Pork rind crusted chicken tenders
35 min · 54 g protein · 361 cals / serving
Crunchy, deep-golden chicken tenders with no flour or breadcrumbs: the coating is crushed pork rinds and parmesan, which fries up in the air fryer or oven as crisp as a breaded tender and tastes savory and rich. Served with a tangy sugar-free honey-mustard-style dip made from yogurt and two mustards.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into 2 cm (3/4-inch) strips
- 1/4 tsp salt
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp liquid egg white, or 1 egg white
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Coating
- about 3/4 cup crushed pork rinds, crushed fine
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil, sprayed or brushed
Mustard dip
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 4 tsp yellow mustard
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- a pinch stevia, or a few drops of liquid sweetener, to taste
Steps
- Pat the chicken strips dry and sprinkle with the salt. Whisk the egg, egg white and Dijon in a shallow bowl.
- Crush the pork rinds to fine crumbs in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin, or pulse them in a food processor, then mix with the parmesan, paprika, garlic powder and pepper on a plate.
- Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Dip each strip in the egg wash, let the excess drip off, and press it firmly into the crumbs on all sides. Lay them in a single layer with space between them, mist with the oil and cook 10–12 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden and the thickest one reads 165°F. Work in batches rather than crowding.
- Stir the yogurt, both mustards and the sweetener together and serve with the hot tenders.
Good to know
No air fryer?
Bake on a rack set over a sheet pan at 425°F for 15–18 minutes, turning once. The rack lets the underside crisp instead of steaming.
Can I use only parmesan?
Yes. A coating of all parmesan (about 3/4 cup) crisps into a lacy, cheesy crust; it browns faster, so check them 2 minutes early. It scores a little lower, at about 80 instead of 83.
Why so fine a crumb?
Pork rinds crushed to coarse sand stick evenly and crisp all over; big pieces fall off and leave bald patches.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 190
- Protein
- (62%)
- 28 g
- Fat
- (34%)
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- (4%)
- 2 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- <1 g
- Sodium
- 399 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1446 kcal goes into the pot and 1005 g of ingredients comes out as about 760 g of food: 190 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.