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Baked Chicken Tenders with Buffalo Blue Cheese Sauce are popular game day eats in my house. Chicken tenders are marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce then coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs and baked then get a tasty bath in a delicious buffalo blue cheese sauce. Panko breadcrumbs stay crispier than regular breadcrumbs which is perfect for retaining a little crisp and crunch.

Dipping a baked chicken tender into buffalo blue cheese sauce

This chicken recipe is also known as picnic chicken because it’s very portable and my go-to for the perfect for tailgating, beach picnics or even road trips.

My favorite thing to do on the weekends in the summer is take a walk around the marina and the beach where I live. These chicken tenders are what I bring along with roasted potato and herb salad, it’s the perfect picnic meal.

A closeup of the browned potatoes topped with fresh herbs

Let me tell you about the mouthwatering buffalo blue cheese dipping sauce. As well as being  a winning combo with the crispy chicken  I recommend you make a double batch because they will be gone quickly. There’s no reason to eat fast food when you can make these and take them anywhere.

A closeup showing the crispy breading on the chicken

The base of the sauce is my blue cheese dressing with a spicy buffalo kick from Frank’s red hot sauce. This blue cheese sauce is not limited to going with this dish, you could use it to dip veggies into, use as a salad dressing and would be so good on top of a grilled steak. I just made my mouth water writing that, I may have to make this now.

Breaded chicken tenders on a striped cloth

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Yield: 4

Baked Chicken Tenders with Buffalo Blue Cheese Sauce

A crispy Panko breaded chicken tender served with a spicy blue cheese sauce

Chicken tenders are marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce then coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs and baked then get a tasty bath in a delicious buffalo blue cheese sauce.

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the chicken marinade:
  • 2/3 cup (156 ml) buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/4 pounds (679 grams) chicken tenders
  • For the chicken breading:
  • 1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup (108 grams) panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • dried basil
  • For the buffalo blue cheese sauce:
  • 4 ounces (113 grams) blue cheese, crumbled
  • 1/3 cup (78 ml) buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup (230 grams) mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Marinade the chicken:
  2. To a mixing bowl add the buttermilk, hot sauce salt and pepper. Mix well.
  3. Add the chicken tenders to a bowl with a lid or ziptop bag and cover well with the buttermilk marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  4. To make the chicken:
  5. Preheat the oven to 425° F218 °C with the shelf in the center of the oven.
  6. After 1 hour remove the chicken from the refrigerator.
  7. To a shallow dish, add the flour, salt and pepper mix well.
  8. To a separate shallow dish add the egg, salt and pepper and to a 3rd separate dish add the panko, salt, pepper and basil. Mix well.
  9. To a large baking sheet add a wire rack.
  10. Remove 1 chicken tender from the marinade. Dust in the flour until well covered, then dip into the egg and then dip into the panko and cover well with the breadcrumbs. Place onto the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the chicken tenders.
  11. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
  12. For the buffalo blue cheese sauce:
  13. To a mixing bowl add the 2/3 of the blue cheese and buttermilk.
  14. Using a fork, mash the blue cheese into the buttermilk until as smooth as possible.
  15. Add the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, hot sauce salt and pepper and mix to combine.
  16. Stir in the rest of the blue cheese crumbles.
  17. Store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container until ready to use.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 397Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 143mgSodium 1943mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 29g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Dinner Ideas