Baked tenders that won't have you missing the fried version. Delightfully flavored with lemon, black pepper, thyme, and Parmesan cheese, these tenders will have you asking for seconds.
1lemonjuiced, half reserved for buttermilk and half for breading
¾cupPanko bread crumbs
½cupfreshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2teaspoonsalt (we prefer pink Himalayan)
1 teaspoonfresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoonlemon zest
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.
Whisk together milk and lemon juice from half a lemon and set aside.
Combine dry ingredients (bread crumbs, thyme, salt, pepper, shredded cheese) in a shallow, medium-sized bowl. Add lemon juice and zest and stir to combine.
Add "buttermilk" to a bowl large enough to dredge chicken tenders. One at a time, dip tenders in buttermilk before dredging through breading mixture. As the breading mixture clumps, use your fingers to press the breading more firmly onto each tender.
Place tenders on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown on the exterior and no longer pink in the middle.
Serve warm with your choice of sauce.
Notes
You are welcome to substitute regular buttermilk for the plant-based buttermilk listed earlier. If you do, the lemon juice from ½ lemon is no longer necessary, unless you would like to add to the breading (for an extra lemony flavor).