Mexican Chicken Tenders are easy to make, baked, delicious chicken tenders covered with rich enchilada sauce and melted cheese.
This is tailgating perfection.
Both kids and adults will love these!
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I’ve been making these little chicken tenders often lately, and I thought they’d make a great tailgating snack for Tailgating Snacks Month.
Great sandwich
They also make a great chicken sandwich. Just butter toast the bun, add some lettuce, and you’re all set.
Add a little extra enchilada sauce or even some mayo to the sandwich if you like.
Chicken Tenders
The beauty of this simple recipe is that you can make it from your favorite chicken tenders.
I use frozen vegetarian fake chicken tenders or patties. You can use frozen chicken tenders from any brand.
Or, if you like, make your homemade own chicken tenders. This recipe from Lovefoodies is all from scratch.
And this recipe from A Latte Food uses boxed biscuit mix as its base.
I love the kind of convenience that this recipe offers.
Super easy freezer meal that’s ready in minutes. Or, nice and homemade recipe.
Enchilada Sauce
My easy enchilada sauce makes these Mexican Chicken Tenders super delicious.
It’s so easy to make the sauce from scratch – takes just about 15 minutes. And, it makes a nice big batch of sauce.
I always have a jar in the fridge ready to use for quick and easy meals.
If you feel you won’t be using the sauce right away, it’s easy to stash it in the freezer and thaw it, either in the fridge overnight when you need to use it.
Or, pop it in the microwave on low power to thaw.
Cheese
I love a blend of pepper jack and cheddar for these little nibbles.
Feel free to use some cheese form a bag of shredded Mexican blend cheeses. Or, just use one kind of cheese. It’s all good.
How to make Mexican Chicken Tenders
All you have to do to make these Mexican Chicken Tenders is to lay them out on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake them according to the package directions, usually about 16-20 minutes.
Once you are halfway done with baking, flip the chicken patties, spread the sauce on them, and top with a big pinch of cheese.
Place them back in the oven, and finish the baking.
The cheese gets nice and bubbly brown. The chicken tenders are crisp and moist. These are so good and so easy.
I like to eat them as finger foods, as snacks. They are perfect because you can eat just a couple and have a great protein filled snack.
Or, serve them on top of mac & cheese for a kid friendly meal.
Use the larger chicken patties to make burger-like sandwiches that will be a main dish hit at a football watching party.
Serve these Chicken Tenders with these great side dishes
Mexican Corn Salad, Loaded Southwestern BBQ Pasta Salad, Stuffed Jalapenos, and Jalapeno Ranch Dip for dipping.
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Mexican Chicken Tenders Recipe
Mexican Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- Chicken tenders, fingers, or patties
- Enchilada Sauce
- Cheese
Instructions
- Cook chicken tenders or patties according to package directions, which typically go something like this: Preheat oven to 425 ° F. Place frozen tenders in a single layer on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake frozen tenders for 8-10 minutes. Carefully remove tray from oven, keeping oven on.
- Flip tenders over, and spread a generous amount of enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with a big pinch of shredded cheese.
- Place back in the oven, and continue to bake 8-10 minutes more, or until tenders are golden brown, crispy, and cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
This sounds like such an awesome meal! I love how easy these are to make!
what a fantastic twist on chicken tenders! We can never get too much Mexican in our house!!