Extra High Protein Baked Crispy Breaded Chicken Tenders!
Typically I avoid using dairy in my recipes since the goal is always as allergen free as possible- but this was an idea that was too good to pass up. I have made so many different variations of breaded chicken over the years- using everything from panko, to chex cereal to cornfakes and even potato chips. I wanted to create a popcorn chicken extra high in protein..and what better way to do it the adding a few bags of quest chips to my breading.
Quest chips are popular and for good reason..one bag has a whopping 19 grams of protein! But..they are spendy so I wanted to limit how many bags that I called for by mixing them with some gluten free panko.
This recipe calls for 2 small bags - as I wanted to be budget conscious. Also worth noting - If you want to use 12 tenders instead of 8- you can get away with doing just one layer of breading vs- double breading as I have in the recipe. This will take those two bags of chips further. Of course It will mean a little less protein per tender as well- but that’s ok :)
This recipe can also use 3 bags if you don’t mind doing so- I included the directions for that in the recipe notes.
I have also just posted protein hot chip popcorn chicken- and that recipe calls for 3 bags. SO they are EXTRA high in protein and bursting with fun spicy flavor. I absolutely adore how both of these recipes turned out!
Because I used 2 bags of quest chips they alone added an extra 38 grams of protein to the recipe. Plus the 2 eggs which adds another 12 grams. Then an extra 19 grams from the parmesan cheese. This adds up to an extra 69 grams of protein for the recipe as a whole that chicken tenders don’t typically have!
1 Chicken tender has 19 grams of protein. If you use 9 as I called for you’ll have a total of 152 grams of protein from the chicken + 69 grams of protein from the breading which = 221 grams of protein in the full recipe.
Giving you a grand total of 24.5 grams of protein per chicken tender!
(If you opt for using 3 bags of quest chips rather than 2 you’ll end up with 30. 75 grams per chicken tender)
An average serving of meat is about 3-4 ounces. So that could roughly be 2 tenders giving you a solid 49 grams of protein in one meal!
Making the tenders Egg Free:
If you wish to swap out the eggs- “Just Egg” vegan substitute would work great or you may be able to get away with using some aquafaba (chickpea liquid from a can!)
Extra High Protein Crispy Breaded Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 8 Raw Chicken Tenders thawed
- 2 Large eggs + 2 Tbsp Hot Sauce
- 2 Bags of Quest Cheddar Flavored Chips Finely Crushed
- 1 Cup Gluten Free Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- 3/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Dry Chicken completely with paper towels.
- Prepare the breading: In one medium bowl whisk together the eggs and hot sauce. In another medium bowl mix together the crushed chips, panko, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Bread the chicken: Dip chicken tenders in egg draining off excess. Then toss into the breadcrumbs mix. Place on the baking sheet. Depending on the size of your tenders you may be able to double bread the chicken. (If you are short on breading feel free to add in a bit more panko! The tenders taste best with double breading!
- Evenly coat both sides of the breaded tenders with spray oil. Bake for 13-16 minutes until the breading is golden brown (any longer and the tenders may dry out).
Notes
If you want to up the cheesy flavor and increase the protein amount you can use 3 Bags of Quest Cheddar Chips with 3/4 Cup of Panko Breadcrumbs instead.
Any flavor of quest chips can be used in this recipe!
