This pan fried chicken tenders recipe is easy, quick, and ready in less than 15 minutes making it great for weeknight or any time. The stove top pan seared chicken tenders are well seasoned, juicy, tender, and flavorful. Serve as appetizers or as a main dish with sides like boiled potatoes, rice, and veggies. Let me show you how to cook chicken tenders.
Pan Fried Chicken Tenders Recipe
This pan fried chicken tenders recipe makes juicy, tender, and flavor-packed stove top chicken tenders.
Chicken tenders also known as chicken tenderloins are mini fillets of chicken that are taken from under the chicken breast. They are high in protein, low carb, and healthy. Some call them chicken strips or chicken fingers even though chicken strips are slices of chicken breast and are different from tenderloins. They can be substituted for each other in most recipes so I will be using these interchangeably in this post.
Cooking chicken tenders is simple, and straightforward, and it's perfect for when you want a tasty meal that can be ready in quick time.
With this pan fried chicken strips, the chicken is seasoned with simple seasoning and fried to perfection with just 1-2 tablespoons of oil. This makes it healthier with lesser calories than the deep fried version.
This is pan fried chicken tenders no breading so no panko, breadcrumbs, cornflakes, and the likes used in this recipe. They are made with clean, healthy ingredients.
These pan fried chicken tenderloins are quick to cook and takes only 4-6 minutes to cook on the stovetop.
Cooking chicken tenders, you can customize the seasoning to your taste. Cajun, fajita seasoning, jerk seasoning, all-purpose seasoning, are some seasonings you can use on the chicken.
It's a one pan recipe so less utensils to clean up. If you use a large skillet, you can cook them in one batch in under 10 minutes. Let me show you how to pan fry chicken tenders with this easy chicken tenders recipe.
Related: Pan fried chicken breast
Ingredients
The detailed ingredient list, measurements, and directions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
Chicken tenderloins- This is known as chicken mini fillets in the UK. This can be substituted for boneless chicken breast cut into chicken strips.
Italian seasoning- This is a combination of different herbs. You can use store bought or homemade Italian seasoning. You can also substitute it for any other seasoning like Herbs de Provence, Cajun seasoning, fajita seasoning, taco, Peri Peri seasoning, or any other of your choice.
Pepper- I like to use black pepper or Cayenne for this recipe. You can adjust the quantity to your taste.
Garlic and Onion granules
Paprika
Salt- For taste.
Oil- Use olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or any other flavorless oil.
Butter (Optional)
Minced Garlic (optional)
Parsley (Optional)
How To Pan Fry Chicken Tenders
Here's a step-by-step direction on how to cook chicken tenders in a skillet:
Pat the chicken tenderloins dry with paper towels
Mix the paprika, Italian seasoning, onion granules, garlic granules, black pepper, and salt.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix on the chicken tenders ensuring all sides are covered in seasoning.
Place a pan/skillet on medium heat and add oil to the pan.
When the skillet is heated, arrange the tenders in a single layer leaving spaces in between them.
Pan cook chicken tenders for 2-3 minutes without moving them then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until cooked through and the internal temperature is at least 165F/75C.
Add in the butter, minced garlic, and parsley. Scoop the garlic butter on the tenderloins.
Take off the heat.
Rest the chicken for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
How Long To Pan Fry Chicken Tenders
How long to fry chicken tenders in a pan depends on the size and thickness of the tenderloins, and the temperature it's cooked at.
Typically, how long to pan fry chicken tenders is 4-8 minutes on medium heat.
The chicken tenders are cooked when the inside is tender and juicy, and the outer is browned. There will be no blood in the chicken and the inside will be whitish and not pinkish.
The internal temperature at the thickest part should be at least 165F/75C. It's important to cook the chicken to a safe temperature before consuming it to avoid food poisoning.
I recommend using a cast iron skillet or a nonstick skillet. Nonstick will ensure the chicken doesn't stick to the pan while creating a nice sear. Cast iron distributes heat evenly.
If using frozen chicken tenders, thaw them first before seasoning and pan frying.
Variation For Pan Seared Chicken Tenders
You can switch things up by making slight changes to the recipe to get a different taste. Here are some of the ways to switch it up:
Lemon Pepper- Lemon pepper gives a tangy, flavorful, delicious taste. Add a teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning to the seasoning and squeeze in a tablespoon of lemon juice on the chicken tenders for maximum lemon flavor.
Buffalo- Toss the chicken tenderloins in Buffalo sauce for a hot and spicy kick. Use homemade or a good store-bought brand of buffalo sauce.
Lemon butter- Add lemon butter to the pan instead of the butter and garlic and scoop on the chicken strips.
What To Serve With
Chicken tenders are versatile and can be served with almost anything. Serve on its own as an appetizer or serve with the sides as recommended below:
Dips- Ranch sauce, bbq sauce, Peri Peri sauce
Salads
Rice pairs well with chicken. Some rice dishes are yellow rice, jollof rice, and spicy rice. Here are other rice dishes
Potatoes like potato wedges, Crispy air fryer potatoes, pesto potatoes, and butter potatoes are good side dishes.
Vegetables- Sauteed vegetables, Air fryer vegetables, boiled cabbage, Pan fried vegetables
Use it in sandwiches, wraps, stews, and sauces.
How To Store and Reheat
Let the chicken tenders cool completely then transfer to a sealable container or a Ziploc, label, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Reheat
Chicken tenders can be reheated from chilled or frozen depending on what method you choose to reheat it.
How to reheat on the stove- Place a skillet on medium heat and arrange the tenderloins on the pan cook each side for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
How to reheat in the microwave- Transfer to a microwaveable plate, cover then microwave on high heat settings at 30 seconds intervals till heated through.
In the oven- Arrange on a baking tray, put in the oven, and bake at 400F/200C for 6 minutes or until heated through.
In the air fryer
Tips For Cooking Chicken Tenders
- Pat chicken tenderloins dry before seasoning.
- You can use any seasoning of your choice to season the chicken.
- Ensure the pan is hot before adding the tenderloins so they brown nicely.
- If using a wider pan, you might need more oil than recommended in this recipe. Feel free to add more.
- Don't move the tenders for 1-2 minutes so they brown nicely before flipping them to brown the other side.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
FAQS
To get crispy chicken, you should heat the oil before adding the chicken. Also, ensure the chicken is pat dry before applying seasoning and frying. Fry on medium heat.
Yes, you can cut boneless chicken breast into strips to make this recipe. If you prefer not to cut the chicken breast fillet that's OK however note that the cooking time will differ from what's stated above.
To use frozen chicken tenders, thaw them first then pat dry before seasoning and pan searing. You can safely thaw in the fridge.
ranch sauce, buffalo sauce, Peri Peri sauce, Lemon garlic sauce
More Chicken Recipes
Air fryer frozen chicken breast
More Pan Fried Recipes
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Pan Fried Chicken Tenders Recipe
Equipment
- Pan
Ingredients
- 450 g (1lb) Chicken tenders
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Onion granules
- ⅛ teaspoon Black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons Oil
- 1-2 tablespoons Butter Optional
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced) Optional
- 1 tablespoon Parsley leaves (Chopped) Optional
Instructions
- Pat the chicken tenderloins dry with paper towels.
- Mix the paprika, Italian seasoning, onion granules, garlic granules, black pepper, and salt.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mix on the chicken tenders ensuring all sides are covered in seasoning.
- Place a pan/skillet on medium heat.
- Add oil to the pan. When the skillet is heated, arrange the tenders in a single layer leaving spaces in between them.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes without moving the chicken tenders then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until cooked through and the internal temperature is at least 165F.
- Add in the butter, minced garlic, and parsley. Scoop the garlic butter on the chicken tenders.
- Take off the heat.
- Rest the chicken for 5 minutes.Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Pat chicken tenderloins dry before seasoning.
- You can use any seasoning of your choice to season the chicken.
- Ensure the pan is hot before adding the tenderloins so they brown nicely.
- If using a wider pan, you might need more oil than recommended in this recipe. Feel free to add more.
- Don't move the tenders for 1-2 minutes so they brown nicely before flipping them to brown the other side.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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