Baked BBQ Chicken Tenders

These baked BBQ Chicken Tenders are incredibly easy to make! With a few secret tips, I'll show you how to get perfectly seasoned and cooked chicken - ideal for a quick weekday meal paired with your favorite side dishes!

The One Tip You Need

Baked BBQ chicken tenders can so easily be dry and bland when they come out of the oven. Here's a little tip: bake your chicken on a roasting rack! Elevating the chicken above the baking sheet allows air to reach the bottom of the chicken as it cooks. This helps the chicken cook faster and also locks in moisture before it has the chance to dry out. You also don't end up with the soggy bottoms of chicken cooked directly on the rack.

You can use a roasting rack specifically made for this purpose, or you can use an oven-safe cooling rack. The key word there is oven safe. Some cooling racks are coated with a substance that cannot be placed into a hot oven, so be careful that you're using the right materials!

Use an oven rack like this one (buy here)

What Ingredients Do I Need?

These baked BBQ chicken tenders is a simple recipe using a small handful of ingredients you likely already have available in your kitchen. Let's take a look at them:

• Chicken Tenders - I buy the boneless skinless chicken tenders. They usually come in packs of 1 or 2 pounds. This recipe is for one pound, but you can scale it up as needed to fit the size of your group. Most chicken tenders will come with a white tendon visible on the end. This tendon is edible but can be quite tough and chewy when cooked, so I usually use a sharp knife and cut it out.
• Olive Oil - Rubbing the chicken with a little olive oil will prevent it from sticking to the oven rack and will also promote lovely caramelization of the chicken and seasoning rub.
• Garlic Powder & Smoked Paprika - I like these two seasonings as they pair well with barbecue sauce and are pretty basic pantry staples. I don't measure how much I use - just give the tenders a light sprinkle.
• Salt and Pepper - Again, I don't measure, just sprinkle it on. I typically go light on the salt and a little heavier on the pepper.
• BBQ Sauce - Use your favorite! I used a smoky, spicy sauce, but this is really a matter of personal tastes, so if you have one you love to use... go for it! You'll need about ⅓ of a cup.

What Can I Serve With This Dish?

Barbecue chicken is as universal of a main dish as you can get, so you can serve it up alongside literally any side dishes. Here are some ideas:

• Potatoes - skillet potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes (white or sweet), french fries, boiled butter potatoes, or hey, even some potato chips (we're all friends here) will work.
• Vegetables - broccoli, asparagus, sliced carrots, or Brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetables to roast in the oven (drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast at 400F until done). Green beans sauteed in minced garlic and butter are delicious too. Or just go with a fresh green salad!
• Add a Carb - soft yeast dinner rolls, flaky biscuits, or slices of French bread toasted with butter, garlic, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Or if you wanna get sassy, some super cheesy mac 'n cheese.

Baked BBQ Chicken Tenders

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• Author: Erin
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

This recipe will show you how to make simple and basic BBQ chicken tenders that are packed with flavor! They're so quick and easy you'll probably spend more time waiting for the oven to preheat than anything else!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
• 1 TBS olive oil
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper
• Your favorite BBQ sauce

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Place an oven-safe roasting rack or cooling back onto a large baking sheet.
2. Use a sharp knife to carefully remove the white tendon from each chicken tender.  Pat dry.
3. Rub both sides of the chicken with the olive oil.  Give both sides of the tenders a light sprinkle of smoked paprika and garlic powder.  Follow up with a few shakes of salt and pepper.
4. Place the tenders onto the prepared sheet and brush the tops with your favorite BBQ sauce.  Bake on the center rack for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the sheet from the oven and use tongs to flip the chicken tenders over.  Brush the plain side of the chicken with barbecue and return to the oven.
6. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes (start checking early if your chicken tenders are particularly thin) until the chicken is cooked through, being careful not to overbake.
7. Remove the finished chicken from oven and brush with a final layer of barbecue sauce.

Notes

Nutritional info given will vary based on the specific sauce that you used (I assumed ⅓ cup of sauce) and the amount of salt that you use.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Entree
• Method: Oven

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tenders (4 oz chicken)
• Calories: 158
• Sugar: 5.4g
• Sodium: 741mg
• Fat: 4.2g
• Saturated Fat: 0.5g
• Carbohydrates: 7.6g
• Fiber: 0.1g
• Protein: 22.9g
• Cholesterol: 48mg

Keywords: chicken breast, chicken tenders, easy dinner, barbecue

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