Oven Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Get all that crunchy, spicy goodness in this healthier version of Nashville hot chicken. These chicken tenders are doused in the signature red-hot spice and have a juiciness from a good dunk in buttermilk.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 306kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tbsp. hot chicken spice
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast sliced into strips
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 tbsp. hot chicken spice
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- spray avocado oil
- hot honey optional, for serving
HOT CHICKEN SPICE SAUCE
- 4 tbsp butter or avocado oil
- 1.5 tbsp hot chicken spice
Instructions
- Whisk buttermilk and 1 tbsp. of the hot spice together in a bowl.
- Slice chicken into strips of equal size and drop into the buttermilk. Stir to coat the chicken in the mixture.
- Marinate the chicken for 6 hours or up to 48 hours in the fridge.
- Set up three shallow dishes or bowls. Put the arrowroot and 1 tbsp. of hot spice in one dish. Beat two eggs well in the second dish. Pour the panko into the third dish.
- Wipe the excess buttermilk off the chicken tender. Then, dredge in the arrowroot mixture. Dip in the egg. Cover in panko and place on a sheet tray with a wire rack. Repeat breading procedure with all of the chicken pieces.
- Once you have all the chicken strips on the wire rack, spray the chicken with the avocado oil. You want the chicken to look moist, not dry before it goes in the oven.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When you cut into one of the tenders the meat of the chicken should be white in color and the juices when pressed should run clear.
HOT CHICKEN SAUCE
- In a small saucepan over medium heat melt butter. Whisk in hot spice mix and stir until well combined.
- Once chicken has been removed from the oven drizzle with the hot chicken sauce.
- Optional, also drizzle with hot, sweet, and sticky hot honey.
- Serve with pickles and a cooling salad like cole slaw or pickle potato salad!
Notes
- This is a spicy dish. You can dial down the heat of this chicken by using less of the spice. You can turn up the heat by adding more.
- Give the chicken ample time to marinate in the buttermilk which not only imparts flavor but also tenderizes the meat.
- Spray the breaded chicken with avocado oil before baking. This step will ensure that you have crispy, crunchy tenders at the end of the cooking time.
- Serve Nashville hot chicken with some accompaniments that are cooling. Cucumber pickles and creamy salads will help to balance out this hot chicken meal.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg
