![Chicken Piccata](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/14/dining/as-chicken-piccata/as-chicken-piccata-mediumThreeByTwo440-v3.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Honey-Mustard Chicken Tenders
![Honey-Mustard Chicken Tenders](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/05/10/dining/as-chicken-tenders/merlin_206067894_b7b4e2ba-2053-4721-825e-5d8ddf5d7ba5-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2cups panko bread crumbs
- ¼cup neutral oil (such as grapeseed or canola)
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 3tablespoons honey
- 3tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. Add the panko and oil to the sheet pan, season with ½ teaspoon salt, then stir with a fork until evenly moistened. Shake into an even layer. Toast in the oven, stirring with the fork halfway through, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Pick up the parchment and use it to funnel the toasted panko into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Set aside to cool. (Reserve the lined sheet pan.)
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, stir together the honey and mustard. Pat the chicken dry, then pound with a mallet or heavy skillet into an even thickness (about ⅓-inch thick). Slice lengthwise into 1-inch-thick strips. Cut any long strips in half crosswise. (If using chicken tenders, no need to pound or slice.) Season with salt and pepper, then add to the honey mustard and toss to combine.
- Step 3
Working with one strip at a time and removing dripping honey mustard, add the chicken to the panko mixture and use your fingers to pack the panko onto all sides of the chicken. (To avoid a big mess, designate one wet hand for touching the chicken and one dry hand for pressing in the panko.) Transfer to the lined sheet pan and repeat.
- Step 4
Transfer to the oven and bake, removing from the oven to flip halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and the panko is browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I did these in my air fryer with a spray of avocado oil. 14 minutes at 400, flipped and rotated trays halfway through. They turned out perfect. Moist and perfectly crispy. Nothing compares to food that's fried in oil in terms of indulgent yumminess, but this is a fine substitute.
I loved how fast and easy this was - perfect for a weeknight where I didn't really feel like cooking. Will definitely make again!
Very pleasantly surprised by this one. I just made it because it seemed so quick and easy. It’s a keeper and will go in the rotation for busy nights. I only had about a cup and a half of panko but it was enough. I added onion and garlic powder to the panko which worked well. I also made a little honey mustard dipping sauce on the side - 2T honey, 2T Dijon, about a tsp. of apple cider vinegar and T of Greek yogurt.
Very easy and great flavor! I added a little cayenne to the honey mustard.
P.s. do toast the panko first. It makes a huge difference. Watch the time though, mine were real toasty after 3 minutes.
This was delicious. Very crispy and crunchy. I will definitely make again but will probably cut the recipe in half. It took quite a while to bread the chicken, and serves way more than four. Probably six.
for a gluten free substitute I like to use the plantain chips from trader joes and process them to a crumb to replace the panko!
Only use one cup panko for one package chicken
Simple and tasty way to use a package of chicken tenders. Served with roasted Trader Joe’s Les Petites rainbow carrots + green beans & tossed with a citrus vinaigrette. I was short on panko, so crushed saltine crackers to make up the balance (~50/50). I also reduced the oil for the crumbs to two tablespoons. I had a lot of crumb mixture leftover as others noted, so 1 cup would have been adequate. Thank you JB for the tip on using a fork for dredging. Fast prep work that wasn’t overly messy.
This was so easy to put together at the last minute with a green salad! Great dinner
Topnotch, as written but halved for 2 pp perfection with some gently steamed broccoli 🥦 for a super bowl nite respite. My paramount in Canada did not steam...aarrgh. even 1 tender left over for my breakfast with sweet and sour sauce or the honey mustard, depends on how I feel.
Very simple to make, and very tasty. Three picky eaters, including a 7-yr old, raved about them. I served with spaghetti tossed with Marcella Hazans tomato sauce with butter and onion, and sauteed broccolini. Yum!
So yummy and crunchy. I added paprika to the panko with salt and pepper before I roasted it it. Next time I will leave the chicken in larger pieces.
This was a keeper! For our Tuesday night, it was easy, fast, minimal clean up, and yummy. Toasting the panko in oil makes it crunchy. The honey mix keeps the crumbs on the chicken. We cooked it in convection, which made it crunchier. It could have more flavor, but maybe it depends on your mustard; mine was mild. However, I was the only one who wanted more flavor; it was all gone at the end of the meal.
I tested this recipe out in hopes of making it for Labor Day weekend. I followed the recipe accordingly using chicken tenders and suprisingly, these were really good! I think this may be enjoyed by kids and adults alike - nice balanced flavor. I used tongs to coat the chicken in the panko breadcrumbs rather than using my fingers. The oven temp and time worked - the chicken was crispy and tender. A winner!
Tasty! Bulked out the honey mustard with 3tbsp of full fat Greek yogurt and added some fried onion bits into the panko breadcrumbs. Needed the full 15 minutes and they came out great.
Very nice altho dipping sauce essential.
Made these today for a family gathering. I thought they were delicious, but the true judges (grandchildren ages two to nine) gave it mixed reviews. Next time I will follow other commenters’ recommendations and add lemon zest, onion powder, and garlic powder.
I didn't find this recipe that carefree. Stuck to the recipe but 1/2 qty. Very hot oven that almost gave me a sunburn from all that toasting, stirring, baking, turning, bake some more. Mine turned out a tad salty which was my bad. But all in all, not a recipe i would make again. A lot of hot and messy steps for mediocre results.
Use a fork to bread the tenders! Way faster this time.
Thanks for this tip! I generally use tongs to assist with breading, but they get a lot of gunk caught in the ends.
I added garlic and onion powders as well as cayenne to the panko. I ran out of panko! And although this is delicious, it made a god-awful mess in the air fryer and my counters. I’m going back to the oven next time.
Simple. Easy. Tasty. Did not toast panko. Cooked in air fryer, no oil at all. Next time I'll add some lemon zest to panko mix.
Great and easy! I used only 1.5 cups of panko for breadcrumbs. I seasoned the panko with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. I toasted the panko in a non stick frying pan with olive oil, stirring constantly. I find that using a frying pan forces me to keep an eye on the crumbs from getting too brown. I think I would use less honey and more Dijon for the dip since it was a little too sweet for me.
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