These juicy, ultra-crispy buttermilk chicken tenders are baked in a seasoned cornflake coating for a super-quick and healthy twist on a favorite. Perfect for dipping and finger-licking or atop fluffy cornbread waffles with a sweet and savory orange dijon glaze.

Life update: I graduated college last weekend (WHAT IS HAPPENING). I got my B.S. in Neurobiological Sciences with a minor in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Florida, and I’ll be attending the UF College of Medicine for my M.D. beginning next fall. Wait, this fall. No, July 31, 2019. So basically like right now I start school again 🙈. I will be able to squeeze in some exciting travels first though, so stay tuned for a recap. (London, Prague, Galicia, and Portugal this year–aaaahhhhh literally TOMORROW. Plus a family trip to Oregon in July.)

Inspiration

Since finishing classes, I’ve been catching up on my television-watching. I’m not the best at it because I won’t stay still and pay attention for more than a few minutes at a time. Nevertheless, for my favorite shows, I can absorb enough to follow along while multi-tasking. One show I picked back up and ran with (straight through an entire season thanks to Hulu Plus) is Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. While the focus is certainly not on health food, and I can almost feel the earth warming with each unnaturally large heap of 5 different meats on a sandwich, the show definitely has some appealing qualities. The recipes are creative and authentic, and it is one of the few shows on Food Network I find to be overall genuine. Not to mention, it provides terrific support for small family-owned businesses and great recommendations for travel.

One of the main effects of watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is an urge to reconnect with my roots. I was raised in Alabama, so of course my muscles are made of fried chicken and my blood is essentially a mixture of gravy and barbecue sauce. It’d be an abomination not to make and share the home-cooked Southern comfort that I was raised on.

Actually, my mom never once made fried chicken in our home, nor biscuits and gravy, and I don’t have a mac n’ cheese recipe passed down from my grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother. But that just means that I won’t offend anyone by taking some creative license with the classics. Like {healthy} chicken and waffles!

Crispy Buttermilk Baked Chicken Tenders

It is CRAZY easy to make your own crispy chicken tenders. Just a simple buttermilk marinade then 8 minutes in the oven, and you get all the crunch and comfort of yummy fried chicken without the greasiness. What’s more, you get to play with fun spice blends and sauce pairings to create the ultimate flavor combos.

Here we’ve got:

Buttermilk marinade for juicy chicken and a hint of tang
CORN FLAKES for that perfect crunch (plus a little flour)
dried chives, parsley, and tarragon
dry mustard
smoked paprika
garlic powder and onion powder
sea salt
pepper of choice for your desired degree of kick
little brushing of olive oil while baking for flavor, shine, and crisp
sweet and spicy orange honey dijon sauce: orange juice, Dijon, honey, garlic, smoked paprika and pepper simmered down to a thick glaze

Another important trick to maximize crispiness is to bake the chicken on top of a wire rack. The air allows both sides to get crispy, and the sides cook evenly with no need for turning, yay!

Cheddar Chive Cornbread Waffles

There are limitless ways you can serve these chicken tenders, but I can’t think of anything much better than alongside a hearty, savory, cheesy whole grain cornbread waffle bursting with sweet juicy fresh corn. I’m so in infatuated with these waffles that I thought they deserved their own post. Cheddar chive cornbread waffle recipe.