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Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders are crispy breaded chicken dipped in honey garlic sauce. Serve them up on buns for an epic chicken sandwich for any night of the week. 

If you love the drive thru fried chicken strips and French fries or a crispy chicken tender sandwich, these Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders are going to be your new favorite dinner. You might also like these quick and easy Hot Honey Chicken Wraps

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Chicken Tender Sandwich with slaw and tomatoes.

Ingredients Needed:

For the Sauce:

  • Butter
  • Minced Garlic
  • Honey
  • Brown Sugar
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Kosher Salt
  • Ground Chili Flakes or Cayenne

For the Chicken:

  • Chicken Tenders ~ Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work too.
  • All Purpose Flour ~ For the breading.
  • Granulated Garlic 
  • Kosher Salt 
  • Black Pepper
  • Buttermilk 
  • Egg 
  • Vegetable Oil ~ for frying.

For Sandwiches:

  • Sandwich Buns
  • Coleslaw
  • Sliced Tomatoes

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How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders:

collage making honey garlic sauce.

Make the Sauce:

  • Add butter and minced garlic to a pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often about 2 minutes until garlic just starts to brown. 
  • Mix in honey, brown sugar, paprika, salt and red pepper. Cook 3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.

collage pounding chicken tenders and making breading station.

Bread the Chicken:

  • Pound chicken tenders into about 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet.
  • Add flour, granulated garlic, kosher salt and black pepper to a shallow dish and mix well.
  • In another shallow dish, add buttermilk and egg, mix well. Add chicken tenders to the dish. 
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. 

Breading station for chicken tenders.

  • Dip chicken tenders into buttermilk mixture.
  • Dredge both sides through the flour mixture. 
  • Repeat, coating each chicken tender twice for a thick coating. 
  • Place on the lined baking sheet. 

Collage frying chicken tenders, dipping into sauce.

Fry the Chicken Tenders:

  • Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 375° using a fry thermometer.
  • Cook breaded chicken tenders for about 3 minutes per side, until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165° using a digital meat thermometer and are golden brown. 
  • Drain on a paper towel lined wire rack placed in a rimmed baking sheet. 
  • When chicken is all cooked, reheat the sauce over low heat, about 1- 2 minutes, just until it is thin enough to coat the chicken. 
  • Dip chicken into the sauce, coating both sides. 

Crispy chicken tenders with honey garlic sauce on a platter.

  • Place on a serving platter. 

Make the Sandwiches:

Crispy chicken tender sandwich with slaw and sliced tomatoes.

  • Layer coleslaw over bottom buns, add sliced tomatoes and top with honey garlic chicken tenders. Add the top bun and serve immediately. 

This was declared everyone’s favorite chicken sandwich, ever. The chicken is super crispy and the sauce takes it to over the top amazing. The creamy coleslaw balances out the sweetness of the sweet sauce and it’s seriously one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

Recipe Notes:

  • Yield: 5 Sandwiches
  • Buttermilk Substitute: Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to milk, stir and set aside 5 minutes.
  • Baking Instructions: These chicken tenders are best deep fried. They can be baked on a lined baking sheet at 425°. Spray chicken tenders with olive oil on both sides before baking. Cooking time: 10 – 15 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165°. 
  • Storage: Wrap chicken in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Sauce can be stored up to 2 weeks in refrigerator in a closed container.
  • Reheat: Chicken can be reheated in an air fryer at 350° for 3 – 5 minutes, in a 350° oven on a baking sheet for 8- 10 minutes or stove top in a skillet over medium heat, turning half way through about 5 minutes total. Sauce can be reheated over low heat in a saucepan or microwaved for about 30 seconds.

You might also like these copycat Chicken Fries that are even better than the Burger King version that has been discontinued!

Best Side Dishes for Honey Garlic Chicken Sandwiches:

Crispy fried chicken tender sandwich.

Skip the drive thru and serve up these Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders for a quick, easy and delicious meal that will satisfy the entire family. Great served up along your favorite sides or on buns for a filling sandwich. 

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Honey Garlic Chicken Sandwich
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5 from 4 votes

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders are crispy breaded chicken dipped in honey garlic sauce. Serve them up on buns for an epic chicken sandwich for any night of the week. 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken tenders, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Fried chicken tenders, honey glazed chicken
Servings: 5 Sandwiches
Calories: 1000kcal
Author: Milisa

Ingredients

For Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground chili flakes or cayenne

For Chicken:

  • 5 chicken tenders
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 cups vegetable oil for frying

For Sandwiches

  • 5 sandwich buns
  • Coleslaw
  • 2 sliced tomatoes

Instructions

Make the Sauce:

  • Add butter and minced garlic to a pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often about 2 minutes until garlic just starts to brown. 
  • Mix in honey, brown sugar, paprika, salt and red pepper. Cook 3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.

Bread the Chicken:

  • Pound chicken tenders into about 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet.
  • Add flour, granulated garlic, kosher salt and black pepper to a shallow dish and mix well.
  • In another shallow dish, add buttermilk and egg, mix well. Add chicken tenders to the dish. 
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. 
  • Dip chicken tenders into buttermilk mixture.
  • Dredge both sides through the flour mixture. 
  • Repeat, coating each chicken tender twice for a thick coating. 
  • Place on the lined baking sheet. 

Fry the Chicken Tenders:

  • Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 375° using a fry thermometer.
  • Cook breaded chicken tenders for about 3 minutes per side, until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165° using a digital meat thermometer and are golden brown. 
  • Drain on a paper towel lined wire rack placed in a rimmed baking sheet. 
  • When chicken is all cooked, reheat the sauce over low heat, about 1- 2 minutes, just until it is thin enough to coat the chicken. 
  • Dip chicken into the sauce, coating both sides. 
  • Place on a serving platter. 

Make the Sandwiches:

  • Layer coleslaw over bottom buns, add sliced tomatoes and top with honey garlic chicken tenders. Add the top buns and serve immediately. 

Notes

Buttermilk Substitute: Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to milk, stir and set aside 5 minutes.
Baking Instructions: These chicken tenders are best deep fried. They can be baked on a lined baking sheet at 425°. Spray chicken tenders with olive oil on both sides before baking. Cooking time: 10 - 15 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165°. 
Storage: Wrap chicken in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Sauce can be stored up to 2 weeks in refrigerator in a closed container.
Reheat: Chicken can be reheated in an air fryer at 350° for 3 - 5 minutes, in a 350° oven on a baking sheet for 8- 10 minutes or stove top in a skillet over medium heat, turning half way through about 5 minutes total. Sauce can be reheated over low heat in a saucepan or microwaved for about 30 seconds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1000kcal | Carbohydrates: 144g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 30g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1580mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 69g

 

5 Comments

  1. I’m 82yrs old. The recipe sounds delicious, but it has been years since I truly fried anything. How can I make this in oven & still get the crispy chicken crunch.

5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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