Chicken Tenders, But Make It Extra: 5 Unexpected Dips Worth Trying

Chicken tenders are a simple yet classic bit of comfort food. At their best, they're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside: perfect for dipping into honey mustard, ketchup, barbecue or buffalo sauce, or ranch dressing. You know the drill. And while these sauces are a great companion to this staple dish, they're also a bit played out. So, for your next batch, you might want to try something entirely new. 

Try stepping out of your saucy comfort zone, away from the standard and into more adventurous territory. Below, we've gathered five tasty and out-of-the-box chicken tender dipping ideas, spanning the creamy, tangy, spicy, and sweet flavors you look for in such a sauce. These sauces will enhance your tenders and make them taste even better, turning them from a humdrum weeknight go-to into a treat truly worthy of a special occasion.

More often associated with shrimp, bang bang sauce is absolutely worthy of a full on chicken tender. The combination of mayo, sriracha, and sweet chili sauce is undeniably delicious, and offers creaminess along with spice and a fair share of sweetness to boot. Plus, it's really very easy to make and uses mostly fridge staples. So this sauce can be whipped up in a flash for tender dipping uses. Though, while any mayonnaise can work for this recipe, Kewpie mayo will add a bit more richness thanks to its egg yolk-only base. Plus, certain bottles of Kewpie contain MSG, which adds a great bit of umami flavor.

To match the bang bang dipping sauce, you can also alter how you prepare your tenders. A coconut crusted chicken tender, for example, will work beautifully with this sweet-spicy sauce. You might also try frying your tenders in a tempura batter or in a more delicate breading that will imitate that fine, crispy crunch of bang bang shrimp. 

Ranch dressing and chicken tenders is not exactly a ground breaking combo. Sure, the cool, tangy buttermilk ranch dressing goes perfectly with a hot, crispy tender, but we're looking for new ideas here. Luckily, we have just the fresh twist for this staple dipper: pesto. Yes, combining the basil and pine nut-based pesto sauce with ranch might be just the key to livening up that popular dressing, for the purposes of chicken dipping, of course. Adding pesto to ranch will help enhance the fresh, green taste of the herbs, like dill and green onions, in it; the herbaceous basil will give a slight licorice note that will add a bit of sophistication to your dip. Plus, the garlic and parmesan of pesto add a bit of richness that gives your ranch dressing a savory appeal it might otherwise be missing.

You can make your pesto ranch by simply combining pesto with ranch — both either homemade or store bought. Or, you can infuse only elements of pesto into your ranch. This approach lends itself to customization. You can, for example, leave out the pine nuts and just add basil, garlic, a bit of lemon, and parm to ranch. This works if you prefer a creamier, less chunky consistency. Or, you can exclude the parm if you want the flavor to be more on the bright side. The key here is to make this dip exactly as you like it. So there's no need to be a pesto purist (though you absolutely can if you want to).

This recommendation is simple, but no less delicious. Thai sweet chili sauce (one third of bang bang sauce) is a fantastic dipping sauce for chicken tenders all on its own. Its sweet, tangy, spicy flavor is perfect for dipping your tenders. Plus, it's great for combining with other sauces to create delicious combinations. 

You can mix it with just mayo for a creamy take on the sauce. Or, for a bit more sweetness, add it to whipped honey for a creamy, decadent dip. You can even combine it with mustard (hot mustard for added kick) to make a fresh take on honey mustard that levels up the heat. You can even toss your tenders in sweet chili sauce and then use another sauce for dipping, such as toum or a cream cheese based crab rangoon dip. This will given them added spice and sweetness that makes for a truly delectable snack, appetizer, or meal.

It's garlicky, creamy, and has a hint of lemon that makes it absolutely irresistible. Of course we're talking about toum, the Lebanese dip that goes perfect with just about anything, really. So, of course, we're recommending it for your chicken tenders. Toum offers that delicious, creamy, almost whipped consistency that contrasts well with a lovely, crispy tender. You can find toum at some big box grocery stores, or you can make it yourself using garlic, oil, lemon juice, and salt. However, you will need to emulsify this mixture to achieve that signature rich consistency. So have a blender, food processor, or immersion blender on hand when making this sauce.

Plus, this is a great dairy-free option for those who may have an intolerance to lactose. And for vegans hoping to get a dipping sauce for their meat-free tenders, this sauce will work well as a dairy-free, creamy option. If you want to add even more flavor, you can combine your toum with harissa, a chili paste that will give more intensity to your sauce. You can also serve it with skhug (also known as zhoug), a cilantro, pepper, and garlic sauce that will add a bit of green, savory goodness to your toum and, therefore, your tenders. You could also toss your tenders in a harissa hot honey sauce and then dip them into your toum. This option is great for anyone who loves a well sauced tender.

If you want a garlic sauce with your tenders but prefer something with a bit more edge and a touch more sweetness, may we humbly recommend a dip of black garlic mayonnaise. This fashionable, on trend mayonnaise preparation is just the thing for anyone wanting to elevate their chicken tender game. For those who don't know what black garlic is, it's an aged version of the beloved allium. It is black in color, with a jammy, spreadable consistency. Though black garlic does recall its fresh counterpart, its taste is sweeter and slightly tangy. When combined with the rich oil, vinegar (or lemon),and egg based mayonnaise, it forms a perfectly creamy, tangy, and caramelized dip that might just become your next go to for dipping tenders (look out, Cane's sauce and all of its copycats).

This sauce works well with plain or flavored tenders. A nice, parmesan-crusted tender would be absolutely delicious with this sauce, as would a a lemon pepper tender. If you're hoping to avoid dairy products, you can also combine black garlic with toum or a traditional aioli, which doesn't include eggs. Just be careful to grab a traditional aioli, as many products under this label are more akin to mayo, which does include eggs.