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Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders

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If you like the taste of sesame seeds as much as I do, you’ll love these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders coated with sesame seeds, panko and a hint of soy sauce. Bake them or make them in the air fryer!

If you like the taste of sesame seeds as much as I do, you'll love these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders coated with sesame seeds, panko and a hint of soy sauce. Bake them or make them in the air fryer! Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenderloins are so convenient for weeknight cooking! I love this sesame encrusted chicken which gives it an Asian flair! For more family-friendly chicken recipes, try these pickle brined chicken tenders, these tortilla encrusted chicken tenders for a Mexican twist, and if you want a recipe using ground chicken, try these chicken nuggets (with hidden veggies)!

If you like the taste of sesame seeds as much as I do, you'll love these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders coated with sesame seeds, panko and a hint of soy sauce. Bake them or make them in the air fryer!

I like to serve them over some hot, steamed rice with a drizzle of soy sauce, and broccoli on the side but this would be great with cauliflower fried rice or quinoa fried rice  with some stir fried vegetables.

How To Make Encrusted Chicken Tenders

  1. Start with a mix of sesame seeds and panko as your breading and put that in a shallow dish.
  2. Rather than dipping the chicken in egg, I mix sesame oil with soy sauce in a shallow bowl and use it to coat the chicken before pressing my crumbs on. This adds wonderful Asian flavor to the chicken.
  3. Then spritz the chicken evenly on both sides with oil before baking or cooking in the air fryer.

How To Meal Prep

Place 3/4 cup rice in each meal prep container, top with 2 pieces chicken and steamed veggies on the side. Refrigerate up to 4 days. I really love this glass Meal Prep Set from Pyrex, (affil link) the set comes with different size glass containers with lids that are easy to close and wash.

How To Make Sesame encrusted chicken tenders.How To Make Sesame encrusted chicken tenders.If you like the taste of sesame seeds as much as I do, you'll love these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders coated with sesame seeds, panko and a hint of soy sauce. Bake them or make them in the air fryer!

More Chicken Recipes You Might Like:

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Sesame Encrusted Baked Chicken Tenders

4.75 from 24 votes
4
Cals:197
Protein:23
Carbs:5.5
Fat:9
If you like the taste of sesame seeds as much as I do, you'll love these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders coated with sesame seeds, panko and a hint of soy sauce. Bake them or make them in the air fryer!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese
If you like the taste of sesame seeds as much as I do, you'll love these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders coated with sesame seeds, panko and a hint of soy sauce. Bake them or make them in the air fryer!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 2 chicken tenders

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken tenderloins, 18 oz total
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 6 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup panko
  • olive oil spray

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick oil spray.
  • Combine the sesame oil and soy sauce in a bowl, and the sesame seeds, salt and panko in another.
  • Place chicken in the bowl with the oil and soy sauce, then into the sesame seed mixture to coat well.
  • Place on the baking sheet; lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly browned on the bottom.
  • Turn over and cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked through and the edges are crisp. Serve over rice with more soy sauce, if desired.

Air Fryer Cook Time

  • Preheat the air fryer 400F. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway until cooked through, crispy and golden.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 2 chicken tenders, Calories: 197 kcal, Carbohydrates: 5.5 g, Protein: 23 g, Fat: 9 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Cholesterol: 51 mg, Sodium: 400 mg, Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugar: 0.5 g

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141 comments on “Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders”

  1. Very good and simple and quick. I agree with others could skip extra salt, I did decrease it for first time making these. 12 minutes in air fryer was perfect. Had with the skinny taste broccoli and wonton from Simple book with leftovers. Want to try all the chicken tenderloin recipes..next maybe the tortilla ones!
    Thanks

  2. I’m so glad I stumbled on to your recipe. I plan to use the chicken in a Chinese chicken salad that I have been trying to replicate from a Chinese restaurant years ago. They coated thin sliced chicken breasts with sesame seeds, fried it gently, and then sliced into strips. The salad portion consisted of iceberg lettuce and fried rice sticks with a light Asian dressing. It was so good. I think I will marinate the chicken briefly in soy and/or oyster sauce for additional flavor. Now I just have to figure out the dressing for it! Thank you for posting this recipe!

  3. WOW these are incredibly tasty and very quick and easy. So different. I baked them in the oven. I had to use a bit more soy and oil to finish up my tenderloins because I think I had maybe two too many lol but not much at all. Served them with caramelized onion green beans because I didn’t want rice this time and it was the perfect combo!

  4. My picky daughter absolutely loved these. I was worried about not marinating them – but it was totally fine. She loved it. Excellent!

  5. Avatar photo
    Catherine Pantek

    My 4 year old gobbled these up, amazing and easy. I only did 1/2 tsp kosher salt (not sure why salt is listed twice?) and cooked for about 18 minutes in the air fryer (I cut my own tenders so I think they were fatter pieces, use a meat thermometer to ensure cooked completely). 

  6. I bought some chicken tenders that were on sale and decided to try this. Really good!! And easy to make. I paired it with some stir fry veggies and brown rice with cauliflower rice mixed in 🙂

  7. Sadly these were a miss for me. I baked them in oven and found that they didn’t end up very crispy. Also the flavor was lacking in the chicken. I would definitely marinate in soy sauce mixture next time before coating with seasame mixture.

  8. I made this in the air fryer and it was a big hit. I served with sautéed baby bok choy and Trader Joe’s cauliflower fried rice. 

  9. Delicious and a definite family favorite, but I agree with one of the other comments that I would omit the salt.    I used low sodium soy sauce and some pieces were extremely salty.   Chicken came crisp and juicy. I made them in the oven. 

  10. Delicious and quick. Perfect for a weeknight meal. Everyone in our family, including small kids, loved it. 

  11. Avatar photo
    Natalie Hirons

    I made this tonight and it was fantastic!! My family devoured it. It will definitely be on our monthly meal rotation.

  12. Avatar photo
    Lauren Whalen

    Hello! Why is this recipe showing that for the blue plan on WW, it’s 4 points but when I put the sesame seeds in my WW app it’s showing that alone, the sesame seeds are 8 points based off of what I’d use for this recipe?? 

    1. Hi Lauren. Are you using the recipe builder? The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.

      The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.

  13. Just made this tonight….it was delicious…made it with pork grinds I didn’t have any Panko…roasted the broccoli 

  14. I made this last night and it turned out great! The sesame seeds and asian flavor were awesome…and a nice change from some of my “regular” chicken recipes. My family ate every bite. 🙂

  15. One of my favourites ! My I refuse to eat meat little boy asked for seconds and I was blown away by that fact alone. 
    Have made this 4 times and not one person complains when I make this (family of 5 so that’s rare) 

  16. Absolutely fantastic! The chicken was crispy and juicy with wonderful flavor – so quick and easy to make. I highly recommend this!

  17. Avatar photo
    Julie Pennetti

    Simply delish! Easy to make. Definitely a good meal prep recipe or weeknight dinner recipe. I made these in the air fryer- they were so good.  As other people said in other reviews- I would omit the salt in the dry mixture because it was very salty and I don’t think the salt is necessary!

  18. Fantastic flavor. I used 10 large chicken tenders and needed to almost triple the liquid and double the dry mix (+ a little extra panko) to coat everything. I cooked in the Airfryer for ~10 mins each and they came out perfectly. I served with broccoli and leftover potato pancakes. Husband loved, and he dipped in a little honey.

    If you’re sensitive to salt, I would definitely consider either reducing or eliminating the salt in the dry mixture. I thought it tasted yummy, but I think it would put someone off that doesn’t like salt.

    Great recipe. Definitely making again.

  19. Just made these tonight for dinner. Baked them in our oven. Very good!!! I really like them. Next time, though, I won’t add salt to the panko/sesame seed mixture. It was a little too salty with the soy sauce. I made a wild rice and steamed some asparagus to go with the chicken strips. Thank you for sharing your recipes. 🙂

  20. Avatar photo
    Renee T Brillante

    I’m on the Weight Watchers green plan and entered the nutritional information provided into the WW app. It calculated 4 points per serving. and you listed 6 points. I’m not sure which one is correct.

  21. Please clarify the air fryer cook time – there must be a typo and several people have asked without response. Thank you! Look forward to trying this tomorrow!

  22. Avatar photo
    Deirdre Kavanagh

    Made this tonight And it was amazing 
    Didn’t have sesame seeds so used everything blend
    So good. Thanks for the weekly inspiration 

  23. Thumbs up from the entire family!! I only had a little over 3 Tbsp of sesame seeds but it worked out just fine. Thank you for this wonderful family-friendly recipe Gina!

      1. Just made these tonight for dinner, so easy and very yummy! Definitely will make them again! Thanks Gina, really enjoying your recipes!

  24. Pingback: Week 05 | meals |

  25. What is 18 oz of chicken? 4….6…..7? I know each tenderloin can be different weight but I just want a guess estimate number.. Thank you so much

    About the Sesame Seeds.. They are good for you. I would not worry about the calories they are more beneficial for you to eat them. There is this article about them if you want to read up on them
    http://naturalsociety.com/12-health-benefits-of-sesame-seeds-sesame-oil/

  26. I have made these before and loved them. I want to make them for a get together I'm having, but it's on a work night and I won't have time to assemble them day of. Has anyone ever assembled these in advance (dip and coat), refrigerated them, and cooked them the next night? How did they come out?

  27. Avatar photo
    Diane Cooper

    I love the taste of sesame and these sound super easy to make – I will be making them soon! Thanks!

  28. Avatar photo
    PrincessPeach

    This chicken is amazing!! i had it by a friends house and i insisted on getting this delicious recipe!! its absolutely phenomenal, all though her baking skills may have played a part;)

  29. Thank you! My chicken is usually dry and bland. These were so yummy and easy to make! Love them!

  30. very good! I've made about 25 recipes on here and this is the first one my "garbage can" 18 month old wouldn't eat. My picky 5 year old gagged at the texture. The adults of the house loved it 🙂

  31. Just made these and they were SO GOOD! I am obsessed with sesame oil/seeds so this hit the spot. My husband loved it too! Thank you!

  32. This recipe was DELICIOUS!! My husband complimented me on it, and he rarely ever does that. I used chicken breasts, I just cut each of them into three strips. As a side, I did a mixture of whole wheat couscous, stir fry veggies, soy sauce/sesame oil. Fabulous!

  33. Avatar photo
    Stacey Shulman

    Just tried this recipe last night. Thank you so much for this one! Such a quick and easy recipe for a busy weeknight. I made double the recipe so I will be using this chicken in all of my salads for the next few days. This is a perfect twist on the unhealthy sesame chicken that you find at Chinese take-out restaurants!

  34. I've been looking at your recipes for a couple weeks now and tonight was the night to finally try one! I made this recipe along with roasted squash – SO GOOD! My fiance had a clean plate …planning on trying the pulled pork recipe later this week – fantastic – thank you!

  35. Uhm. I don't know what kind of magic toasted sesame seeds you have… burning always do my own calculations on my food just inbcase say I'm using a different kind of butter or something and we're using half the chicken and 1/4th is coming out to be 276 callories.

    1. The reason we used half the chickenis because we ran out of both the oil and the sesame seed/breading mix even using larger tenderloins with less surface area.

  36. These were absolutely fabulous and a big hit with my family. Even the 7 and 3 year old! I added a little ground flax seed to the sesame seed and Panko mixture for a little added nutrition and it tasted so good. I served with the baked rice and peas, another great dish on Skinny Taste, and, though not Asian flavored, was a nice side dish with the chicken. This will definitely stay in my dinner rotation! We pretty much only eat Skinny Taste recipes these days…

  37. Avatar photo
    daniellecolberg

    I was just recently turned onto this site Gina, and this was the first recipe i decided to make… not only was it EASY, it was DELCICOUS!

    as someone who's never prepared anything for herself without using a microwave, i feel a healthy and much needed change coming into my life. thanks for being a part of that!

    it's always a pleasure to see someone be some passionate about what they do! can't wait to try the rest of your recipes!

  38. In the oven right now! I used sunflower oil instead of EVOO and ended up with 5 servings at 6 pp. I can't wait to try them!

  39. I've made these a couple times now and they are soooo good! Crispy and flavorful. All of my recipes come straight from skinny taste now! I love having the zip list app on my iPhone, so I can have all my recipes on hand at the supermarket.

  40. These were fabulous! I did have to double the oil and soy sauce because there just wasn't enough to coat the chicken. (Maybe I put too much on?) I wisked the oil and soy sauce together so maybe that was the problem? And my 5 year old son even liked them – shock of shocks! (he doesn't like anything lately)

  41. Avatar photo
    David, Rachel, Drews and Kate

    This looks delish!! Quick question…I do not have sesame oil…can I substitute w/ something else?

  42. Wow! This recipe was fantastic – so quick and easy and the chicken was so moist and tender.

    If I weren't doing WW I would have devoured all of the pieces beyond my two.

    Keep the great recipes coming!

  43. Made this tonight. The sesame seeds and Panko only coated 6 tenderloins and thats 9 oz of chicken but other than than OMG this was soooooo good!! It was the first mean I made in a week that had NO left overs. The family devoured it!

  44. About how many chicken tenderloins do you use?? 18oz is 13 tenderloins for the ones I buy! Thats 2.88 chicken strips per person if this make 4.5 servings. Is that right?? That's a whole lotta chicken 🙂

  45. I am NOT a cook but I found this so easy and SO delicious! Thank you for making me look good! 🙂 Everyone gobbled these up. I served it with some vegetable fried rice and sauteed veggies.

  46. this recipe is so easy and yet so delicious. I love sesame oil and sesame seeds, so needless to say this is becoming my favorite recipe. I had to use whole wheat breadcrumbs since my panko was expired. And since I'm watching my sodium intake, I used Bragg's aminos instead of soy sauce and eliminated the salt from the sesame/breadcrumbs mixture. It came out salty enough for my taste. So yummy!

  47. These were great. I cut the amount of sesame seeds in half though because I didn't have 6 tbsp on hand, and I thought the amount was perfect. For those inquiring about cheaper sesame seeds, go on amazon.com, you can get them for MUCH cheaper than the tiny McCormick bottle in the store. You'll have to buy a good amount though. I store mine in the freezer so they will keep (they can go rancid in the heat).

  48. Had a big dinner party last night and mAde these using fresh salmon instead of chicken. Shorter baking time. Every person at my table has emailed me asking for the recipe.

    I don't think I have cooked a dinner in weeks that did not come straight from Skinny Taste! Thanks so much.

  49. Made these tonight…wow! They are awesome and so easy and inexpensive to make. Gonna make the leftovers on a salad for lunch.

  50. My tummy is growling reading this recipe and the comments. I make a monthly menu, and this is most definitely going on it. I can't wait.
    Gina – Your site rocks!

  51. Yummo!!! Made it tonight and it was delicious!!! I found it a little salty so I might just cut down on the added salt the next time I make it. I will DEF make it again!!!

  52. This recipe was so easy to make and absolutley delicous, my husband ate 6 pieces! I paired this with green beans as a side and i used a sweet chili sauce to dip the chicken in. Yummy 🙂

  53. Avatar photo
    hedgehoghomeschool

    I swapped out about a tablespoon of regular toasted sesame for black sesame seeds that I happened to have in the house. I also threw some garlic powder into the breadcrumbs for my son who thinks garlic should be in everything. So tasty. Hubby and the kids loved it. We'll definitely be adding this recipe to the rotation. 🙂

  54. I found they sell Seasame Seeds in packets in the spice and/or ethnic aisle for about $0.79 a bag and it's just enough for the recipe (well I only used 1 lb of chicken and it worked for me) — way cheaper then the kind in the jar.

    I always refill my jar with the bagged kind.

    Loved the recipe! However I did need to add some soy sauce to the finished product for a little bit more flavor.

  55. Gina, we love these so much! I do have a (maybe dumb) question though… Is there a less expensive (maybe bulk?) way to buy sesame seeds? I buy the McCormick Toasted Sesame Seeds, but they are like $4 a bottle, and this recipe easily uses the full bottle. Just curious!

  56. I made these last night with rice and broccoli on the side and they were a hit with the whole family!

  57. I have done this with Salmon… Fab, Fab Fabulous. My friends are begging me to make this.
    Thanks Gina

  58. We had these last night. Mmmm!!! We have another new favorite from your website that will be put into regular rotation! 🙂 I did have to tweak the recipe a little because only had half of the sesame seeds I needed. I just used more Panko to make sure the tenders got coated. I served the tenders with white rice cooked in chicken bouillon & some sauteed French cut green beans, both drizzled with a little soy sauce. We dipped the chicken in Thai Peanut Sauce from The Pampered Chef. Sooo good!

  59. Just made these for the second time (as the third meal from your site in the past week). They are AWESOME. Thank you so much Gina, you have been a huge help in allowing me to prepare meals that are good for my waistline that my husband still loves, as well as in broadening my cooking horizons!

  60. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I bought them toasted but you can put them in a small pan over medium heat a few minutes to toast.

  61. Avatar photo
    Coppertone Buddha

    Hate to sound stupid, but do you toast the sesame seeds or do you buy them thst way? Excited to make this!!!

  62. Awesome dish- different but so easy and tasty! I served this with quinoa fried rice 🙂 I just wish I could find sesame seeds in a bigger container so they are less expensive :-/

    Thank you so much for sharing recipes (and gorgeous photos)!

  63. I made these last night for dinner! Easy to make, easy clean up and they tasted great! I julienned then stir fried some veggies for as a side.

  64. This was so easy and so yummy! My two year old seemed to enjoy, as well. Also, I tried the soy sauce, lime juice, and a little sugar as a dip. It was really good with the chicken and the jasmine rice with scallions that I made as a side. Thanks so much!

  65. I made this last night and it was really good and easy. My kids ate it even though they weren't sure about the sesame seeds (picky kids). I served it with brown rice and soy sauce. I had some steamed sugar snap peas and carrots too. We had leftovers so I took two tenders and added it my salad. I used the Kraft Light Done Right Asian Sesame Salad dressing and it went perfect. Thanks!

  66. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I usually mix some soy sauce with a little sugar and lime juice, but you can use the one from my Asian turkey meatballs.

  67. My husband just made these for dinner last week, and they were fantastic!! Thanks for yet another wonderful recipe!

  68. Gina,

    Do you happen to have a recipe for an Asian dipping sauce? I thought that might be tasty with the chicken tenders and perhaps drizzled on the rice as well.

    Thank you for all your wonderful, healthy recipes!

    RK

  69. I made this for dinner tonight and it was great. Easy, healthy & delicious. Thank you Gina for sharing your amazing recipes!

  70. I made these last night for dinner, and they were perfection!! I do a lot of chicken breast recipes and really enjoy the chicken nugget recipe you have on this site as well, Gina. But this one is my new favorite! So easy to whip up! I made this with roasted squash and zucchini that I drizzled in a little olive oil, pepper and lemon juice (so not quite keeping with the Asian theme). But it was a big hit with me and my husband! I will be making this again.

  71. Ok people…this is a hit. I made these yummy little guys and served them over an asian slaw that is light and delicious. It was seriously so good. I would definitely serve this to friends or when entertaining. In fact, it was so good I will post the recipe for the slaw below…

    – 1 bag Trader Joes Shredded Cabbage
    – 1/4 bag Trader Joes Shredded Carrots
    – 5 green scallions (white part included)
    – 1/2 red bell pepper
    – 1/2 cup Trader Joes Sesame Sticks (if counting points these could definitely be left out, but they add great texture)
    – Trader Joes Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette (dress to taste)

    Enjoy!

  72. This was one of the easiest dinners I've ever made – and I even toasted the sesame seeds instead of just buying toasted ones. Literally: mix, dip, bake. So delicious too! I'm thinking maybe next time I will add garlic though, as another person suggested. Thank you Gina!

  73. Made this without breadcrumbs, and still very very delicious! I actually LOVED it with ketchup. Great flavors. My 23 month old gobbled it up!!

  74. I made this recipe over the weekend for a casual lunch… So delicious! Great sesame flavor and we loved the panko crunch! Great job Gina!

  75. Hello there, first time here and I am loving your healthy recipes. I am on South beach diet and have been exploring different ingredients to play with. Glad that I stumbled upon your space.

  76. Made this the other night and it is FANTASTIC! Highly recommend, thanks so much for posting it. 🙂

  77. I made this last night for my family, I also made your Lime Sesame Dipping sauce with it..it was DELISH!!! My family is made of picky eaters and they all gobbled it up 🙂

    Love your recipes, thanks for all the hard work you put in to each and every one!

  78. These look crunchy and so good! My son loves making homemade "chicken nuggets" with me. This would be a great one for us to try!

  79. Ohh This looks soo yummy!! Thanks for posting this. I am about to print it out for dinner tonight! 🙂 Love all your recipes!

  80. Avatar photo
    Healthy Mamma

    I Do, I Do love sesame! Great idea. Thanks. Can't wait to make. totally bookmarked this one.

  81. Avatar photo
    The Gutsy Mom

    Gina — we made this for dinner tonight, and it was so awesome! Delicious and easy, as I happened to have everything on hand. Thank you for teaching us how to make delicious food, healthfully, and with real ingredients. I served it with rice, pan-seared zucchini, and sliced fresh tomatoes. Perfect summer dinner!

  82. We made this for dinner tonight, and it was great!! So quick, easy, healthy, and CHEAP!!! Thanks again for another great recipe!

  83. dana is right….you are better than hungry girl! your recipes are much more practical for a family…and everything i have tried thus far is delish! thank you!!

  84. Mmmmm, sesame! Do you think this would work with salmon? I've got a fillet thawing in the fridge for dinner tonight…

  85. I assume the rice is not included in the points?

    p.s. – Thanks for ALL the great recipes, they truly are innovative

  86. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Thanks Dana! I LOVE sesame!!! I've had this on my mind for a while and it worked out great!

  87. It's like you knew I was recipe searching for something like this…can't wait to make for dinner tonight!

  88. Gina I love it!!! This recipe is great! I love sesame and chicken tenders and I would have never thought of this! So different and creative and deliciousSssS! I cannot wait to make this! thank you Gina you're the best! You really need your own cookbook or even better your own TV show! You are wayyyyyyy better than hungry girl and she has her own show! thanks again for all the great recipes =)