Parmesan Pecan Chicken Tenders

My Parmesan Pecan Chicken Tenders are a nice healthy lunch or dinner recipe to add to your menu! The entire family will love these flavorful homemade tenders.

Homemade Chicken Tenders

This simple chicken recipe is just what your dinner menu needs this week! Packed with flavorful Parmesan and ground pecans, they are flavorful and crisp! My family goes nuts for homemade chicken tenders so I knew I wanted to make a healthy pecan coated version.

Be sure to check out my spicier chicken tender recipe too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for for daily recipe inspiration!

adding parmesan cheese to food processor

 

What You’ll Need

  • extra virgin olive oil– Olive oil is used to coat the pan to cook the tenders.
  • pecans- Pecans make the perfect coating for the tenders. Toasty and nutty.
  • grated Parmesan Cheese– Parmesan is added to the coating mixture.
  • bread crumbs– Use traditional bread crumbs or Panko for an even crunchier coating.
  • kosher salt– Kosher salt is a coarse salt commonly used in cooking and baking. I prefer it.
  • freshly ground black pepper– For best tasting results use freshly cracked black pepper.
  • smoked paprika– Paprika is added to the coating mixture for a slightly smoky flavor.
  • chicken tenderloins– Look for chicken tenderloins in the meat department near the chicken breast.

How To Make Chicken Tenders

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Place pecans and Parmesan into a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Place into a large shallow dish and stir in bread crumbs, salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
  3. Press chicken strips into pecan mixture, coating both sides. Place coated chicken strips into hot saute pan.
  4. Cook each side for about 3-5 minutes, until cooked through and browned. Remove strips from skillet and let cool on a baking rack or paper towel lined plate. Serve warm.

dipping chicken tender into bread crumbs

 

 

Press your chicken tenders into pecan mixture, coating each side generously.

chicken tender cooking in saute pan

 

Place coated chicken tenders into an olive oil drizzle hot skillet. Let cook and brown on both sides until cooked through. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauces. They also are great sliced up over salad and pasta. Enjoy!

parmesan pecan chicken tenders in skillet

 

How To Serve

You’ve got lots of options actually. My chicken tenders are great by themselves with some dipping sauces. You could also serve them with a nice salad and breadsticks. One more option for you is some homemade mashed potatoes. Serve with a variety of dipping sauces such as Ranch Dressing, a mix of Ranch Dressing and Sriracha and straight Sriracha. Lots of great options.

How To Store Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat as needed.

Parmesan Pecan Chicken Tenders

These Parmesan Pecan Chicken Tenders are a healthy lunch or dinner recipe to add to your menu! The entire family will love this flavorful meal.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 236kcal
Author: Jenny
Cost: $25
Print Pin Rate

Equipment

  • Stove
  • Large Skillet/Fry Pan
  • large mixing bowl
  • Plate for pressing chicken into crumbs
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • mixing spoon

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound chicken tenders
  • 1 cup Fisher Pecan halves
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Place pecans and Parmesan into a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Place into a large shallow dish and stir in bread crumbs, salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
  • Press chicken strips into pecan mixture, coating both sides. Place coated chicken strips into hot saute pan. Cook each side for about 3-5 minutes, until cooked through and browned. Remove strips from skillet and let cool on a baking rack or paper towel lined plate. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 338mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 0.8mg
Keywords: chicken fingers, chicken strips, chicken tenders

photo collage of chicken tenders

 

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36 Responses
  1. Millican Pecan

    We have learned over the years that pecan crusted chicken and pecan crusted fish are great combinations of flavors and texture. You have done it right. Well done! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

  2. Gina

    Hello,
    I really enjoy your recipes, but I have a question. Is there any other way to pin them other than having to go to ALL of your boards? It would be nice if I didn’t have to go and search for the recipe on all of your boards. It’s very time consuming. Thank you, Gina

  3. Krissy

    I don’t know why it took me this long to find this site but I am happy I found it. Parmesan Pecan Chicken Tenders…. Yum. I will try this later this week.

  4. Brielle @ Breezy Bakes

    What a great quick dinner. I’m sure my kids will love these! Maybe even more than going to Chick-fil-a…maybe. =)

  5. Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen

    My boys would love this crunchy chicken! I love cooking with pecans and can’t wait to give this a try.

  6. Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living

    I love the idea of pecans in the coating, and I’m a huge fan of smoked paprika. I can’t wait to try these – I know my son would love it!

  7. TidyMom

    we eat chicken tenders about once a week, so I’m always looking for new recipes! and I always have Fisher pecans in the pantry because I eat them every morning on my oatmeal.

  8. Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons

    Yes! I love pecans, but feel like I often sort of forget about them, and default to walnuts for everything. I mean, they’re both amazing, but pecans just make any meal feel special. Love this recipe! Pinned!

  9. Cookin Canuck

    My family loves chicken tenders, and I know they’d gobble up this nut-crusted version. Great meal for a busy night!

  10. leslie

    In alllll my years I have never made homemade chicken tenders! I love the combo of nuts and parm! See you soon….YEAH!!!!

  11. Christi @ Love From The Oven

    These look amazing and so simple to make! Love Fisher Nuts, can’t wait to try this one Jenny!

  12. Laura ~ Raise Your Garden

    I think I feel a song coming on here and it’s the Hallelujah Chorus. When my kids actually like dinner ~ they hum to themselves. It’s kind of flattering and they are gonna love these. And I really like Fisher Nuts. But I’m a bit of a nutcase so that would make sense. They usually have those dollar coupons off too.

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