Bring A Brighter Bite To Chicken Tenders With A Seasoning You Probably Forgot About

Chicken tenders are an essential, easy dinner staple, and they get so much better if you pair them with a flavorful seasoning. Comparing chicken breast vs chicken tenderloin, tenderloin has the advantage of being juicy and, of course, quite tender — but it still isn't the most flavorful cut of meat out there. However, tenders are incredibly easy to enhance with homemade or premade spice mixes, and the best choice is an often-overlooked classic: lemon pepper.

Lemon pepper is a go-to flavor in the world of wings that you can thank Atlanta for, but its bright, pungent flavor is just as suited to chicken tenders. In fact, it's really all you need to turn them into a satisfying main course. If you are making breaded chicken tenders from scratch, you can marinate the chicken with lemon pepper seasoning, lemon juice, oil, and garlic powder, and then also add lemon pepper seasoning directly to the breading before you bake them.

If you are cooking frozen, pre-breaded, or naked chicken tenders, cook them the way you normally would. Lemon pepper seasoning risks burning if exposed to too much heat. In these cases, wait until the tenders are nearly done, then brush or toss them with lemon pepper seasoning and butter and return to the heat to finish cooking until browned.

While lemon pepper seasoning alone is nice, it also pairs well with other additions. A common variation on lemon pepper wings makes them more saucy (and of course spicy) with the addition of store-bought buffalo sauce. Lemon pepper sauce actually pairs well with a lot of heat, so adding dry spice mixes like Cajun seasoning or harissa to a mixture of lemon pepper and butter also works. If you prefer to avoid the spice, you can take another cue from the world of wings and make a melted garlic butter and parmesan sauce first, then add lemon pepper for an extra kick.

The best way to make the most flavorful lemon pepper chicken tenders is to make the seasoning yourself, because the fresh stuff will blow anything you buy at the store away. All you need to do is zest some lemons, then dry the zest on a paper towel in the microwave for one minute and 30 seconds to two minutes. Then measure out the dried zest and combine it with 1 tablespoon of freshly ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 tablespoons of dried zest, adding garlic and onion powder to taste. It will keep well stored in an airtight container for three months or more.