Chickpea Crusted Egg-Free Chicken Tenders

Sitting by the stove

Back in the day, one of my favorite dishes my dad would make were chicken tenders, coated in flaked cereal and fried on the stove. My dad has always been a fan of keeping spices fresh in the cabinet, purchasing them in bulk at local stores. If you can’t smell a spice, it’s ok to toss it and load up on some new stuff. Good thinking, man.

There’s no reason these chicken tenders couldn’t be fried, and if you do, I suggest a fat like lard or coconut oil to get the job done. These tenders aren’t here to be a version of a dish that somehow feels more saintly or “better”–let’s not play those games here!

To be specific, specifically

This little recipe instead is provided as an option. As the wiggle room, and, as you may perhaps have guessed by now, to fulfill my desire to be a little hands off when it comes to a food. Baked, because frying is messier than I want to deal with on a weeknight (weekends are a different story). Chickpeas, because I tolerate them well and I was intrigued by the package of Watusee Chickpea Crumbs at the store. Egg-free, because for the most part, I opt away from eggs because my body says for now, that feels nice. If these are my parameters, what are yours? Do they align? Are they different? Does that feel ok? I hope so. We’re all too unique for recipes that claim “healthy”, “skinny” or “guilt-free” to apply to anyone, let alone everyone, at the table.

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Chickpea Crusted Egg-Free Chicken Tenders

Do you opt away from eggs? Me too, for the most part! Here’s an easy weeknight protein that is egg-free and quick to prepare. Double or triple the recipe for an easy batch cooking session or if feeding a family or crowd!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Lucia Hawley

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon flaxseeds ground
• 3 tablespoons filtered water
• 1 cup chickpea crumbs (see notes)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle power optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and place a baking rack over a baking tray. In a medium sized bowl, combine the ground flaxseeds and water, stir and allow to combine for a few minutes. These are your egg replacers!
2. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine the chickpea crumbs, sea salt, cumin, cinnamon and chipotle powder until well mixed. Set aside.
3. Dip the chicken tenders into the bowl of flax, then once evenly coated with the flax mixture, transfer to the shallow bowl of the chickpea mixture and coat each tender evenly. Place each completed tender on the baking tray with the baking rack on it.
4. Once all tenders have been evenly coated in the flax and chickpea mixtures, place the tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Allow to cool, then serve.

Recipe Notes

I love using Watusee chickpea crumbs for the coating! Otherwise, you can use leftover roasted chickpeas, quickly pulsed in the food processor to make a coarse crumble.