Baked Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dip
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.
Equipment
- sheet pan with wire rack
- parchment paper
- instant read thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs or breasts cut into strips with skin removed
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup arrowroot
- 1½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne (leave out if you do not want your tenders spicy)
- 1 egg
While the chicken is baking, make this easy Ranch Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise (use homemade or store bought avocado oil mayonnaise)
- 2 tbsp cashew milk
- 1½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp minced fresh parsely
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- 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.
Notes
These chicken tenders would also be great with homemade BBQ sauce, dairy free pesto or garlic mayonnaise.