These Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce are a classic go-to the entire family will love!

Crispy, baked, warm and fresh out of the oven – no better way I like to enjoy my chicken tenders!

These are SO simple to make, and you can even get the kids involved by having them pick out all the different seasonings for the coating. I love making healthier alternatives to fast food classics at home, but remember – all foods can fit into a balanced eating pattern! I like to say that our bodies need both everyday foods (whole foods, fruits, veggies, protein, healthy fats, etc.) as well as fun foods (desserts, fast food, fun foods). If we only ate everyday foods, we would be miserable and NEVER have any fun! And if we ONLY ever ate fun foods, we wouldn’t feel too great and might have just a few nutritional deficiencies…so remember we need a good balance of both for health and happiness, and health isn’t all-or-nothing!

If you want something similar to crave-worthy fast food that you can easily make at home in a flash, without even having to fry, these healthy baked chicken tenders are your savior! A great source of protein to add to salads, wraps, or pair with balanced sides throughout the week. Plus there’s no better sauce to pair it with than this spicy honey mustard…yum!

Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce

Print Recipe

For the Chicken Tenders

• 1-2lb boneless chicken tenders
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream

For the Spicy Honey Mustard:

• 1 cup dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne
• pinch of sea salt & pepper, to taste
• pinch of smoked paprika

• Author: Caroline Green, RDN, LD

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and sour cream and set aside.
3. In another small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, and italian seasoning. Mix until well blended, then add to a shallow bowl or large plate.
4. One by one, dip chicken tender into sour cream/egg mixture, then coat completely with seasoning bread crumb mixture, then place on baking sheet. Repeat with all chicken tenders until fully covered.
5. Bake chicken tenders for 25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, or until internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
6. While chicken tenders are cooking, mix together all honey mustard ingredients until smooth and adjust seasonings to taste (for more sweetness, add more honey, for more mustard taste, add more mustard, etc.)
7. Once chicken tenders have cooled, dip in honey mustard and enjoy!

Look at that crisp! For even extra crispiness, finish chicken tenders by lightly pan frying on the stovetop in oil, or by broiling in the oven for the last minute or so.

Like this recipe? Try my other chicken recipes!