CHICK FIL A INSPIRED BAKED CHICKEN TENDERS😍

The day I nailed the Chick Fil A copycat sauce was one of the proudest days I’ve had since starting Rockin Meals. Now I use it for EVERYTHING. Literally just need a vehicle to make it socially acceptable for me to drink the sauce, which takes form in these Gluten Free Chicken Tenders😍 The sauce does double duty as a dipping sauce and a marinade, and the pretzels ensure the chicken gets crispy in the oven. They are straight perfection, you’re gonna want to add these to your meal prep rotation ASAP.

I made a Healthified Chick Fil A Nuggets recipe that inspired this dish. They are INCREDIBLE, highly recommend checking them out here.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

For the Crispy Chicken Tenders:

• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1½” thick tenders

• 4 oz gluten free or regular pretzels

• ½ cup pickle juice

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• Avocado or olive oil spray

• Salt to taste

For the Chick Fil A Inspired Marinade and Dipping Sauce:

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• ¼ cup barbecue sauce

• 3 tbsps yellow mustard

• ¼ cup honey

• Small pinch of salt

Directions:

For the Gluten-Free Chick Fil A Crispy Chicken Tenders:

• Add chicken tenders and pickle juice to a ziploc and seal tightly. Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight (at least 30 minutes if you are pressed for time).

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

• In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, mustard, and honey. Taste and adjust for salt.

• Reserve half for the dipping sauce and cover and refrigerate until serving.

• Pour the pickle juice out of the ziploc and add the remaining Chick Fil A sauce to the ziploc. Mix well to coat.

• Blend the pretzels for 30 seconds to a minute until you get a mixture that resembles coarse sand. Some larger crumbs are good for texture. If you don’t have a blender, you can also add these to a ziploc and crush them with a heavy pan.

• In a shallow bowl, add the pretzel crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt and stir to combine.

• Remove each individual chicken tender from the ziploc, shaking off any excess, and add to the pretzel crumbs. Coat in the crumbs, pressing gently into the chicken to ensure the coating sticks.

• Transfer to a wire rack lined baking sheet (like the one I have here) and continue until all tenders are coated.

• Spray with avocado or olive oil spray.

• Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crisp on the outside and cooked through.

• Sprinkle the chicken with a pinch of salt and serve with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

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