Name: Sesame Crusted Chicken Tenders
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Cooking spray; 1 pound chicken tenderloins; 1 egg; 1/2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce; 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1/4 cup sesame seeds; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; Sesame oil, for garnish (optional)

These sesame-crusted chicken tenders are quick to prep and a nice way to switch up a regular breaded chicken dish. The coating is made with sesame seeds and panko and bakes up nice and crispy in the oven.

overhead photo of sesame chicken tenders on a plate with broccoli and rice

I have to admit, until recently I’ve only used sesame seeds as a garnish so when I saw a recipe on Skinnytaste using them as a breading I was intrigued. I know I’ve had sesame-crusted things before at restaurants but it never occurred to me to try it at home. Spoiler alert: I’m glad I did.

If you’re wanting to switch up basic breaded chicken sesame-crusted chicken tenders are the way to do it. Sesame seeds have a distinct nutty flavor – they’re used a lot in Asian cuisine – and when you combine them with panko breadcrumbs you get a crispy coating for chicken. Chicken tenderloins, in this case, but you could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Recipe Highlights

It’s a fairly quick recipe with most of the time spent waiting for the chicken to bake in the oven.

I didn’t stray too far from the original recipe (including the sides!) but did adjust amounts of some of the ingredients and added an egg to help hold the breading together. I like a little extra coating to maximize the flavor and texture.

You can go a few directions with these sesame-crusted chicken tenders…

Serve them with roasted broccoli or another vegetable
Add some rice or cauliflower rice
You can also use them for salads – just cut them into bite-sized pieces. You could use this sesame chicken in my crispy chicken salad (just omit the baked chicken).
It was totally basic, but I might have wrapped the leftovers in tortillas the next day and it might have been delicious.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
Chicken tenderloins
Egg
Low-sodium soy sauce
Panko breadcrumbs
Sesame seeds
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Sesame oil, for garnish

Recipe Steps

Assemble your breading station (like ya do):

Lightly beat the egg with the soy sauce in one bowl
In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, salt and pepper

Dip each tenderloin in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off, and then coat it in the breadcrumb mixture.

overhead photo of the chicken breaded with sesame seeds and panko on a baking sheet

Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the chicken tenders on it in an even layer. Lightly spray the tops of each with the cooking spray.

The nice thing about chicken tenderloins is that they bake pretty fast. Pop them in the oven and bake them for 15 minutes at 400°F and then flip them over. Bake them for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until the chicken is cooked through.

I like to drizzle some sesame oil over the top when they come out of the oven – it smells amazing and adds a little more flavor.

If you have leftovers, they’ll keep for a few days but the coating may not be as crispy when you reheat it. Still delicious, though.

I hope you enjoy this recipe – it’s an easy way to put a spin on chicken ❤

Happy cooking,

close-up photo of sesame crusted chicken tenders on a plate

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