These Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders have the crispiest cornflake coating and can be baked in the oven or air fryer. When I make them for a family dinner I’ll serve them with my go-to tomato pasta and a garden salad. But during the summer months, I always have a freezer stash so I can make myself a Caesar salad for a work day lunch whenever the fancy takes me. And I’m talking next level Caesar salad!
If you love the idea of having these Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders a-top a Caesar salad, this is my favourite shop-bought dressing, it’s divine!
I also love these tenders as they are easy to prep. Just crush up the cornflakes and add to a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl add the eggs, lemon zest, garlic granules, salt and pepper and whisk together with a fork. Then dip shop-bought chicken mini fillets (tenderloins US) into the egg mixture, followed by the cornflakes. Spray with oil and bake or air fry, then sprinkle over lots of parmesan and cook a little more.
If you have a toddler or weaning baby and are wondering how to adapt this recipe for your family, see here >
The Stars of my Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders
The Chicken
To keep prep time down, I always use shop-bought chicken mini fillets (tenderloins US). If you can’t get those or already have whole chicken breasts sat in the fridge, they are fine to use, you’ll just want to slice them into 1 inch wide strips.
The Cornflakes
Kellogg’s or supermarket own brand will do. You’ll add them to a resealable food bag and crush them up into very small pieces with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
The Egg Mixture
Medium or large eggs will work here. You’ll need a large unwaxed lemon, garlic granules, salt and pepper. If you can’t get garlic granules, you can use garlic powder instead. And if you can’t get an unwaxed lemon, pop it into a sieve and rinse with boiling kettle water. Then immediately rub off as much wax as you can with a paper towel before you zest it.
The Oil
I would really recommend using spray oil and not just trickling over regular oil as spray oil gives a much more evenly crisp coating. I usually use 3-4 sprays on the top and bottom of the tenders (hold them up and turn a little to spray the bottoms carefully). Then the thicker ones I spray each side once too.
FAQ’s For My Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders
Can I prepare these Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders in advance?
You can crush up the cornflakes and leave in the sealed food bag at room temperature until ready to cook. You can also prepare your egg mixture, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate.
Can I feed more people with this recipe?
You can easily double or even triple this recipe to feed a crowd. I would definitely recommend baking them in the oven instead of the air fryer if this is the case, otherwise you will have to cook multiple batches! When you bake a large quantity in the oven though, use multiple trays as you need to ensure there is a gap around each chicken tender so they cook and crisp properly all over.
How can younger children help make it?
The kids will love to crush up those cornflakes! They can also help to make the egg mixture, and so long as they wash their hands very well before and after, help coat the tenders too.
Can I Store Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders leftovers?
You can store any Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders leftovers in an air-tight container or resealable food bag in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). Leftovers can also be frozen, just defrost for 24 hours in the fridge and reheat in the oven or air fryer until steaming hot all the way through. You can reheat defrosted tenders in the air fryer at 170º/340ºf for 9-10 mins or in the oven at 180ºc/200ºf for 15 minutes on a lined baking tray.
More on safe food storage and reheating.
What diets is this recipe suitable for?
My Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders are gluten, nut-free.
Adapting My Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders For Your Family
Eating together is beneficial for families of all ages and stages, for a multitude of reasons; nutritional, behavioural, psychological and for healthy family functioning. This section will show you how to tweak this Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders recipe for sharing with a weaning baby, or toddler which will help make it easier to eat together as a family.
Making My Lemon Parmesan Chicken Tenders Suitable for Baby Weaning
You’ll want to dip baby’s chicken mini fillets/tenderloins in the egg mixture BEFORE you add the salt.
How to Serve to Babies & Toddlers
BABY-LED WEANING
6-12 months
Slice their chicken tenders into finger size strips lengthways.
Toddlers
Chop their chicken into bite-size pieces.
I’ve also added these notes to the bottom of the recipe so you have them to hand when you come to cook.
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LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN TENDERS
Equipment
- Measuring scales or cups
- 2 Shallow bowls like pasta bowls
- A fork
- Air Fryer or oven + lined baking tray
Ingredients
- 650 g chicken mini fillets / tenderloins (US) see notes
- 180 g cornflakes
- 2 medium or large eggs
- ½-1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- Black pepper to taste
- 60 g grated parmesan
- Sunflower oil spray
See notes for baby & toddler
Instructions
- Add the cornflakes to a resealable food bag, seal and smash down with a meat mallet or rolling pin until mostly in very small pieces. Tip the crushed cornflakes into a shallow bowl.
- Add the eggs, garlic powder, lemon zest and salt & pepper to another shallow bowl and beat with a fork.
- Then, in turn coat the chicken mini fillets/tenderloins in the egg mix, then in the cornflakes until fully coated. You can pile on the flakes as well as turning them in the cornflakes and press them down gently as well.
TO OVEN BAKE
- Lay straight onto a lined tray lined with baking paper, ensuring there are gaps around each piece. Spray each side of the chicken with oil generously, I do about 4 sprays each side. Transfer to a preheated oven at 200ºc/fan 180º/400ºf/gas 6 and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove, sprinkle the parmesan over the top of each chicken tender and cook for a further 10 mins.
TO AIR FRY
- Spray your air fryer crispier plates with oil. Then spray each side of the chicken tenders with oil. Lay in an even layer with a little gap around each piece (you may need to do cook them in batches depending on the size of your air fryer). Preheat your air fryer if manufacture specifies to do so. Air fry on 180ºf for 7 minutes, then sprinkle the parmesan over the tenders evenly. Air fry for a further 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
Notes
Baby & Toddler
TODDLERS Chop their chicken into bite-size pieces.
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