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Rosemary and Walnut Crusted Chicken Strips

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These easy rosemary & walnut crusted chicken tenders are a great kid- friendly dinner. Tender and healthy baked chicken strips are served with a homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. A perfect dinner the whole family will love!
walnut crusted chicken fingers on plate with sides

These easy healthy baked chicken strips are a fantastic weeknight meal!

This easy rosemary and walnut chicken is a fantastic family friendly weeknight meal. Tender and healthy baked chicken strips are served with a homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. A perfect dinner the whole family will love!
plate with walnut crusted chicken fingers on it

Ready in 30 minutes, this walnut crusted chicken strip recipe is fantastically crunchy yet moist and tender – and definitely delicious!

The homemade honey mustard dressing is so simple, yet is the perfect addition to these strips!

walnut crusted chicken tenders on plate with salad and mashed potatoes, roll behind

How to make crispy baked chicken strips

There are three important tips you need to make crispy baked chicken strips:

  • High baking temperature. By baking these chicken strips at 425F they only need 12-15 minutes to bake, which keeps them moist and tender and also helps the outside be nice and crispy.
  • Toasting the panko. Toasting the panko before breading the chicken strips gives you a huge leg up on the crispy factor.
  • Using an oven safe rack. Placing the chicken strips on an oven safe rack to bake on allows the hot air to flow all the way around the chicken strips, which helps the breading to be nice and crispy – no flat/soggy bottoms here!
collage showing steps to make chicken - mixing milk and coating, and breading chicken

How to prep this meal ahead of time:

This meal is easy to prepare ahead of time, making it great no matter how much time you have for dinner. Use these easy steps to make your meal time that much easier:

  • The honey mustard dipping sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
  • The panko and walnut dredging mixture can be made and stored up to 2 days ahead of time in an air-tight container at room temperature.
  • The chicken tenders can marinade in the buttermilk mixture for up to 8 hours.
making homemade honey mustard sauce

How to serve walnut crusted chicken tenders

These walnut crusted chicken tenders are a family favorite for weeknight meals! Like regular chicken tenders that kids are used to, but with a slight “upgraded” twist. 

The toasted panko breadcrumbs make it extra crispy, and the toasted walnuts and fresh chopped rosemary really elevate the flavor here! Serve this with homemade honey mustard dipping sauce for a great new way to eat chicken nuggets!

Consider serving with dijon roasted potatoes, Instant Pot wild rice, or mashed potatoes and a simple veggie like garlic roasted zucchini for a family friendly weeknight meal.

two plates with walnut crusted chicken fingers with mashed potatoes, salad, and rolls. Bowl of honey mustard on the side

How to make walnut crusted chicken kid-friendly

Chicken Tenderer  are naturally very kid-friendly! Kids LOVE chicken tenders and nuggets, and the mild flavors here will go over really well. Plus, everyone loves to dip, right?

Family Dinner Conversations

Dinner time should be more than micromanaging each and every bite your kids take. Use this opportunity to 

  • Talk about the textures of the chicken tenders – are they crispy and crunchy? Are they more crunchy or less crunchy than the other  things on the plate?
  • Talk about the flavors of the chicken tenders – can they taste the rosemary and the walnuts? How does the taste change with the dipping sauce?
  • Ask questions about what their favorite part of the chicken tenders  are, what they would like to change next time, or how you could make it better?

 

plate with walnut crusted chicken fingers on it

Storage Information

Store leftover chicken strips in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To reheat, you can reheat in the microwave until warmed through, but the coating will not be as crispy. Reheating in a toaster oven or air fryer for a few minutes will re-crisp the coating nicely.

two plates of walnut crusted chicken tenders

Kids in the Kitchen: How Your Kids Can Help You Cook

Getting your kids in the kitchen is an amazing way to help them be more interested in trying new foods and confident in their own abilities. These Walnut Crusted Chicken Tenders with Rosemary are great because it helps kids learn to use a dredge things and they get to practice staring and mixing. This recipe is perfect for beginner cooks because it is so easy! And it is a great recipe for kids to experiment and become more comfortable with new flavors – which means they are more likely to eat it!

  • Kids aged 1-3 can help you measure and mix the ingredients for the dredging and the dipping sauce, as well as pick rosemary leaves off of stems.
  • Kids aged 4-6 can do everything above, plus help you grate the cheese, crack the egg.
  • Kids aged 7-10+ can help you do everything above plus help you dredge the chicken strips.

*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.

walnut crusted chicken dipped in honey mustard

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plate with walnut crusted chicken fingers on it

Rosemary and Walnut Chicken Strips

This easy rosemary and walnut chicken is a fantastic family friendly weeknight meal. Tender and healthy baked chicken strips are served with a homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. A perfect dinner the whole family will love!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: 30 Minute Meal
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 279kcal
Author: Jenni

Ingredients

Chicken Strips

  • ¼ cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 6-ounce chicken cutlets
  • cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs
  • cup finely chopped walnuts toasted
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • ¾ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Cooking spray

Honey Mustard:

  • 5 TBSP honey
  • 3 TBSP dijon mustard
  • 2 TBSP rice wine vinegar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.
  • Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat and set aside to marinate for a few minutes.
  • {wash your hands}
  • Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.
  • Combine panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish.
  • Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture (discard buttermilk mixture).
  • Dredge chicken in panko mixture, gently pressing to fully coat each chicken strip.
  • Arrange the chicken on the prepared rack.
  • Coat the tops of the chicken strips with cooking spray.
  • Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until chicken is done.

Honey Mustard Dressing:

  • In a small bowl, mix the honey, mustard, and rice wine vinegar.
  • Serve along side the chicken strips.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 832mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g

5 Comments

  1. That coating on the chicken would be amazing. I love this idea Thanks!

  2. It is amazing! I ate every single crumb on my plate! 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!!

  3. wilhelmina says:

    I love the grown-up flavors on this kid friendly staple! My family enjoyed it SO much!

  4. Rosemary is is one of my favorite herbs to use with chicken. It was excellent in this perfectly crispy chicken recipe!

  5. We love these! I think the panko gives them a lighter, crispier crunch. The walnuts and rosemary are delicious together.

5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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