These Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce are crispy, juicy, savory, and oh so delicious. The way the chicken is cooked still allows for the same juiciness that fried chicken tenders would but it’s much much healthier.
And honestly, sometimes heating up oil, making sure your workspace is safe, and then the clean up and proper disposal of oil is sometimes just too much.
The panko bread crumbs are the best at retaining their crunch when it comes to baking as opposed to using regular italian style bread crumbs.
Double layering the breadcrumbs makes the chicken SO crispy and helps lot in the flavors to make it SO juicy!
When you’re dipping the chicken, be sure to stir the breadcrumbs up every now and then. The grains of the seasonings are a lot more fine than the grain size of the panko and they tend to fall to the bottom of the bowl. So make sure to stir it up!
While the chicken is baking, I suggest taking the time to do some light clean up and prep for the sauce.
The sauce is will cook the most evenly when the raw cane sugar, honey, low sodium soy sauce, gochujang, peanut butter, and water are mixed together properly before being poured into the hot pan.
Also, be sure that once you sautee the garlic and ginger in the oil that the pan isn’t too hot or the soy sauce will burn and become bitter. The sugar, honey, and peanut butter will help counteract that but definitely keep an eye out anyways.
The water in the sauce mixture will ensure that the sauce doesn’t thicken too much before the chicken tenders are tossed in.
I mentioned this in the recipe notes but I’ll mention it again here, this sauce isn’t supposed to douse the chicken generously but rather coat it mildly.
You’ll be able to see in the photos what I mean by that.
Top your Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Enjoy on their own with a vegetable side of your choosing or over a bed of rice!
Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken Crust
- 1 Small Tray Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders
- 1½ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 Eggs
Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic Grated
- ½ inch Ginger Grated
- 1 Tbsp Raw Cane Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- ⅓ Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Paste)
- 2 tsp Peanut Butter (Smooth/Creamy)
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 2 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 2 Stalks Green Onion / Scallions chopped
Instructions
Panko Crusted Chicken Tenders
- Preheat oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- In one bowl, which the eggs until the yolks and whites are fully incorporated.
- In another bowl, mix together the panko, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Dip the tenders into the egg (fully coat) and then dip into the panko mixture (fully coat).
- Repeat the previous step, so that you have two coatings of egg and panko on your tenders.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Tenders should be light golden brown.
Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce
- In a cup or bowl, mix together the raw cane sugar, honey, low sodium soy sauce, gochujang, peanut butter, and water. Set aside.
- Keep the cooked chicken tenders ready.
- Heat the oil in a pan and sautee the garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds.
- Make sure the heat is set to medium low and pour in the sauce mixture.
- Cook until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Immediately place the chicken tenders into the pan and coat them with the sauce.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds, top with scallions, and Enjoy! (note: this sauce isn't supposed to douse the chicken generously but rather coat it mildly).
If you’re looking for more Asian inspired dishes click here.
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