Chicken Strips

Easy oven baked chicken strips, so crunchy and flavorful you’d swear they were fried in a pan! A simple yet tasty way to get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

These chicken strips are one of our favorite kid-friendly dinner recipes. The kiddos also love Popcorn Chicken (also baked in the oven!) and Cornflake Chicken Tenders, so be sure to try them all!

Chicken Strips on a platter with a side of bbq sauce

Perfect Oven Baked Chicken Strips

My kids love CHICKEN! We have it for dinner quite often because of that, and one dinner they will never pass down is Chicken Strips!

In fact, we are all fans, so we were happy to make some chicken strips that were crispy, delicious and a little more healthy. There’s no need to break out the oil and the fryer, an oven is all you need!

I’ve made a few different “oven fried” chicken recipes in the past but they were always bland and kind of disappointing. These however, are the complete opposite! So incredibly flavorful, crispy and finger lickin’ good. What makes these chicken strips so good? Let me tell you…

Chicken, egg mixture, and breading for chicken strip recipe

Why These are the Best

Egg mixture: It all starts with the egg mixture. 2 eggs, a little hot sauce, some Worcestershire sauce and buttermilk. 

Breading: The breading has a little bit of cornstarch in it, which helps make the chicken strips crispy. It also has a handful of seasonings that add a TON of flavor. Don’t skimp on the measurements, you want to make sure the mixture is well seasoned, trust me!

Coating: The technique we use to coat the chicken in the egg mixture and breading ensures that the strips will come out with flaked and crispy little bits. 

Cooking: Putting the chicken on a wire rack to cook makes it so the chicken strips don’t stick to the pan, and they bake nice and evenly. This also means you don’t need to flip the chicken halfway through.

How to make chicken strips - coating chicken in a ziploc bag

How to Make Chicken Strips

EGG MIXTURE. Whisk together all of the ingredients to make that flavorful egg base.

CHICKEN. Cut up the chicken breasts (I did three large ones) into strips and then let them soak in the wet ingredients while you prepare the dry ingredients.

BREADING. I found it to be less messy and really easy to use a ziploc bag for the breading. In the bag add the flour and seasonings.  Close the bag and shake everything until combined. Then pour in a few tablespoons of buttermilk, close and shake again. This creates those tasty little flakes or crunch bits.

COAT. Now toss your chicken into the bag, close and shake until breaded. You may have to do two batches, that’s ok. Put the chicken back into the egg mixture and then repeat. This double coating makes the chicken tender and breads them to perfection!

BAKE. Place the chicken strips onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or foil the sheet and place a wire rack over top) and lightly spray with baking spray. I prefer using the wire rack method and using PAM Olive Oil spray to prevent the chicken from sticking.

Drizzle a few tablespoons of melted butter over top and place in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes or until the strips become nice and golden brown.

Note: If you find that you have dry spots on your chicken simply spray them with a little oil and return them to the oven to finish baking.

Breaded chicken on a wire rack ready to be baked in the oven

Serving and Storing

Dipping Ideas: There are so many options, but here are some we like:

  • BBQ sauce
  • Honey Mustard
  • Ranch
  • Chipotle Ranch
  • Buffalo Sauce
  • Fry Sauce

Serve your chicken strips with any kid friendly sides. Some of our favorites are: 

Keep leftover chicken strips STORED in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. If you want to keep the breading crispy when you REHEAT them, you should warm it in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until it’s warmed through. If you’re worried about it browning too much, you can always place a tent of foil over it.

Oven baked chicken strips on a serving platter with bbq sauce

I hope you’ll love this recipe as much as our family did- it really is a great (and slightly healthier) alternative to anything that comes from a drive-through! We can’t wait to make it again!!!

For more kid-friendly dishes, check out:

Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

Chicken Strips Recipe

Easy oven baked chicken strips, so crunchy and flavorful you'd swear they were fried in a pan! A simple yet tasty way to get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
5 from 1 vote
Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 strips
Calories: 192kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast - cut into strips
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire
  • 2 tbsp buttermilk
  • 2 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp seasoned salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp buttermilk
  • 3 tbsp butter - melted

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil, then place a wire rack over top. Spray rack with non-stick baking spray, set aside.
  • In a rectangular dish with sides, whisk together the eggs, hot sauce, worcestershire and buttermilk, set aside.
  • In a large ziploc bag, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, seasoned salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Add the 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and shake well to create crumbs.
  • Dip each chicken strip into flour mixture, then into the egg wash (making sure to coat both sides) then place back into the bag, close and shake until coated again. Place on the prepared wire rack, allow to sit for 5 minutes, drizzle the melted butter over the tops.*
  • Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until browned and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove and serve immediately.

NOTES

-Typically this recipe makes about 9-12 strips, but it all depends on how thick or thin you like your strips.
-You can also line the baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray it with cooking spray instead of using the wire rack method.
*If you notice you have dry spots while it's baking, you can always remove it and spray some cooking spray over top. I use PAM Olive Oil spray, which I feel give the chicken an extra crispy exterior, but it's totally up to you.

Nutrition

Serving: 12serving | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1312mg | Potassium: 272mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 365IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

  1. This was not good-lacked in flavor big time. I DIDN’T ADD the butter coating because I was rushing and kind of didn’t want to add butter to chicken(?)….but of course the coating stayed flour-ry and never crisped. As hard as I worked on prep and dipping, etc my 7 and 1 year olds took the breading off and did NOT ask for seconds. Needs more flavor…if I try again, will add melted butter. -mk

  2. I’m not sure where I went wrong but mine would not get crispy they browned but the coating stayed soggy.