Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Cheese Nips Crusted Chicken Tenders
Cheese cracker crumbs give these chicken tenders a savory crunch, with sour cream keeping the coating rich. The golden edges are especially tempting where the butter meets the crumbs, making a simple piece of chicken feel a little more playful.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 4 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Crush without powdering
Crush the crackers with a rolling pin or briefly in a food processor, taking care not to overprocess.
2. Coat both sides
Cover both sides of each tender with sour cream before pressing it into the cheese cracker crumbs.
3. Drizzle before baking
Place the coated chicken on the baking dish or tray, then drizzle melted butter over the tenders.
Get to know the ingredients
Crackers
Cheese Nips or Cheez Its are listed for the crust; crush them before you begin coating the chicken.
Sour cream
Use sour cream to coat the chicken evenly so the crushed cheese crackers cling to both sides.
Butter
Melt the butter before drizzling it over the crumb coated chicken just before it goes into the oven.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 1 steps completeMake room for Cheese Nips Crusted Chicken Tenders
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Look for golden crumbs
Bake the coated tenders at 375 degrees until the cracker crust has turned golden in color.
A little more help as you go
Crush in a bag
A sealed zip top bag and rolling pin give you a way to crush the crackers without a processor.
Keep coating in order
Dip in sour cream first, then add the crumbs, keeping the cracker crust on the outside of each tender.
A few questions you might have
Can I use Cheez Its?
Yes. Cheese Nips and Cheez Its are both listed as options for the crushed cracker coating.
Do I need eggs for the breading?
The listed coating uses sour cream followed by cracker crumbs, with melted butter drizzled over before baking.
Can I crush crackers without a food processor?
Put them in a zip top bag and roll over it with a rolling pin until crushed.
How long do the tenders bake?
The directions give twenty five to thirty minutes at 375 degrees, until the crumb coating is golden.
When does the butter go on?
Drizzle the melted butter over the coated tenders once they are arranged in the baking dish or tray.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: gimmedelicious.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
