Why not serve up these Stove Top Tex-Mex Chicken Tenders. Lightly marinaded chicken tenders using a Homemade Mild Taco Seasoning, lime juice and olive oil. They cook in 10 minutes on the stove top and can be added to salads, wraps and more! Or you can serve them up with the Southwestern Bell Pepper Quinoa or the Spiced Roasted Potatoes.
Chicken tenders have been a favourite with my family for years and years. You can find Breaded Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders, Everything Bagel Baked Chicken Tenders, Spicy Barbecue Chicken Tenders and more. As the person in the house is generally (as in pretty much every day), puts dinner on the table, quick dinners are must most days. The really great thing about chicken tenders is that they cook quick. Not to mention they are versatile and most people generally really like them.
These Easy Tex-Mex Chicken Tenders will not disappoint and I guarantee even the picky eaters in your house will enjoy them.
Why You’ll Want To make These Chicken Tenders
- Quick and easy – This recipe comes together easily and cooks quickly on the stove top!
- Use chicken tenders – These work great for this recipe. They are the perfect size, coat easily and fry fast!
- A fantastic seasoning blend – Next, the seasoning has to be just right. If you do decide to make them, don’t skip on the seasoning.
Ingredients
- Chicken – This recipe uses chicken tenders. Chicken tenders are the smaller part under the chicken breast, they cook quickly and are tender.
- Seasonings – I made my own Homemade Mild Tacos Seasoning for this chicken. It uses, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, dried oregano, onion powder, chili flakes, salt, black pepper and brown sugar.
- Olive oil – This is used in this recipe both in coating the chicken and in cooking in the skillet.
- Limes – Lime juice add acid to the chicken as well as a zesty flavour.
REMEMBER, The full recipe and ingredient list is found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
instructions
- Make seasoning mix – In a small bowl, combine the cumin, garlic powder, paprika, dried oregano, onion powder, chili flakes, salt, black pepper and brown sugar. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Coat the chicken – Add the chicken tenders to a large bowl and sprinkle over the seasoning mix, one tablespoon of the olive oil and juice of one lime. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Cook the chicken – Set a grill pan (or any skillet) over high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place the chicken tenders in the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip all the chicken tenders and cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and squeeze over remaining lime juice.
- Serve – Serve as they are or in wraps or salads.
Recipe Tips
- Marinading the chicken – this chicken doesn’t need to be marinaded for any time at all. It will still be full of flavour if you season and cook it straight away. However, you can prep ahead no problem at all. I recommend prepping in the morning if you plan to get these ready before hand.
- Cooking chicken on the stove top – it’s best to cook the tenders in a heavy bottomed skillet. I used a cast iron grill pan for this recipe. You don’t need a grill pan, but it adds a nice touch. Heavy bottomed skillets cook food evenly and they have even heating. Some thinner skillets and pans heat up too quickly and then food will burn or stick.
- Allow chicken to rest – it’s best to allow chicken to rest about 5 minutes after removing it from the heat. This will ensure the juices stay inside the and chicken will be more tender and juicer.
- Other cooking methods – This chicken can be cooked on a barbecue for approximately the same time. Alternatively, you can bake this in a preheated oven of 375 degrees f for about 18 – 20 minutes.
Substitutions
- Taco seasoning – I made a blend for my Homemade Mild Taco Seasoning for this recipe. You can use the purchased taco seasoning mix if you like.
- Limes – I love the extra boost of flavour that fresh lime juice gives to this recipe. You could have a little flavour change by using fresh lemon juice.
- Herbs – Adding a touch of fresh herbs at the end is completely optional. Fresh cilantro adds a really nice touch of even fresh parsley.
What To Serve with The Chicken Tenders
These Tenders can be used in many different dishes like the Loaded Quesadillas, Chicken Fajitas, Mexican Chicken & Rice Wraps and more. They would also go well with a few of the following dishes.
- Mexican Style Rice
- Southwestern Bell Pepper Quinoa
- Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad
- Paprika Spiced Potato Wedges
Frequently Asked Questions
Tex-Mex is basically the fusion between Mexican Cuisine and Southwestern American cuisine. For the most part it’s cuisine that has been created from Mexican/Texans that live in Texas as well as other southwestern American place.
Dishes that many of us know like tacos, fajitas and tamales are all considered Tex-Mex Cuisine.
Stove Top Tex-Mex Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 whole limes divided
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the cumin, garlic powder, paprika, dried oregano, onion powder, chili flakes, salt, black pepper and brown sugar. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Add the chicken tenders to a large bowl and sprinkle over the seasoning mix, one tablespoon of the olive oil and juice of one lime. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Set a grill pan (or any skillet) over high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place the chicken tenders in the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip all the chicken tenders and cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and squeeze over remaining lime juice.
- Serve as they are or in wraps or salads.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Thanks For Stopping by & Hope To See You soon!
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