remove them from the pan because they will keep browning with the residual heat. Season the bread crumbs with salt and pepper to taste. Now you can opt to keep it simple with just a basic seasoned bread crumb mixture, or you can go crazy adding in spices like smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, or whatever seasoning your kids like.

These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

Now we do the breading. Use some tongs to remove the chicken tenders from the marinade and shake off any excess marinade. You’ll want to shake the excess off so you don’t get the bread crumbs soggy. They won’t stick on as well. Toss them in the bowl of browned bread crumbs and heap the bread crumbs onto them with a spoon. I found it easier to pat in any excess bread crumbs with the back of the spoon. Between the tongs and spoon, your hands won’t ever have to get dirty! I kid you not. No messy battered hands. The breading took up the majority of the prep stage, but again, if you decide to downsize for a smaller batch, it shouldn’t take too long at all.

Line them up on a greased baking sheet and spray them with some olive oil spray. I personally felt the spraying didn’t do much but I did it anyway just in case. It took me about two baking sheets for the entire three pounds of chicken tenders and I ended up with about 20 chicken tenders.

These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

Let them bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Cut one chicken strip in half to check for doneness if you’re not sure. Once they’re out of the oven, let them sit a while to settle. This step is important because fresh from the oven, the breading will still be hot and steamy and will fly off the chicken. It needs time to cool down and crisp up.

Then, serve it with your choice of dipping sauce. I decided to pair it with a simple honey mustard mayo dip but hey, even ketchup works! Or if you’re feeling tropical, try out this chilled pineapple dip 😉 These chicken strips go great with sides like potato salad or baked mac and cheese.

Let me know how you like these in the comments below and what sauce you paired them with. Enjoy 🙂

MORE BAKED CHICKEN RECIPES TO TRY

  • Oven-Baked Chicken
  • Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
  • Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
  • Baked Honey Balsamic Chicken
  • Baked Honey Lemon Chicken

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These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!

Oven-Baked Buttermilk Chicken Strips


★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: The Cooking Jar
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 18–20 strips 1x
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Description

These oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips are a healthier alternative to fast food or frozen chicken nuggets for the kids!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 lb. chicken tenders
  • 2 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs/panko bread crumbs
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil spray

MARINADE

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken tenders in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  2. Over medium-high heat, toast the bread crumbs in a dry pan for 5 minutes until golden brown. Stir constantly. Once brown, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste or any other seasonings you prefer (garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, sage, Italian seasoning, etc.)
  3. Using tongs, shake off any excess marinade from chicken tenders and dredge through bread crumbs. Pat in the bread crumbs to coat thoroughly.
  4. Grease two baking sheets and start lining up your chicken tenders, spacing them evenly.
  5. Spray your chicken tenders with olive oil spray.
  6. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  7. Let it sit until breading has settled before digging in.
  8. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below or share a photo of the recipe on Instagram by tagging @cookingjar

posted in: Chicken, Main Dishes, Oven, Popular Recipes

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Diana says

    January 11, 2022

    I halved this and used gluten-free panko crumbs and olive oil. Also my chicken were more nugget chunks than strips. I marinated the chicken for about 3 hours. I ran out of the coating and cooked the few remaining chicken chunks in a pan on the stove with some olive oil. Both are good! Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 17, 2022

      You’re welcome. I’m so happy you enjoyed them Diana! Thank you for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  2. Emilia Butters says

    July 2, 2021

    Hi great recipe! Can you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      July 2, 2021

      Thank you, Emilia. Yes, you can. Good luck and happy cooking!

      Reply
  3. Olga says

    August 19, 2020

    Hi Farah!
    My daughter is allergic to egss, i looked for good chicken nuggets recipe for a while! But this one – so amazing and meat is melting! idea of toasting crumbs and marinated chicken – best of the best! she ate and asked for more! i did prepare a big bag of them in freezer. Thank you a lot!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      July 2, 2021

      You’re very welcome! I used to be allergic to eggs as a kid too, so I completely get it. I’m just happy to have helped you both find a solution and a yummy one at that ?

      Reply
  4. Lisa Creuzer says

    August 9, 2020

    These were absolutely the best chicken strips I ever made! I made my own buttermilk (lemon and milk)
    Never browned bread crumbs before. Delicious!!!
    Thank you so much for posting it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      August 14, 2020

      Wow, that’s a huge compliment. Thanks so much Lisa! Congrats on making your own buttermilk, I’ve never done that before! Browning the breadcrumbs is a way to cheat at making it look and taste like it’s baked longer than it should have without drying out the chicken. Thanks for trying this old recipe out!

      Reply
  5. Kathi says

    February 20, 2017

    Hi Farah! I am so happy to have found you! I just finished making your Salmon honey garlic recipe the other night. My family LOVED it! So tonight it’s your “Oven Baked Buttermilk Chicken Strips.” Looks super easy, and delish! Again, I am so happy to have found you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      August 14, 2020

      Hey Kathi! Wow, how did I miss this comment? I hope this recipe turned out well for you just like the honey garlic salmon did! Thanks for trying out my recipes!

      Reply
  6. Abby Lee says

    September 3, 2016

    What are your measurements for your honey mustard may dip?
    Looks delicious!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      September 19, 2016

      Try 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons mustard of your choice and 2 tablespoons honey. Do a taste test and add more mustard/honey to your liking!

      Reply
  7. Dorothy Dunton says

    September 14, 2015

    Hi Farah! I started “oven frying” chicken and potatoes when my kids we little – didn’t think they needed all the oil/grease. I always dry roast/toast breadcrumbs, coconut and nuts on top of the stove, much easier to keep an eye on!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      September 14, 2015

      Heya Dorothy! I used to toast my coconut flakes a lot in the past for a beef dish I sometimes make but never really put two and two together…that I could do it with bread crumbs too. Someone from a reddit comment in a recipe of mine that was linked there mentioned that the bread crumbs could have been pre-toasted for the old jalapeno popper chicken I made awhile back so I tucked that info away. It works!

      Reply

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