Oven-Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders + Homemade Ranch
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the Homemade Ranch:
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt or mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp. fresh dill chopped
- 1 tbsp. fresh chives chopped
- 1 tsp. EACH: garlic powder onion powder, salt, and black pepper
- Lemon juice to taste
For the Nashville Hot Glaze:
- 2 tbsp. California Olive Ranch 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1-2 tbsp. Hot Sauce to taste
- juice of 1/2 lemon
For the Crispy Chicken Tenders:
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tbsp. paprika divided
- 2 tbsp. garlic powder divided
- 1 tsp. EACH: onion powder, salt, and black pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 4 cups cornflakes pulsed in blender until fine crumb texture
- 2 tbsp. California Olive Ranch 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
For the Homemade Ranch:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
For the Nashville Hot Glaze:
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Set aside until ready to serve.
For the Crispy Chicken Tenders:
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large, rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 tbsp. paprika, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, and remaining seasonings (onion powder, salt, and black pepper). Add the chicken tenders and toss until well coated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and remaining paprika/garlic powder. Beat until smooth.
- In a final bowl, add the cornflakes crumbs.
- Dredge each chicken tender in the egg mixture then the cornflake crumbs until well-coated. Place on the baking pan.
- Drizzle the chicken tenders generously in olive oil.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then flip each chicken tender to bake another 10-15 minutes, until deeply golden and crispy on all sides.
- Let cool for 6-8 minutes. In the meantime, heat up the Nashville hot glaze for 1 minute, until butter is melted and sauce is slightly thickened.
- Either brush the glaze over all sides of the chicken tenders or gently swirl everything together in a large bowl.
- Enjoy the Nashville hot chicken tenders warm with the homemade ranch!
