Crispy Chicken Tenders with Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce

Have you ever bought a bag of pita chips only to find half the chips are broken into tiny pieces? Don’t pitch ‘em, make chicken! Hard, crunchy pita chips make a great coating to give chicken tenders a light, yet crispy crust—and there’s no waste involved.

I think crunchy tenders need a creamy sauce to balance the dish, and the one here is about as simple as it gets. Sour cream, Dijon, a little mayo, lemon, and garlic and done.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp finely chopped lemon zest
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2-1/2 cups broken pita chips
• 2 eggs
• all-purpose flour, for dusting
• 8 chicken tenders, about 1-1/4 lbs total
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

Broken Pita Chips

Preparation

1. Combine the sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight). Divide into individual small bowls before serving.

Sauce Ingredients

Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce

1. Place the pita chip pieces in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a baking dish or large plate.
2. Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl and spread flour in another baking dish or large plate.
3. Roll each chicken tender in the flour and shake off excess. Dip each in egg, letting excess drip off. Roll each tender in the ground pita chips, coating both sides.
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet. Lightly salt the chicken tenders (there is plenty of salt in the pita chips) and add to the skillet. Cook, turning a few times, until golden and crispy and just cooked through, 8-9 minutes total.

Ready to Grind

Ground Pita Chips

Tenders Beginning to Cook

Serve the tenders with the creamy Dijon sauce in bowls alongside.

Crispy Chicken Tenders with Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce