Who doesn’t love chicken tenders?!? I mean everybody does, right? Chicken tenders and chicken nuggets were my favorite foods growing up and I still love them to this day. But do I eat them on the regular? No. Why? Because they aren’t all that healthy. I mean think about it…you go to a restaurant and they bring out these wonderfully crisp and delicious smelling chicken tenders. You pick one up to take a bite and what do you see? A lot of grease on the plate. It’s because they are deep-fried at the restaurant. Delicious yes, but not healthy…so no thank you, I’ll just pass. Sigh… But what if I gave you a healthier version you can make at home? Would you eat them more often? YES! You totally would because they are healthier and they are gluten-free!
Breaded Chicken Tenders Using Corn Flakes
If you want to make gluten-free chicken tenders, all you need to do is use gluten-free flour and a gluten-free “crumb” coating. I use gluten-free corn flakes for my crumb coating. Be careful about using just any corn flake cereal. Kellogg’s Corn Flakes contain a barley malt sweetener that contains gluten, so stay away from that brand if you are gluten-free. If you’re looking for some good gluten-free corn flakes, I recommend these: Nature’s Path Corn Flakes are my absolute favorite. This is a great article to give you some details about which corn flakes are Gluten Free: Which Brands of Corn Flakes Are Gluten Free?
How To Make Oven Baked Gluten Free Chicken Tenders
Step 1
Take 4 cups of gluten-free corn flakes and put them in a large Ziplock bag. From there, roll a rolling pin over the bag until the flakes are crushed into crumbs…kinda like breadcrumbs.
Step 2
Then, I add in some of my favorite seasonings to the corn flake breadcrumb mixture such as garlic powder, smoked paprika, seasoning salt, Parmesan cheese and almond slices. I also add fresh lime zest in this step. I mix the seasonings together with the corn flakes and stir well until everything is combined.
Step 3
Take fresh lime juice and whisk it with two eggs. The addition of the lime juice really makes the flavor “pop”. You’ll want to ensure the mixture is well mixed because you’re going to use the egg batter to help those corn flake crumbs stick to the chicken.
Step 4
It’s time to bread the chicken. Place the chickpea flour in a bowl and then grab a chicken tender with a fork or with tongs. Roll the tender in the flour until it’s well coated. Next, dip the flour-coated tender in the egg and lime juice mixture. Now, roll the egg coated tender in the corn flake crumb mixture.
You are now ready to bake them in the oven. Once done, pull them out of the oven and let them cool for 5-7 minutes before eating. Look how crispy these are!
How To Air Fry Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
If you have an air fryer and you don’t want to heat up the house by turning on your oven, you can air fry these chicken tenders. You’ll follow steps 1-4 above, but instead of putting them in the oven to bake, you’ll put the coated chicken tenders in your air fryer pan.
Set your air fryer to the chicken setting and press start. The air fryer will beep once they are done 20 minutes later.
Notice the difference in the texture and color of the air fryer chicken tenders vs. the baked chicken tenders. These turn a golden brown color and become oh so crispy when they are air fried.
Pro Tips for Making Baked and Air Fried Chicken Tenders
Other Gluten Free Recipes You’ll Love
Since we’re on the topic of using gluten-free flours and coatings, make sure you check out these other recipes:
Onion Bhajis - think about the Bloomin Onion from Outback Steakhouse. This recipe tastes a lot like that, except this one is gluten-free. And, it’s an authentic English recipe all the way from London. Air Fryer Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders - these cook up so crispy without deep frying or oil. Made with a pecan, Parmesan cheese and gluten-free breadcrumb crust, these chicken tenders are EASY and QUICK to make. Turkey Tots - made with ground turkey and gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. These are the perfect homemade nugget!
If you loved these Gluten Free Chicken Tenders, give this recipe a star review! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #recipesworthrepeating and tagging me @recipesworthrepeating. Update Notes: This post was originally published in October 2017, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures and tips in April of 2019.
