Baked Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips are so easy to make at home from scratch, and so delish!

Do your kids love ordering chicken nuggets or chicken strips when you eat out? If you’re like us, you love the taste of fried chicken, but you’re not crazy about the extra calories that come with it. That’s why we love these baked parmesan chicken strips. They’re so full of flavor and crispy on the outside. Dip them in delicious homemade ranch dressing, and you’ve got a great dinner entree your whole family will love, or a yummy appetizer perfect for a party.

For this recipe we have used Panko Bread crumbs and we have also tried almond flour for a gluten free option. Either one will work great.

Ingredients for Baked Chicken Strips:

5 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon Tabasco Hot Sauce
1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions for Crispy Baked Chicken:

With kitchen shears cut the chicken breasts into strips.
In a large glass bowl toss the uncooked chicken strips around the buttermilk and hot sauce until it is well coated.
Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap. Marinate and refrigerate for 1-3 hours OR overnight if you have the time.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl mix together all the dry ingredients: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper with the Panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
Line a large sheet pan with tinfoil. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
In a glass pie plate add the dry ingredient Panko & Parmesan mixture.
Toss one to two chicken strips at a time into the parmesan mixture until evenly coated.
Place all coated chicken strips onto the sheet pan for baking.
Scatter chunks of butter in between the chicken strips.
Bake at 400 for 13 – 15 minutes. Half way through the bake time take the pan out of the oven and carefully flip each strip over for even baking and bake for another 6-9 minutes.
To finish them off crispy, change your oven from bake to broil and place the pan under the oven broiler set to low until they’re golden brown and crisp.
Serve warm with ranch dressing for dipping.

Tips for handling raw chicken:

If you need to pound the chicken flat before cutting it into strips, if it’s too thick in the center. Try using an empty and cleaned out cereal bag. That plastic is perfect for pounding chicken out because the plastic on those bags doesn’t break or tear easily.
For easy cleanup, line your sheet pan with tin foil.
Use kitchen shears to cut the chicken into strips…this way you don’t have to clean a cutting board after working with raw chicken…you only need to clean the scissors. Plus using kitchen shears makes the job so quick and easy.

The chicken will soak in buttermilk and a little hot sauce for a few hours or overnight. After soaking you’ll toss it into the parmesan breadcrumb coating mixture…then bake!

What does buttermilk do to chicken?

Buttermilk is slightly acidic, and it helps tenderize the uncooked chicken without making it tough like some more acidic marinades can. Enzymes in buttermilk help break down the protein in the chicken, making it flavorful and giving it a little tangy taste. You can marinate chicken in buttermilk for frying or for baking, like we are for this recipe.

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

Do you call them chicken strips, chicken tenders, or chicken fingers at your house? We usually call them chicken strips or chicken tenders. When you bake them in the oven, and then change the oven from bake to broil, you can really make them crispy on the outside while they stay tender and juicy on the inside. It’s a great way to cut calories in comparison to frying the chicken strips.

Dipping Sauces for Crispy Chicken Strips:

ranch
honey mustard
bbq sauce
spicy bbq sauce
buffalo sauce

Can you make crispy chicken strips gluten free?

Yes! It’s easy to make crispy chicken strips or chicken tenders gluten free. Almond flour is a great substitute for Panko bread crumbs.This photo below is using almond flour as the outside coating.

Baked Parmesan Chicken Strips

Crispy baked parmesan chicken strips that are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Author Kami | NoBiggie.net

Ingredients

5 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

With kitchen shears cut the chicken breasts into strips.
In a large glass bowl toss the uncooked chicken strips around the buttermilk and hot sauce until well coated.
Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap. Marinate and refrigerate for 1-3 hours OR overnight if you have the time.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl mix together all the dry ingredients: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper with the Panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
Line a large sheet pan with tinfoil. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
In a glass pie plate add the dry ingredient Panko & Parmesan mixture.
Toss one to two chicken strips at a time into the parmesan mixture until evenly coated.
Place all coated chicken strips onto the sheet pan for baking.
Scatter chunks of butter in between the chicken strips.
Bake at 400 for 13 - 15 minutes. Half way through the bake time take the pan out of the oven and carefully flip each strip over for even baking and bake for another 6-9 minutes.
To finish them off crispy, change your oven from bake to broil and place the pan under the oven broiler set to low until they're golden brown and crisp.
Serve warm with ranch dressing for dipping.