How Long To Bake Chicken Tenders At 375 (Full Guide)

Lindsey, do you know how long should you bake chicken tenders at 375 degrees Fahrenheit? This is one of the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.

Who doesn’t love chicken tenders? They are easy to store, easy to cook, and taste so good! They’re the perfect snack if you want something delicious but don’t want to put in a lot of effort. As easy as they are to cook, there are some things you need to be careful about when baking chicken tenders, though.

How long should you bake chicken tenders at 375 degrees Fahrenheit? On average you need between 20 to 30 minutes to bake chicken tenders at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. For small and thin tenders, you can expected around 20 minutes and bigger ones around 30 minutes. The chicken tenders might take more time if they’re large and completely frozen.

Read on to discover more about baking chicken tenders and also, find out about the perfect temperature to bake them.

Happy reading!

Table of Contents

How long to bake chicken tenders at 375 degrees Fahrenheit?

So, how long should you bake chicken tenders in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit? On average, you should bake them at this temperature for about 20 minutes.

This is the perfect duration for this temperature as it allows the tenders to cook nicely, and remain juicy and tender.

This duration, however, might not be the best in all cases. If your tenders are thin and small, they’ll get cooked much earlier, in about 15 minutes or so.

And if you haven’t thawed the tenders after taking them out from the freezer, they might take longer than 20 minutes to get cooked.

Generally, when baking chicken tenders, the chicken should reach a temperature of 165 degrees internally.

What is the best temperature to bake chicken tenders?

Chicken tenders are quite easy to cook and don’t need to be baked for too long. So, although they get cooked quickly, baking them perfectly might require some care.

If you bake them at a very high temperature, the outer coating of the tenders can easily get burnt. And if you choose a very low temperature, all the juices inside the chicken will be released and you’ll end up with dry chicken tenders.

Another thing that you need to factor in is the size of the tenders. If they’re too big, they need to be baked longer than average-sized tenders.

As a general rule, 375 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature to bake chicken tenders as it cooks them to perfection.

What ingredients do you need to bake chicken tenders?

If you want to bake chicken tenders at home, here are the ingredients that you’re going to need. This list of ingredients makes enough chicken tenders for four servings.

1 pound chicken tenders
1/4th teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4th tablespoon of ground black pepper

Below, we mention the nutrition baked chicken tenders provide in each serving.

Sodium 593mg
Calories 194
Calcium 0.6%
Potassium 625 mg
Total Carbohydrate 5.6g
Dietary Fiber 0.5g
Protein 24.7g
Sugars 0.4g
Vitamin A 3.8%
Vitamin C 9.0%
Iron 8.4%
Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 1.2g
Cholesterol 52mg

Recipe for making chicken tenders

Here is our recipe for making chicken tenders that serves four people. The recipe isn’t difficult, and the instructions are quite straightforward.

It involves baking chicken tenders at a temperature of 375 Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Again, the time can vary depending on the size of the tenders.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Take out a baking pan big enough for the tenders and line it with foil.
Take a large plastic zip-up bag, put in the chicken tenders, and add oil and spices.
Seal the bag and shake it to ensure the tenders get properly coated with the seasonings.
Take the tenders out and put them onto the baking pan. Place the pan in your oven and let the tenders bake for about 20 minutes.

What can you serve alongside chicken tenders?

Now that you know how to bake chicken tenders and what ingredients to use, you might be wondering what side dishes you can serve with the tenders.

Fortunately, chicken tenders work great with a variety of side dishes, and you have a lot of options to choose from.

Here is a list of some side dishes you can serve with chicken tenders.

Vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and even vegetable salads
Baked potatoes, waffle fries, French fries, sweet potato
Sauces such as barbeque sauce, tartar sauce, and quesadilla sauce

How to store leftover chicken tenders?

If you have some chicken tenders left over from a meal and intend to store them, there are some things you should keep in mind.

Depending on how well you prepare and store them, chicken tenders can be frozen and stored for up to a couple of months in your freezer.

Here, we list down some tips to help you store chicken tenders for a short period as well as for a longer one.

Storing for a few days

Let leftover chicken tenders cool to room temperature
Seal them in an air-tight container or bag and pop them into your refrigerator
They can be stored for 3 to 4 days

Storing for up to a couple of months

Let leftover chicken tenders cool to room temperature
Place them on a baking sheet and freeze them
Once frozen, put them in a container suitable for freezing and store it in your freezer

How to know when chicken tenders are done?

As we mentioned earlier, chicken tenders are quite easy to cook. They only need to be baked for a short while before they’re ready to eat.

But because they cook easily and quickly you should be careful when you’re baking them so as to not burn them.

Baking at a higher-than-recommended temperature, or for a longer duration can easily burn their coating and make them dry up from the inside.

If you have a meat thermometer, you won’t need to do a lot. Insert the thermometer in the middle of your chicken tenders.

Once it reads 165 degrees, the tenders are done and ready to be eaten. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, look at the center of the tenders. Once the center is no longer pink, you can take them out. Or if you can’t check that, you can simply let them bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Should you thaw chicken tenders before baking them?

Thawing meats or other frozen items is a good idea if you want them to warm up to a certain temperature.

This means you have to cook them for a shorter period than you would if they were frozen. Here are a few steps to help you thaw frozen chicken tenders.

Take the chicken tenders out from the freezer well before you intend to cook them. Taking them out for defrosting a day in advance is a good idea.
Put the chicken tenders in a zip-up food bag or container.
Place the bag in your refrigerator and let the chicken tenders defrost for 1 to 2 days.

Defrosting a pound of chicken tenders in the fridge takes 6 to 7 hours on average. It can also take up to a day if you have more of them.

What are the best methods for cooking chicken tenders?

One of the best things about chicken tenders is that they can be cooked in several different ways. They can be baked in the oven, fried in a pan with oil, grilled, and air fried.

Here, we explain how you can cook chicken tenders.

You can choose any method depending on the taste you prefer and what ingredients and equipment you have at your disposal.

Frying in a pan. Chicken tenders can simply be fried in a pan with some oil.
Baking in the oven. You can bake chicken tenders in the oven for 20 minutes at a temperature of 375 degrees.
Air frying. Chicken tenders can be stacked on a baking rack and roasted quite quickly. This way, you can also perform other tasks such as preparing sides while the tenders bake.

Some tips for baking chicken tenders

While baking chicken tenders isn’t a difficult task, there are a few mistakes that some people make, especially beginners, that prevent them from making perfect chicken tenders.

Here are a few tips that you should keep in mind the next time you bake chicken tenders.

For the best results, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and make sure the rack is positioned at the center of the oven.
Get a digital meat thermometer to help you keep track of the tenders’ internal temperature.
Make sure you season both sides of the tenders so that they’re as flavorful as they can be.
Always include sides like roasted vegetables, sauces, and baked potato slices with the tenders to make your meal even more enjoyable.

What are the best frozen chicken tenders you can buy?

Frozen chicken tenders that you can buy from a nearby store are great. They are very to store and cook and taste delicious.

They might even be the perfect option for you if you’re yearning for a quick, tasty snack and don’t want to put a lot of effort into its preparation.

There are three things you should consider when you’re selecting frozen chicken tenders in the store.

Flavor. If the chicken tenders taste good, you’ll want to buy more of them. To get an idea, search for customer reviews and testimonials online and ask people at your local supermarket.
Chicken quality. The chicken should have a nice texture and should look good.
Breading. The breading should be crispy and should have lots of flavor and seasonings.

Here are some of the best frozen chicken tenders you can buy. Please keep in mind that the prices are those at the time of writing and may change.

Tyson All Natural Crispy Chicken Strips (25 oz, $ 10.39)
Perdue SimplySmart Organics Lightly Breaded Chicken Strips (15 oz, $ 7.99)
Foster Farms Crispy Chicken Strips (24 oz, $ 7.99)
Great Value Fully Cooked Chicken Strips (25 oz, $ 8.13)

How Long To Bake Chicken Tenders FAQs

Can chicken tenders be frozen for later?

Yes, absolutely. You can either seal them in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for a few days or store them in a baking pan in the freezer for a couple of months.

Can I cook chicken tenders at 350 or 400 degrees Fahrenheit?

Yes, you can. But at 350 degrees, the tenders will take slightly more time to get baked than they would at 375 degrees.

Expect them to take about 25 minutes to be perfectly cooked. At 400 degrees, the tenders will take between 15 and 17 minutes to cook.

But ideally, you should cook them at 375 degrees.

Is a digital meat thermometer necessary to cook chicken tenders?

A digital meat thermometer is not necessary to cook delicious chicken tenders, but it is quite useful, nonetheless.

It makes it easy for you to check the internal temperature of the tenders, so you know exactly when they’re done.

Is thawing chicken tenders before cooking them necessary?

Thawing chicken tenders for 5 to 7 hours in the refrigerator is a good idea if you want them to cook quickly and taste better.

How do I prevent chicken tenders from becoming soggy after frying them?

Once the chicken tenders have been fried, put them on a cooling rack. This allows them cool, and the excess oil gets drained away.

Once the tenders are cool, you can put them on some kitchen paper towel.

Final thoughts

Chicken tenders are one of those snacks that are incredibly easy to cook and prepare. They can be cooked using many different methods and can be served with a variety of side dishes.

The perfect temperature to bake chicken tenders in the oven is 375 degrees Fahrenheit and the cooking time at this temperature should be around 20 minutes ideally.

However, if your chicken tenders are large and are completely frozen, then they might take more time to cook.

In this guide, we’ve mentioned everything you need to know about baking chicken tenders at 375 degrees and we hope you find it useful.

References

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/best-chicken-tenders/

https://bestanswertoall.com/how-to-defrost-chicken-tenderloins/