Buffalo Chicken Tenders

By jz8tkz

You know these are Buffalo chicken tenders by their hot sauce and blue cheese! But they are baked, not fried, so you can indulge without guilt.

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot sauce, divided
• 2 cups plus 6 tablespoons buttermilk, divided
• 1 pound chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into 3-by-1-inch strips, a-inch thick)
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 300mins

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, salt, 2 tablespoons of the hot sauce and 2 cups of the buttermilk. Whisk until the salt is dissolved. Add the chicken tenders and stir to coat well with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 10 hours.

When ready to cook, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with olive oil cooking spray.

In a shallow bowl combine the whole-wheat and panko bread crumbs. In another small bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 tablespoons of buttermilk, the mayonnaise, blue cheese and lemon juice. Transfer to a ramekin for dipping. Pour the remaining ¼ cup of hot sauce into a second ramekin for dipping.

Use a colander to drain the chicken, but do not pat it dry. Dip each chicken piece in the bread crumb mixture, coating well on both sides. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, then spritz the tops with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake on the oven’s middle shelf for 10 minutes. Turn the piece and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to a platter. Serve with dipping sauces.