Baking Goals 2013: Chicken Tenders

As some of you know I mentioned I'd be doing  cooking goals for 2013. 

One of the recipes is Baked Chicken Tenders which we decided to do on New Years Eve. 

I found a recipe on Pinterest from the blog Table for Two  it is simple, not a lot of work, and doesn't take long. This works for me. I like simple.

I hate cooking chicken. I had food poisoning a few years ago from eating chicken and ever since I've been so wary of eating it. If anyone knows me they know I have severe emetophobia. This is a huge step for me to want to bake chicken.

We hit up the grocery buy some Pilgrims Chicken Tenders and bring them home.

Mix together
2 c Panko Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Pepper 

Pros: I enjoy the ease of this recipe. Prep time was maybe 5-10 min before they were in the oven.

The chicken is tender and juicy. Not dry at all. 

Lucas ate two which is awesome.

Cons: Flavor is a little bland. It's really missing something that savory goodness that you would expect from a chicken tender. Also the onion powder is extremely powerful.

We are going to nix the onion powder and add 1 tsp of Season Salt and see if maybe that will give it that extra bit of whatever is missing. 

Rating? Two thumbs up for our first try. We will be retrying this and I'll update as we find what we love. If you are a mom looking to make baked chicken nuggets I'd suggest this recipe. It's not overly powerful flavor wise and the texture is great. I would half the onion powder though.

Side Note: When reheating the next day I placed them in the toaster oven for 10 min on 400. The flavor was much better the next day, as it is for most stuff. 

Any tips on seasoning you add to your chicken?

Here is the original recipe: (Title takes you to the blog)

Baked Chicken Tenders - Table for two original

INGREDIENTS:

10 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, sliced into strips (I bought the individually packaged Purdue chicken tenderloins & each packet comes with 5 in each)

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3 eggs

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a shallow dish, combine panko, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well to get it all incorporated.
3. In another shallow dish, beat the 3 eggs together.
4. Take the chicken strips and dip them in the egg mixture then cover the chicken strips with the panko mixture. Gently press the panko mixture on the chicken to make sure it’s well coated.
5. Lay the strips next to each other on the baking sheets and repeat until all the chicken strips have been coated.
6. Bake for 20 minutes then turn on the broiler and broil them for another 5 minutes to get the outside even more crispy & a light brown color.
7. Serve immediately with honey mustard or BBQ sauce or ketchup!