Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tenders
I love this time of year! When I was in school, late August always excited me because I simply couldn’t wait to go back to school. Fresh notebooks, new pencils, new clothes, a fresh start on a brand new school year. I loved it all, from grade school all the way through college. Not to mention the weather here in New England finally starts to calm itself just a bit. Days are still warm, but nights are crisp and you can tell that autumn, which is absolutely spectacular here, and the holidays are right around the corner! I could go on and on about the wonders of late summer and early fall, but I’ll spare you. Are you, by chance, wondering what I might be getting at here?
Weeknight dinners that the whole family will love. Sounds like a dream, right? With this recipe you can make it happen. When I fed these cold leftover chicken tenders to Mike hours after I pulled them out of the oven he wouldn’t settle down about how much he loved them. That, of course, made me feel about ten feet tall. He’s right, though. These are phenomenal AND they’re paleo as written. What a win!
I feel like I cheated just a bit because this recipe has quite a few paleo products off the shelf that make it so addicting. But that’s what makes it so easy and delicious, too, so bear with me! First up is the buffalo sauce, because these chicken tenders wouldn’t be what they are without it. I always use Frank’s RedHot Original because it’s squeaky clean, paleo, AND Whole30. So much flavor packed into one bottle. Bottle? Who am I kidding? I purchase this sauce by the GALLON from Costco, and no, I’m not lying. Next up is Ranch dressing from Primal Kitchen which is also Whole30 compliant. I always have at least one bottle of this dressing on hand. I like it okay for a salad dressing, but I use it more so in recipes like this because it really packs the flavor in a small amount. Just like Frank’s! Last but certainly not least is the “breading.” For this recipe I tried the Sea Salt Almond Flour Crackers from Simple Mills and I am so glad I did! These crackers are fantastic on their own and I snack on them constantly. I also eat these crackers when Mike eats his favorite crackers that contain gluten. Truth be told I haven’t tried too many products from Simple Mills, but these crackers have me sold on their brand!
It’s amazing that there are so many products on the shelves these days that offer “better for you” alternatives. Since I consider these three products pantry staples, I couldn’t wait to put them together into one delicious recipe. I already can’t wait to make this again.
Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a large sheet pan liberally with avocado oil. See note!
- In a shallow medium bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Whisk with a fork until combined.
- In a second shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 tbsp Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing, and 2 tbsp Frank's RedHot Original.
- Place the Simple Mills Sea Salt Almond Flour Cracker crumbs in a third shallow bowl.
- Dredge one chicken tender in the flour and spice mixture first, then the egg mixture second, and finally the cracker crumbs third. Place the chicken tender on the sheet pan. Repeat this step until all of the chicken tenders have been coated and placed on the sheet pan.
- Bake at 375° F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and very carefully flip each tender over. Return to the oven and bake for 9 more minutes. Turn the oven to broil and keep in the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven.
- Make the buffalo sauce: combine equal parts melted butter or ghee and hot sauce. Whisk vigorously with a fork until combined.
- Serve chicken tenders hot with buffalo sauce and Primal Kitchen Ranch on the side!
