Crack Chicken Tenders with Ranch Parmesan Ritz Cracker Coating
By Emma Collins
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Choose similar-sized chicken tenders to bake. Similar-sized tenders will bake evenly and stay juicy with coatings. These Crack Chicken Tenders include oven-baked chicken strips coated with crushed Ritz crackers for a buttery, crunchy topping and seasoned with Ranch-Parmesan flavor, prepared with a simple mayonnaise binder.
Mayonnaise helps stick Parmesan cheese, Ranch dressing seasoning, and onion and garlic powders to chicken pieces before topping with Ritz crackers. Adding these ingredients to chicken pieces increases their flavor, in addition to that of the breading. Coat chicken pieces with Ritz crackers in a flat dish. Place parchment paper or a light spray of nonstick cooking spray on a baking sheet to keep the bottom layer of breading from sticking to the baking sheet.
At 375 degrees, the crust on Ritz crackers will be golden brown when baked with chicken tenders. Leaving space between tenders allows air to circulate around each piece. Tips for telling if chicken tenders are fully baked include checking for golden-brown breadcrumbs. Issues to watch for include unbrowned or uncrusted places on chicken tenders; these issues are often caused by a lack of mayonnaise or other sticky coatings to help breadcrumbs stick to chicken tenders. Let chicken tenders cool slightly before coating to help breadcrumbs stick.
Serve with ranch or honey mustard dressing, BBQ sauce, or spicy Sriracha mayo. Other side options are French fries or sweet potato fries and a green salad. Leftovers can be crisped in an oven or air fryer.
Why this recipe works
- Chicken tenders cook quickly and remain juicy. The shape of chicken tenders makes a good surface for mayonnaise mixture and crushed cracker topping to adhere to.
- Grated Parmesan cheese and Ranch seasoning are used to season the coating. Few ingredients are used to season the entire breadcrumb-covered strip.
- Crushed Ritz crackers add buttery flavor and texture to the dish. Crushing and covering coated chicken with Ritz crackers allows you to use pantry ingredients to fully coat the chicken.
- Garlic powder and onion powder add similar flavors to Ranch without overwhelming it. Other prominent flavors will be Parmesan cheese and crackers and chicken.
- Similarly sized tenderloins cook more evenly at recommended temperatures and brown the coating more thoroughly without overcooking one side of the chicken and undercooking the other.
- The same tender items can be offered for dinner or snack service and other events. Ideas include Ranch-Parmesan-crusted tenders with dipping sauces and other menu items.
Ingredients
- •1 lb chicken tenders
- •½ cup mayonnaise
- •½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- •1 packet Ranch seasoning mix
- •½ tsp garlic powder
- •½ tsp onion powder
- •1 cup Ritz crackers (crushed)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- 2
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- 3
Combine the mayonnaise, grated Parmesan cheese, Ranch seasoning mix, garlic powder, and onion powder in a mixing bowl until smooth.
- 4
Coat each chicken tender in the mayonnaise mixture.
- 5
Dredge each coated tender in the crushed Ritz crackers, pressing so the coating sticks.
- 6
Arrange the chicken tenders on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart for even cooking.
- 7
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
- 8
Allow the tenders to cool slightly before serving with your favorite dipping sauce.
FAQ
Reviews
Pin this recipe
Tap an image to save it to Pinterest.
