This is actually part 2 of a package of chicken breasts that I was playing with during a bit of an early heatwave! “Only” 90º+ and nasty humid. It was awful!! The combination of the heat along with the air being literally wet, had me not wanting to make ANYthing for supper. But starve we mustn’t. So I cut up a 3 lb. package of boneless skinless chicken breasts into strips and divided them in half.  The first day I made barbeque-style using crushed potato chips, and for day two, I went with crackers and made these delicious White Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders with Horseradish! (There’s even a seriously good dipping sauce that you simply must make to go with!)

So, let’s get started. To beat the heat, I really needed something simple to make, and I’m sure you do to, or at least will soon. And these two recipes could not be easier. The first one was silly-easy only having 3 ingredients, and even though this recipe has a few more, they were just as much a breeze to make because I ran the White Cheddar Cheez It crackers through my mini chopper/processor, and I was done getting them into fine crumbs in literally minutes! I tossed in a little dried parsley for color, a little finely grated real parmesan cheese, and the breading was done! 😉 (*If you don’t have one, just dump them into a ziploc baggie, keeping the air out, and crush them with a rolling pin).

(*Tenders pictured below before baking).

Instead of doing the whole flour, then egg and milk wash, then crumb coating process, I just simply went with mayo to keep the chicken pieces tender, moist and juicy, and give the crumbs something gooey to cling on to so that they don’t all just fall off. I added extra flavor by stirring in some dry Ranch mix and a little extra-hot jarred horseradish, and I was good to go!

Since we had the first kind day one, these marinated overnight in the marinade sauce all ready to just coat with crumbs, and then just bake the next day!

These babies don’t take long to coat and place onto baking sheets, so turn your oven on before you start. By the time you get them coated, your oven will be ready!

These only took 13-14 minutes in my oven, but this will depend on how your own oven heats to temperature, and how thick or thin your pieces of chicken are. I didn’t pound the chicken or butterfly it. So my pieces, when sliced about 1/3″ thick, were about 1″ wide and as long as the chicken breast happened to be lengthwise. So in other words, approximately 1/3″ x 1″ x 4-6″. Though you wouldn’t think it, just 2 chicken breasts yielded 18 – 20 strips! And that actually gave us 3 servings! (My hubby is a hearty eater, so you make get 4 meals, or possibly 5 if you have small children!)

You don’t have to turn them while they bake in the oven, either. Just leave them be, and then let them rest a few minutes on the parchment paper before removing with a spatula to plates, (or a platter for appetizers).

While the chicken is in the oven, just whip up the 3 ingredient dipping sauce, cover it and chill it until the chicken is done and has rested to let the juices settled down, (and cool off a little so you don’t burn your fingers or tongue!) By the time it’s done and ready to eat, the dipping sauce will have had ample time to marry, and the dry mix ingredients to soften and dissolve.

And dinner is DONE. Serve with a simple, tossed garden salad, or some cottage cheese over canned pears or peaches. Or just slice up some fresh fruit or melon. (And I won’t tell if you’re exhausted from the early summer heat, or work, or whatever has you overdoing it, and just have a handful of chips to go along with. We all need a break sometimes!)

Hope you enjoy, and that you find this easy recipe helpful!

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

White Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders with Horseradish

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced into thin strips lengthwise

Marinade Sauce:

• 1/2 cup regular mayo
• 1 Tbl. dry Ranch mix
• 2 tsp. extra hot jarred horseradish

Cracker Crumb Coating:

• 2 cups finely crushed White Cheddar Cheez It crackers, (measure after crushing)
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbl. dried parsley

Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup sour cream, ok to sub thick Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbl. dry Ranch mix
• 2 tsp. horseradish, more if you like it hot
• *Garnish with snipped green onions and chopped parsley if desired

Instructions

In small bowl, stir together well the Dipping Sauce ingredients, cover and chill. *This can also be done while the chicken is baking.

Slice chicken into 1/3" thin strips slicing right through the chicken lengthwise, approx. 18-20 strips, set aside. (*If you prefer, you can also cut chicken into 1 1/2" chunks. Baking time will be the same).

In medium sized bowl, stir together the marinade sauce, add chicken strips and toss to coat. Chill while making crumbs, or you can let marinate overnight.

In shallow dish or pie pan, add finely crushed crackers, parmesan cheese and parsley. Toss with fingers to mix.

Dip pieces of chicken into cracker crumbs, pressing on, and place onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400ºF for 12-14 minutes or until no longer pink inside. (*Always check one that's in the center of the baking sheet). Let rest 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.

Remove using a spatula to plates or a party platter. Garnish with parsley and/or snipped green onions if desired.

Serve with dipping sauce!