We don’t always have the time to make a chicken dinner from scratch, so it’s always useful to have some oven-ready chicken in the freezer. Oven-ready chicken comes in a variety of shapes and sizes including schnitzels, nuggets and fingers, but, in my situation, I prefer chicken tenders as they are best suited to my requirements.
The easiest way to serve oven-ready chicken is simply oven baked with a side dish, but that can be a little boring, so I’ve found six interesting and tasty ways to dress up a simple chicken tender. They can, of course, be adapted for all oven-ready chicken varieties, or can be made with cooked (or rotisserie) chicken. For more see:
» 6 Ways with Rotisserie Chicken
As well as the recipes hereunder, you’ll find a range of side dishes to serve with chicken tenders in the following entries:
» Quick Vegetable Side Dishes from the Pantry: Little Salads
» Quick Vegetable Side Dishes from the Pantry: In the Oven
Recipes:
Warm Chicken and Lettuce Salad
Crispy Chicken Wrap
- 1 frozen chicken tender
- 3 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup coleslaw mix, torn lettuce or spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
- Parsley and garlic granules
- 1 cheese slice or 2 tbsp. shredded mozzarella (optional)
- 1 small round pita bread or a half pita pocket (or 1 large lettuce leaf)
- Oven bake chicken tender as per instructions (approx. 20 minutes)
- Whisk parsley and garlic into mayonnaise
- Arrange remaining ingredients on (or in) pita bread (or lettuce leaf)
- Drizzle with mayonnaise and wrap snuggly
Warm Chicken and Lettuce Salad
- 1 frozen chicken tender
- 1 cup cos or iceberg lettuce leaves, torn
- 3–4 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ Lebanese cucumber (or ¼ Granny Smith apple)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- Garlic granules and parsley
- Oven bake chicken tender as per instructions (approx. 20 minutes)
- Peel (optional) and slice cucumber or apple
- Place lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl
- Stir lemon juice and spices into olive oil
- Pour over vegetables and toss
- Cut cooked chicken tender into three or four pieces and arrange over vegetables
Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad
- 1 frozen chicken tender
- 1½ cups cos or iceberg lettuce leaves, torn
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- Mild curry powder and garlic granules
- Oven bake chicken tender as per instructions (approx. 20 minutes)
- Whisk the lemon juice and soy sauce into the mayonnaise with a pinch of curry powder and garlic granules
- Whisk in the shredded Parmesan cheese
- Place the torn lettuce in a 1 litre bowl, and toss with half of the dressing
- Cut up cooked chicken tender and arrange over lettuce
- Drizzle on remaining dressing and toss lightly
Crispy Chicken Coleslaw
- 1 frozen chicken tender
- 1 cup coleslaw mix
- ¼ Granny Smith apple
- ¼ cup red capsicum (or red onion) (optional)
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- Pepper, parsley and chives
- Oven bake chicken tender as per instructions (approx. 20 minutes)
- Whisk lemon juice into mayonnaise and add herbs and spices
- Cut up any large pieces in the coleslaw mix
- Peel (optional) and finely slice the apple
- Chop the capsicum finely (optional)
- Toss all the above together in a 1 litre bowl with half the mayonnaise dressing and mix well
- Cut up cooked chicken tender and arrange over coleslaw
- Drizzle on remaining dressing and toss lightly
Chicken Gado Gado Salad
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. lime or lemon juice
- Mild curry powder and coriander
- 1 frozen chicken tender
- ½ cup canned potatoes, sliced
- ½ Lebanese cucumber (or ¼ Granny Smith apple), sliced
- ¾ cup coleslaw mix, torn lettuce, or spinach leaves
- Oven bake chicken tender as per instructions (approx. 20 minutes)
- In the small cup of a bullet blender, blend together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, curry powder and coriander with 2 tbsp. water
- Arrange vegetables in a wide bowl
- Cut cooked chicken tender into three or four pieces and arrange over vegetables
- Drizzle peanut sauce over salad
Chicken Tender Parmigiana
- 2 frozen chicken tenders
- ¼ cup diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp. tomato paste
- Basil, paprika (or chilli) and dried onion
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- Place chicken tenders on an oven tray lined with baking paper
- Oven bake chicken tenders as per instructions (approx. 20 minutes)
- Place diced tomatoes in the small cup of a bullet blender with tomato paste and spices and process until smooth
- Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat
- Pour sauce over cooked chicken tenders and top with shredded cheese
- Grill for 5 minutes or microwave on high for 2 minutes