These Gluten-Free Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders with Secret Sauce are a healthy version of everyone’s favorite chicken tenders. Sponsored by Peapod.
Who doesn’t love chicken tenders. Today’s recipe features a spicy version of a childhood favorite served with my son’s “secret sauce.” We developed this recipe for Peapod, America’s leading online grocer, which features over 8,000 products.
What makes these chicken strips so good? First of all, they’re soaked overnight in seasoned buttermilk, which helps tenderize the chicken and lets the Frank’s hot sauce sink in. Second, they are double dipped, first in cornstarch, then in Cajun spiced almond flour, to ensure a flavorful, crunchy coating. Third, the secret sauce is the perfect compliment to these slightly spicy chicken tenders.
The Secret Sauce is my son’s creation. He loves coming up with all different concoctions and I encourage him to be creative in the kitchen. This secret sauce is sweet, tangy and just a touch spicy.
Our recipe for these Gluten-Free Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders with Secret Sauce – creole seasoning spices up these chicken tenders and the sweet and tangy secret sauce is the perfect way to cool them down is featured on Peapod’s recipe site. You can easily order the ingredients for this recipe (and any recipe on their site) using Peapod’s ExpressShop feature. The ExpressShop feature automatically lists the ingredients needed for each recipe to make it easy for you to shop.
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Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders with Secret Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Spicy Chicken Tenders
- 1 1/2 pounds antibiotic-free boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup Frank's Original RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- olive oil cooking spray
Secret Sauce
- 2/3 cup light mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoons light sour cream
- 4 teaspoons honey
- 4 teaspoons organic ketchup
- 4 teaspoons organic barbecue sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Frank's Original RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- a few dashes or paprika for color optional
Instructions
Spicy Chicken Tenders
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Cut chicken breast into 1" wide strips. Mix together buttermilk and hot sauce in a dish; add chicken strips, toss well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
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When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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Place cornstarch in a dish. Break eggs into another dish and beat lightly. Mix together almond flour, Cajun seasoning, paprika and garlic powder in a third dish.
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Remove chicken strips from buttermilk mixture and wipe off excess liquid; lightly coat with cornstarch. Dip in egg, letting excess egg drip off; lightly coat with almond flour mixture.
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Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil and lightly oiled. Continue with rest of chicken strips. Spray tops of chicken strips with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Secret Sauce
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In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, ketchup, barbecue sauce, hot sauce and paprika. Serve with chicken tenders.
Disclosure: This blog post was sponsored by Peapod as part of my participation in their Ambassador program. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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They look so beautifully golden brown and crisp!
Thanks Angie – the double coating definitely makes the crust crispy – it’s worth the extra step 🙂
can’t wait to make this one! The sauce sounds delish!
The sauce is so versatile – my son loves it on just about anything.
Chicken tenders were my favorite growing up so naturally I was drawn to this recipe! I also have a bunch of leftover buttermilk and now I know what to do with it 🙂
Buttermilk is a great tenderizer and adds some nice tangy flavor too.
I love chicken fingers! This would be a tasty and kid-friendly dinner! Pinned 🙂
Thanks Rachel – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love chicken fingers 😉
These chicken tenders looks amazing and I love that your son created the Secret Sauce!! so cool and Peapod sounds very interesting!
Thanks Alice! My son loves spices and condiments so I was so happy he came up with his own Secret Sauce.
Hi! This looks delicious! Just wondering if it is possible to do this with regular flour. If so, would the amount neeed be eqivalent to the almond flour amount called for in the recipe? Should the cornstarch amount be reduced? Thanks! Can’t wait to make these!!
Thanks Kristen! If you’re not gluten-free, I would suggest using panko crumbs or dried breadcrumbs in place of the almond flour. Keep the cornstarch and egg dip – it helps ensure a crispier coating.
My son is such a big fan of crispy chicken tenders and these look perfect! That’s awesome that your son came up with the sauce too 🙂 It sounds wonderful with these chicken tenders!