Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders

A few weeks ago, my husbands schedule changed and his work days got longer.  As a result, he came home hungry and ready to eat... something.  Though his days are longer, he still gets home before me, so I started thinking of ideas that would be easy for him to make quickly.  I decided to try making chicken tenders from my crispy baked chicken recipe, but changing it up and making them spicy. 

My husband loved the idea, and has been making his own little snack wraps (chicken tenders in a tortilla with lettuce and cheese) every week after work.  It's taken me a few weeks to perfect the combination of ingredients, and maintain the level of spicy flavor after baking, but I think I finally got it right.


Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders
Yield: 
 Note: lately, I've been out of flax seed and breadcrumbs, so I made the substitutions below.  It's fun to experiment with different combinations!

3-4 chicken breasts, sliced into tenders
2 egg whites (I sometimes go with 1/4 cup egg whites from a carton)
1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs, or oat bran
1/4 cup ground flax seed, or cornmeal
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (recipe follows)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Combine egg whites, hot sauce, and cornstarch in a shallow dish or bowl.  Whisk to combine thoroughly.   Combine wheat germ, breadcrumbs/oat bran, flax seed/cornmeal and seasonings in a shallow dish.  Dip chicken in egg white mixture, then in breading mixture. Shake off excess breading and place on a baking sheet fitted with a rack (to keep chicken elevated when cooking).  Lining the baking sheet with foil is optional for easy cleanup.  Bake chicken at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Taco Seasoning
From: Allrecipes

~ 1 tablespoon chili powder
~ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
~ 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
~ 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
~ 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
~ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
~ 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (we use coriander)
~ 1 teaspoon sea salt
~ 1 teaspoon black pepper