Healthier than deep-fried with delicious sourdough flavor, these juicy crispy Baked Sourdough Discard Chicken Tenders are sure to become a family favorite.
Toasting the bread crumbs, dry brining the chicken, and baking at a high temperature are the secrets to a crispy crust and tender juicy meat in this easy recipe.
If you prefer fried chicken strips I also have a recipe for Fried Sourdough Chicken Strips.
There are so many ways to use up an excess of sourdough discard. Try one of these recipes: Sourdough Discard Crackers, Sourdough Tortillas, Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies, Sourdough Pita Bread, Sourdough Cheese Scones, and Sourdough Oatmeal Pancakes.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- These Baked Sourdough Discard Chicken Tenders are a great way to use up extra sourdough discard.
- These crispy chicken strips taste amazing. Your whole family is sure to ask for seconds.
- They are quick to make. Most of the time listed in the recipe is for the chicken to brine in the refrigerator.
Recipe Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make these juicy Baked Sourdough Discard Chicken Tenders.
Skinless Chicken Breasts or Chicken Tenderloins: If using chicken breasts you will need to first cut them into 1-inch thick strips.
Tip: For tender juicy chicken, it is important to cut chicken strips across the grain. This makes the chicken fibers shorter so that the chicken tears easier and seems more tender.
Tip: Freeze the chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes to make slicing easier.
Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.
Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are crunchier than regular breadcrumbs.
Parmesan Cheese: Mixing parmesan cheese into the bread crumbs after they have been toasted gives them extra cheesy flavor. For the best flavor use freshly grated parmesan not the stuff found in the green can.
Sourdough Discard: The sourdough discard coats the chicken strips helping the breadcrumbs to stick.
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a hint of sweetness and aids in browning.
Dried Herbs and Spices: Dried parsley, sage, thyme, garlic powder, and smoked paprika add extra flavor to these chicken strips.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Are you new to sourdough? I have plenty of information to help you on your sourdough journey.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
Sprinkle the chicken evenly on both sides with about 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt.
Place the chicken on a wire rack placed inside of a large baking sheet and refrigerate the chicken uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 20 minutes before baking. This will allow the chicken to come to room temperature. The room-temperature chicken will cook more evenly.
Step 2: Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Step 3: Add breadcrumbs and cook for 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs turn a light golden brown color.
Step 4: Transfer the bread crumbs to a shallow bowl, like a pie plate, and stir in the parmesan cheese.
Heat oven to 425°F (220°C).
Place a wire rack on a half-sheet pan.
Step 5: Whisk together the sourdough discard, brown sugar, kosher salt, parsley, sage, thyme, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper in a second shallow dish. I like to use a pie plate.
Dip chicken strips into the sourdough batter.
Tip: Placing the breaded chicken tenders on a cooling rack to bake, allows the air to circulate evenly around the chicken, allowing the breading to get crispy on all sides without flipping.
Step 6: Transfer chicken to the breadcrumb mixture and toss to coat. Pressing down lightly to help the breadcrumbs adhere.
Step 7: Place the coated tenders on the wire rack and spray lightly with oil. Flip and spray the second side with oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the internal temperature is 165°F (74°C).
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Some of my favorites are honey mustard, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing,
Serving Suggestions
I like cutting the chicken strips into bite-sized pieces and serving them on top of this Kale Apple Salad. They can also be served plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.
Sauce Ideas:
- Honey Mustard
- Apricot BBQ Sauce
- Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Marinara Sauce or Pizza Sauce
- Ketchup
- Aioli
- Ranch
- Spinach Pesto
- Chimichurri
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
Need some side dish suggestions? Try this Cacio e Pepe Hash Brown Casserole, these Crispy Twice-Baked Potato Cups, Baked Provel Macaroni and Cheese, Asiago Creamed Spinach, or this Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad.
Storage, Reheating, and Freezing
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
To Reheat: Place the chicken tenders in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 15-20 minutes.
To Freeze: Cool the cooked chicken tenders to room temperature and then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer to a zip-top bag, label with the date and contents, and store for up to three months.
To reheat frozen chicken strips: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and bake on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.
Read this post How to Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders for more information.
Recipe FAQs
Dry brining also known as salting is a great way to ensure moist meat with a little extra flavor without the extra mess associated with wet brining. Dry brining seasons the meat and changes the structure of the proteins to allow them to retain more of their moisture.
When chicken is dry brined the salt draws the juices inside the meat to the surface. The juices dissolve the salt and are then pulled, along with the dissolved salt, back into the meat seasoning the chicken throughout.
Once absorbed the salt breaks down or denatures the tough muscle proteins, like myosin, which allows the chicken to retain more moisture as it cooks.
The batter sticks best when the exterior of the chicken is really dry. This is why we first pat the chicken dry with paper towels and refrigerate it uncovered for several hours. The dry air inside the refrigerator will help dry the exterior of the chicken.
The most accurate way to ensure the chicken is fully cooked is to check it with an instant-read probe thermometer. This one from Thermoworks is my favorite. Fully cooked chicken should have an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
Expert Tips
- Toasting the breadcrumbs before coating the chicken ensures a crispy coating.
- Spraying the chicken with cooking spray helps to brown and crisp the chicken.
- There is no need to flip the chicken strips while they bake. Placing the breaded chicken tenders on a wire rack to bake, allows the air to circulate evenly around the chicken, allowing the breading to get crispy on all sides without flipping.
- If some of the chicken strips are smaller you may want to check them and remove them from the oven early.
More Sourdough Recipes
Thanks for Reading!
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📖 Recipe
Baked Sourdough Discard Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- sheet pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pat the 2 pounds chicken tenderloins dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle the chicken evenly on both sides with 1½ teaspoons kosher salt.
- Place the chicken on a cooling rack placed inside a sheet pan and refrigerate the chicken uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 20 minutes before frying.
- Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 cups panko bread crumbs and cook for 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs turn a light golden brown color.
- Transfer to a shallow bowl like a pie plate and stir in the ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese.
- Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
- Whisk together the 1 cup sourdough starter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon sage, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper in a shallow dish. I like to use a pie plate.
- Dip the chicken into the batter.
- Transfer chicken to the breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Pressing down lightly to help the breadcrumbs adhere.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Place chicken on the baking sheet and spray lightly with oil. Flip and spray the second side with oil. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until the internal temperature is 165°F (74°C).
Jennifer Littke says
Just a comment, since this recipe is using sourdough discard, that might otherwise be discarded, why not use homemade sourdough breadcrumbs instead of panko breadcrumbs? It seems like using homemade sourdough breadcrumbs would add even more sourdough flavor to the chicken, and use up sourdough bread that might otherwise be discarded.
Erica Schramek says
That is definitely an option.
Teresa Smith says
Hi there! Just discovered your website, as I'm working on my sourdough starter and wish to do things with the discard. So thanks for your good ideas! My question: This Baked Chicken Strips using the Sourdough discard... you state in your notes prior to the recipe below it, to sprinkle with "1 1/2 TABLESPOONS OF SALT" for the dry brine. Then in the recipe it reads "1.5 TEASPOONS". So, since it's a brine, I would guess it's tablespoons, but you tell me which is accurate! Thanks in advance! Teresa
Erica says
I believe it should be 1.5 teaspoons. I have updated the recipe. Just to check did you see my note about kosher salt brands? The two main brands of kosher salt measure differently because the granules of salt are different sizes. If you are using Morton Kosher Salt you will want to use 1.5 teaspoons. If you are using Diamond Kosher Salt the granules are larger so you will want to double the amount of salt and use 3 teaspoons.