Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dip -grain free and dairy free

These flavorful baked chicken tenders are a fun meal prep addition to your weekly rotation and great on a salad or in your kid’s lunch. This recipe for baked chicken tenders with ranch dip was developed for Levels Health.

These chicken tenders would also be great with homemade BBQ sauce, dairy free pesto or garlic mayonnaise. I like to serve them with some carrots and celery on the side.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Tenders Recipe

Who doesn’t love chicken tenders? I am sure the kids and those young at heart at your dinner table will enjoy eating these flavorful oven-baked tenders.

Ingredients To Make This Chicken Tenders Recipe

• Chicken thighs or breasts, preferably naturally raised, cut into strips with skin removed.
• Almond flour – Almond flour makes a nice rich coating for the chicken.
• Arrowroot – Arrowroot is a good gluten free alternative to use in combination with the almond flour.
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Spices: paprika, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne (leave out if you do not want your tenders spicy)
• Egg – Preferably free range or organic.

While the chicken is baking, make this easy Ranch Dressing

• Mayonnaise  -Use homemade or store bought avocado oil mayonnaise.
• Cashew milk – Or any other non-dairy milk.
• Apple cider vinegar
• Parsley – I used fresh minced parsley.
• Dill – I used fresh minced dill. I keep a bunch in the freezer so I always have some on hand.
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced

Equipment To Make Chicken Tenders

• sheet pan with wire rack
• parchment paper
• instant read thermometer

How To Make Chicken Tenders With Ranch Dip

• Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
• In a bowl or pie pan, combine almond flour, arrowroot and all of the spices. Mix well using a fork or whisk.
• In a bowl wide enough to dip the chicken, beat the egg with 1/4 cup of the almond mixture and 1/2 cup water. This liquid mixture will help to give the chicken a crumbly coating.
• Dip the chicken strips into the wet egg and almond mixture, then roll into the dry almond mixture to evenly coat all sides.
• Line the coated chicken strips onto a wire rack on a baking sheet. I like to put a sheet of parchment paper between the rack and the pan for easy clean up.
• Bake for about 20 minutes. The chicken should be golden brown and firm to the touch. To be sure it is cooked thoroughly, you can use an instant read thermometer. If you remove the chicken from the pan at a temperature that reads 160, it will continue to steam and cook and will rise to the recommended 170.
• Remove the chicken from oven and let it remain on the wire rack to cool  for 5-8 minutes before serving. If making ahead for kid’s lunches, let the chicken tenders cool completely before storing them in an airtight container and placing them in the refrigerator.

Ranch Dressing

• Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender or shake in a jar. This dressing will keep well in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Storage

These chicken tenders will keep up to 4 days in the fridge or a few months in the freezer.

Pro Tips

Here are a few things you can do to make sure your chicken tenders work out every time.

• Make sure to cut the chicken into the same size strips so they cook up at the same pace.
• To get the chicken strips extra crispy you could spray them with a olive oil cooking spray.
• If you can’t find almond flour and you have a high speed blender you can make your own using raw almonds.
• You can easily modify the spices you add to the almond flour coating.

FAQs

Can I use regular flour instead of the almond flour?

Technically you can use regular flour to make chicken tenders but I prefer to use almond flour as it is a gluten free, ketogenic option.

Can I fry these chicken tenders instead of baking them?

For this recipe I advise you to bake the chicken tenders. I much prefer baking these in the oven than frying them. It is a much healthier option.

Did you make this recipe? If you did don’t forget to tag me and share on Instagram!