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Gluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders

Dairy FreeGluten Free
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January 24, 2022 | 28 Comments |This post contains affiliate links.

Gluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - This oven-baked chicken tenders recipe is gluten & dairy-free with a fabulous crispy crunch! // crispy gluten free chicken tenders // baked chicken tenders recipe // healthy chicken tenders recipe // gluten free breadcrumbs // gluten-free chicken fingers recipe // gluten-free chicken strips recipe // gluten-free baked chicken strips // gluten-free baked chicken fingers // chicken strips dipping saucesGluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - This oven-baked chicken tenders recipe is gluten & dairy-free with a fabulous crispy crunch! // crispy gluten free chicken tenders // baked chicken tenders recipe // healthy chicken tenders recipe // gluten free breadcrumbs // gluten-free chicken fingers recipe // gluten-free chicken strips recipe // gluten-free baked chicken strips // gluten-free baked chicken fingers // chicken strips dipping saucesGluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - This oven-baked chicken tenders recipe is gluten & dairy-free with a fabulous crispy crunch! // crispy gluten free chicken tenders // baked chicken tenders recipe // healthy chicken tenders recipe // gluten free breadcrumbs // gluten-free chicken fingers recipe // gluten-free chicken strips recipe // gluten-free baked chicken strips // gluten-free baked chicken fingers // chicken strips dipping saucesGluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - This oven-baked chicken tenders recipe is gluten & dairy-free with a fabulous crispy crunch! // crispy gluten free chicken tenders // baked chicken tenders recipe // healthy chicken tenders recipe // gluten free breadcrumbs // gluten-free chicken fingers recipe // gluten-free chicken strips recipe // gluten-free baked chicken strips // gluten-free baked chicken fingers // chicken strips dipping saucesGluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - This oven-baked chicken tenders recipe is gluten & dairy-free with a fabulous crispy crunch! // crispy gluten free chicken tenders // baked chicken tenders recipe // healthy chicken tenders recipe // gluten free breadcrumbs // gluten-free chicken fingers recipe // gluten-free chicken strips recipe // gluten-free baked chicken strips // gluten-free baked chicken fingers // chicken strips dipping saucesGluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - This oven-baked chicken tenders recipe is gluten & dairy-free with a fabulous crispy crunch! // crispy gluten free chicken tenders // baked chicken tenders recipe // healthy chicken tenders recipe // gluten free breadcrumbs // gluten-free chicken fingers recipe // gluten-free chicken strips recipe // gluten-free baked chicken strips // gluten-free baked chicken fingers // chicken strips dipping sauces

Gluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders – This oven-baked chicken tenders recipe is gluten and dairy-free with a fabulous crispy crunch. A favorite for kids and grown-ups alike! 

The BEST Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - Baked chicken tenders with a super crispy crunchy topping. These are AMAZING!

I know I’m not the only one looking for meals my whole family loves. Sometimes, I find that going back to the classics is a great way to spark creativity and inspire my kids to try something new!

These gluten-free chicken tenders are the perfect example. The recipe is a classic you can come back to again and again. With the basic technique for these crispy chicken tenders in your back pocket, there are so many ways you can reinvent and reimagine the flavors. It’s a go-to recipe SURE to be a family favorite.

I’ve got three tips that make these the BEST baked chicken tenders we’ve ever tried, plus a TON of ideas for keeping the flavor interesting.

My Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Tenders are made from @canyonbakehouse Gluten Free bread. They make such an awesome crispy coating! (they're also the BEST gluten free bread out there!)

1. Toast Your Breadcrumbs.

While you might have relied on panko before going gluten free, I’ve found that I can STILL get that awesome crispy texture by toasting my breadcrumbs before breading. I start with Canyon Bakehouse Bread (my FAVORITE GF bread for taste and texture). The bread is so good that I hate letting any part of it go to waste. We ALWAYS save our ends for occasions like these (though we often use fresh slices too, when the craving hits!). Ends and stale pieces can be used for mini meatloaves, meatballs, homemade croutons, and crispy coating for recipes like this!

To speed things up, you can leave your bread out ahead of time for a few hours to get hard, or you can simply toss the slices straight into your food processor. Pulse until everything is pretty uniform, and you’re ready to go!

The BEST Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Tenders - Baked chicken tenders with a super crispy crunchy topping. These are AMAZING!

2. Make a Better Batter. 

The traditional method for battering is to dredge in a flour mixture, then dip in an egg mixture, then dip in bread crumbs. I’ve found that combining the first two steps by adding flour to the egg mixture gives the chicken a better coating (and saves a step!) for me. It also REALLY helps the bread crumbs stick well, which makes for a lovely crispy coating.

Just a few tricks to make the BEST Gluten Free Chicken Tenders. These are so crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside!

3. Get Seriously Crispy.

Lastly, rather than baking your chicken tenders on a baking sheet, I like to first put a cooling rack/baking rack on top of the baking sheet (be sure yours is heat safe and doesn’t have any kind of coating on it). This allows air to circulate all around the chicken, which means no mushy spot sticking to the baking sheet when they come out of the oven. Instead, you get 360 degrees of awesomely crispy coating!

Crispy Gluten Free Chicken Tenders - These baked chicken tenders are SO easy and delicious. The perfect family dinner!

Get Creative! Dipping Sauces To Try With Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders:

The beauty of a classic recipe like this is that there are ENDLESS ways to flavor and change them up. For instance, you could use these chicken tenders to top pasta (a la Chicken Parmesan), to make crispy chicken sandwiches or wraps, or to top an awesome Cobb-style or BBQ Chicken salad, loaded with goodies. Not to mention all the different dipping sauce ideas. This is great with SO many different dressings and dips. To name a few…

  • Barbecue Sauce
  • Buffalo Sauce
  • Ketchup
  • Honey Mustard Sauce
  • Classic Ranch
  • Chipotle Ranch
  • Citrus Avocado Sauce
  • Guacamole
  • The Dijon Remoulade in this Air Fryer Fish Sticks post
The BEST Gluten Free Chicken Tenders - These are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. A family (and kid-approved!) favorite!

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Tenders

What if I’m Not Gluten Free? The same method would work beautifully with wheat-based breads, too. No other adjustments would need to be made.

Flavor Boosts. Again, there are SO many ways to flavor this. Try using sriracha or chipotle mayo instead of regular, or adding a little taco, ranch, or Italian seasoning to your mixture. A few shortcut ideas…

  • Shortcut Italian Seasoning: 1/4 tsp oregano + 1/4 tsp garlic powder+ 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • Shortcut Taco Seasoning: 1/4 tsp cumin + 1/4 tsp chili powder + 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • Shortcut Ranch Seasoning: 1/4 tsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp onion powder + 1/4 tsp dried dill
  • Shortcut Steakhouse Seasoning: 1/4 tsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp onion powder + 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Love Healthy Chicken Recipes? You Might Also Like…

  • Apple Cranberry Chicken Salad
  • Almond Flour Chicken Tenders (paleo, Whole30)
  • BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
  • Healthy Orange Chicken
  • Honey Lime Chicken Tacos
The BEST Gluten Free Chicken Tenders - These are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. A family (and kid-approved!) favorite!
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crispy baked gluten-free chicken tenders with ranch dipping sauce

Gluten Free Baked Chicken Tenders


★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

  • Author: One Lovely Life
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

Gluten-Free Crispy Chicken Tenders with a fabulous crispy crunch! 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4–5 slices gluten free bread, such as Canyon Bakehouse Country White or 7 Grain
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders (or chicken breast, sliced into strips)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp gluten free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Mix
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • Oil spray or cooking spray (I like coconut oil spray)
  • To Serve: Your favorite dipping sauce–honey mustard, ranch, BBQ sauce, ketchup, etc.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Start by making the bread crumbs. Pulse bread in a food processor until you have fairly fine crumbs. Spread out on a baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray/spray oil.
  3. Bake crumbs at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes for even browning. Remove from oven and transfer to a shallow bowl or plate.
  4. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
  5. Make batter, by whisking together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, gluten free flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk until smooth and place in a shallow bowl.
  6. If possible, place a metal cooling/baking rack on top of a baking sheet. This will promote even browning/crisping. If you don’t have a wire rack like this, spray your baking sheet with cooking spray or oil.
  7. Batter your chicken one piece at a time by first dipping into the batter to coat well, then rolling in the breadcrumbs. Place breaded chicken strips on the baking sheet (on top of the rack if possible).
  8. Repeat with remaining chicken until all pieces are coated. Lightly spray the top of the chicken with another round of cooking spray or oil.
  9. Bake at 400 degrees 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked through and the coating is golden brown.
  10. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce—honey mustard, ranch, barbecue sauce, ketchup, etc.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @onelovelylife1 on Instagram and hashtag it #onelovelyrecipe

Originally shared July 2017. Updated Jan 2022.

Filed Under: chicken & turkey, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

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Comments

  1. Ellen

    July 21, 2017 at 9:25 am

    These chicken strips look yummy. I’ll be trying this recipe soon.
    I make fresh bread crumbs using a blender. It works for soft bread crumbs (use fresh bread), or dry bread crumbs (use dry or toasted bread).
    I’ve also read that you can use a box grater to make dry bread crumbs, starting with toasted bread.
    Sturdy breads (“Farmhouse” or other hearty white or whole wheat breads) make the best crumbs IMO.

    Reply
    • Emily

      July 21, 2017 at 3:50 pm

      Ellen – I’ve tried it in a blender too. Works great! I’ve never tried it with a box grater, but love the ease of using my food processor or blender.

      I’m sure those breads make great crumbs! This has been a great gluten free solution for us now that those breads aren’t an option.

      Reply
  2. Melissa Griffiths

    July 24, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    These look amazing!!! I can’t wait to try these and that homemade ranch of yours!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emily

      July 24, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      They’re SO GOOD! I love the crispy-crunchy crust and dipped in ranch…they’re amazing! Miss you. Let’s talk soon!

      Reply
  3. Megan

    January 6, 2018 at 10:44 am

    These chicken strips were amazing. My very picky three year old ate them up. I used Ezekiel bread instead of gluten free and I used Primal kitchen chipotle lime mayo for a little extra zing ( not too spicy either). So so so good. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that I will be using again and again.

    Reply
    • Emily

      January 6, 2018 at 12:23 pm

      Megan – How wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. (And I LOVE that chipotle lime mayo! I’ll have to try that next time!)

      Reply
  4. Lia

    March 20, 2018 at 7:13 am

    Best GF baked tenders. Thanks for the recipe – my husband loved it!

    Reply
    • Emily

      March 20, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      Lia – THANK YOU! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They’re a favorite around here too!

      Reply
  5. Veena

    August 28, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    Made this for my newly gluten free dairy free son and he loved it. Shallow fried in oil but will bake next time. I’m a vegetarian so I did not try, but they looked so tempting. Thank you so much.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emily

      August 28, 2018 at 7:31 pm

      I’m so glad he loved it! Thanks for sharing your review!

      Reply
  6. Emily Dayne de Coppet

    November 22, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    I’m making this the day after Thanksgiving for my GF cousin and her 7 year old daughter. I would like to make them either today and reheat tomorrow or make early in the day and reheat for dinner. Do you think that would work out? How do you recommend storing and reheating. If you think it will be too dry please tell me and I will make fresh. I want them to be the best they can be. Thanks for your recipe Emily! Hopefully you will be able to respond quickly, I do however know it is Thanksgiving and I hope you have a lovely one. I will understand if you don’t even get a chance to look at this message until way after the holiday.

    Reply
    • Emily

      November 22, 2018 at 1:21 pm

      Emily – Happy Thanksgiving! For best results, I’d recommend making them fresh. They do dry out a touch upon reheating, but will taste great, too! I hope you all love them as much as we do!

      Reply
  7. Liz

    November 25, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    These are me and my fiancé’s fave!! Yay. 5 stars!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emily

      November 26, 2018 at 5:12 am

      Yay! Mine too!

      Reply
  8. Robyn

    September 18, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    My 9 year old has Celiac. She likes foods that are kid friendly. We make these for the whole family and she LOVES them. We ALL do. Her teenage brother and father don’t even know their gluten free! 😬

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emily

      September 19, 2019 at 10:23 am

      YES! I consider that a huge victory! I’m so glad you all enjoy it 🙂

      Reply
  9. Taylor

    January 12, 2020 at 10:08 am

    Love these! Has anyone tried freezing?

    Reply
    • Emily

      January 13, 2020 at 7:13 am

      I have! They re-heat pretty well! I like to heat them in the oven so they crisp up again 🙂

      Reply
  10. Amy Bee

    April 8, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    Can I just say, I LOVE these. I actually find them addicting! My 16 yr old daughter has celiac. The rest of us don’t eat GF all of the time, but if I’m cooking – we usually do (I’m not making two meals!) I must also confess that I tend to read recipes 2 or 3 times, get the gist of what is going on, then see what I have in my cabinets, fridge that is on the list or reasonably should work. Most of the time, I do pretty well. It is a practice that is currently coming in very handy during our STAY AT HOME orders, because I’m definitely not running to the store if I’m missing an ingredient. So on that note — I have made these and skipped the egg – they were great, replaced dijon with spicy brown – also great, used rice flour instead of Bob’s baking mix, used GF Hol-Grain chicken coating mix in place of it too – both worked great. Oddly enough, I have never used the Hol-Grain chicken coating mix the way it actually suggests too on the box, lol. I will also say the first time I made this recipe, I was incredibly doubtful. The thick batter like coating was very strange and I just thought it would be a mushy mess. I was SO wrong. Kudos to the chef on this one – apologies that I have morphed your perfection every time – but that is how perfect of a recipe it is — slight variations are still great because it is such a phenomenal recipe!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emily

      April 9, 2020 at 5:37 am

      Amy – WOW WOW WOW! You totally made my day! I loved hearing about all your variations. It’s so nice to know the recipe can be so flexible!

      Thank you, too, for taking the time to leave a review. It’s so helpful! 🙂

      Reply
  11. michele

    May 18, 2020 at 8:09 am

    Looking forward to trying this recipe, one question: I see bits of green in the tenders, nothing in the recipe for the batter has anything green. What is that?

    Reply
    • Emily

      May 18, 2020 at 9:01 am

      Michele – That was just a little garnish at the end to make it look pretty :). I use cilantro or parsley, but it’s 100% optional and just for decoration.

      Reply
  12. Lynn

    May 29, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    Love these for a quick dinner. I have used GF Panko and GF Italian bread crumb with great success

    The batter…..no substitute for that !

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emily

      May 31, 2020 at 5:15 pm

      Yum! Love the idea of Italian bread crumbs! I’ll have to try that for sure!

      Reply
  13. Amy T

    April 25, 2021 at 10:38 am

    These are FANTASTIC! A house favorite – do you happen to have the breakdown of nutritional info for the recipe?

    Reply
    • Emily

      April 25, 2021 at 3:19 pm

      I don’t yet, but it should be coming soon! I’m working my way through our archives to add nutrition info. 🙂

      Reply
      • IMA

        July 26, 2021 at 6:32 am

        Hello! Has anyone tried these in the airfryer?

        Reply
        • Emily

          July 28, 2021 at 8:31 am

          I have! I’ve had good luck following similar instructions–400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. They can sometimes stick, so make sure you either grease the bottom of the fryer well or use air fryer parchment paper (the kind with little holes to allow air circulation).

          Reply

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about emily

Hi, I’m Emily! I create fresh, flexible family recipes to help you feel more confident in the kitchen. Whether you’ve got picky eaters, food allergies/intolerances to navigate, or just a serious craving to satisfy, I want to help you eat delicious, gorgeous meals without a lot of fuss.

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