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Easy Crispy Blackened Chicken Tenders Recipe
This Blackened Chicken Tenders Recipe is quick, easy, and packed with flavor! It’s a breeze to cook, and your whole family is going to want to eat it time and time again.
These chicken tenders are seasoned perfectly, and when you take that first bite, you get an explosion of flavors. If you happen to have picky eaters in your house, you might be surprised to see them devour this chicken. You can easily alter the spice level to please everyone.
You can even make these blackened chicken tenders for a crowd or when you have friends over for dinner. I love this easy chicken recipe because I can throw it together at the last minute and don’t need much prep. And it comes together in under 20 minutes, so even on the nights when you dread cooking, it is easy.
Love this recipe? Try my Blackened Swordfish Recipe or Blackened Chicken Thighs next! They all use my popular Blackened Seasoning.
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Ingredients
- Chicken Tenders – You can buy chicken tenderloins already cut, or purchase boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into strips.
- Seasonings – You’ll need a homemade blend of spices consisting of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Alternatively, you can purchase a premade Cajun seasoning found at most grocery stores.
- Avocado Oil – Using avocado oil is excellent for this chicken because it has such a high smoke point. You could swap it for olive oil or coconut oil, but it will for sure smoke more as you are blackening the chicken.
- Butter – Adding butter will help give the chicken strips a deep blackened appearance and flavor.
See quantities in the recipe card.
How to Make Blackened Chicken Tenders
Step One: First, combine all of the seasonings for the spice blend in a medium-sized bowl. If the chicken is wet, dry it with a paper towel. Coat all of the chicken strips with the herbs.
Step Two: Heat the butter and cooking oil in a large nonstick frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken tenders in the hot skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until a black crust has formed.
Carefully flip each piece of chicken and cook the second side. Once both sides have blackened, the chicken should be done. If not, you can place it in the oven at 350 degrees F. for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160 on a meat thermometer.
Storage
These delicious tenders make fabulous leftovers. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them. Reheat the defrosted chicken tenders in the microwave or the oven. They will just take about a minute or so in the microwave and around 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.
Tips For Making Blackened Chicken Tenders
- Make sure that the chicken tenderloins are pretty uniform in size. This will let them cook more evenly. So, you may need to trim some of the larger ones down if they are large strips.
- To coat the chicken, you could add the seasonings to a plastic ziplock bag, then toss in the chicken. Shake the bag until the chicken is coated. Kids love to help with this!
- For more heat, increase the cayenne pepper. For less spicy chicken tenders, omit it.
- It’s essential that the butter is hot and melted before you add the chicken to the pan. This gives it a great sizzle, and the blackened chicken tenderloins will turn out much better.
Common Questions
Can I cook this in an air fryer?
Yes. Cook in a single layer on a nonstick surface at 400. Cook for a total of 8-12 minutes, depending on their size, flipping them halfway through.
Why did my chicken tenders turn out dry?
If you end up with dry chicken tenders, it’s most likely due to being overcooked. Many of us tend to overcook chicken, but this leads to a dry and unappetizing meal. So, for best results, use a meat thermometer and remove the chicken from the pan when it gets to 160 degrees. Then let the strips rest for 5 minutes or so. This will allow them to finish cooking outside of the pan, so they reach 165 degrees, but they don’t dry out.
What Goes With Blackened Chicken Tenders?
There are tons of foods that will pair nicely with this chicken recipe. Here are a few of our favorites.
- Top a green salad with some hot blackened chicken tenderloins. It makes a side salad even more satisfying, or it makes a great lunch or dinner.
- Serve with comfort food. Some of our favorite comfort food recipes are Cheesy Cauliflower Rice, Keto Creamed Spinach, and Broccoli Nuggets.
- Add some roasted veggies to complete the meal. Any of your favorite Roasted Vegetables will work! We especially enjoy Keto Green Beans.
- Use these as part of taco night! We think they pair super well with a dipping sauce like ranch dressing, lime crema, sour cream, Keto Salsa, and Keto Guacamole.
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Blackened Chicken Tenders
This Blackened Chicken Tenders Recipe is quick, easy, and packed with flavor! Ready in 20 minutes, your whole family will love it.
Blackening Seasoning
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne, salt, pepper
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Combine the seasonings. Use to coat the chicken.
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Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high.
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When the butter has completely melted and the oil is hot, add the chicken.
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Let cook for 2-3 minutes until a nice black crust forms. Flip the chicken. Cook on the second side. At this point the chicken should be fully cooked. If it is not you can transfer to the oven and cook at 350 for an additional 2-3 minutes.
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You may need to cook the chicken in 2 batches. If you overcrowd the pan the chicken will not blacken.
Nutrition: the nutrition facts are for 1/4th of this recipe. That is approximately 3 chicken tenderloins.
Substitutions: it’s fine to use chicken breasts cut into thin strips instead of pre-cut chicken tenders.
To Reheat: warm the chicken in the microwave for a minute or two until they are hot. They heat up quickly, so keep a close watch. Additionally, they can be placed on a baking sheet and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until hot.
To Freeze: flash freeze the chicken strips by placing them on a baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours or until they are fairly solid. Then place in an airtight container, and they will last for several months. Defrost before reheating.
Substitutions: it’s fine to use chicken breasts cut into thin strips instead of pre-cut chicken tenders.
To Reheat: warm the chicken in the microwave for a minute or two until they are hot. They heat up quickly, so keep a close watch. Additionally, they can be placed on a baking sheet and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until hot.
To Freeze: flash freeze the chicken strips by placing them on a baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours or until they are fairly solid. Then place in an airtight container, and they will last for several months. Defrost before reheating.
Calories: 310.9Carbohydrates: 1.1gProtein: 36.4gFat: 17.1gSaturated Fat: 5.4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 123.9mgSodium: 248.2mgPotassium: 648.9mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 226IUVitamin C: 2.1mgCalcium: 11.4mgIron: 0.7mg
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Originally Published April 16, 2021. Revised and Republished November 6, 2025.
