Chicken Tenders Take Way Less Effort With One Classic '60s Boxed Ingredient

In the mood to try out a retro flavor with the pack of chicken tenders sitting in your fridge tonight? We've got you. All you'll need to do is hit up the breadcrumb aisle (that's where you can find it in my grocery store, at least) and pick up a box of Shake 'N Bake. (For those who aren't in the know, it's simply well-seasoned, crunchy breadcrumbs designed to coat chicken or pork). Introduced in 1965 and owned by Kraft-Heinz, Shake 'N Bake is a classic old-school boomer dinner — for good reason. It packed a ton of flavor and was a simple (and inexpensive) way to take plain chicken tenders to the next level. 

While Shake 'N Bake is typically used with chicken breasts, there's no reason you can't toss pre-sliced, raw chicken tenders (or chicken breasts that you sliced into strips yourself) in the seasoning mix to create a crispy coating without the hassle of frying them in oil on your stovetop. There are quite a few different Shake 'N Bake flavors to choose from to help bring the flavor of your chicken tenders to life. While you certainly can't go wrong with the classic Original Chicken variety, you can also try BBQ Glaze, Parmesan Crusted, Ranch & Herb, Crispy Buffalo, Extra Crispy, or Crunchy Pretzel. Since you're going to be covering more surface area with seasoning than if you were just coating chicken breasts, you may want to pick up an extra box of Shake 'N Bake to make sure you have enough before you put it to work on your chicken tenders.

There are few things you'll want to keep in mind to successfully create Shake 'N Bake chicken tenders. First, you'll need to grab two containers — one to moisten your chicken, and one to toss the chicken with the Shake 'N Bake coating (Kraft-Heinz stopped including a plastic bag in boxes of the seasoning mix in 2022). You can certainly just use a bit of water to moisten the chicken, as you're simply trying to make it easier for the seasoning mix to adhere to the chicken's surface. The instructions on the box also say that you can use egg, but these aren't your only two options. Kraft-Heinz says on its website that you can also coat your chicken in a bit of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip to help keep your chicken moist as the Shake 'N Bake on the outside crisps up.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying Shake 'N Bake as-is, like you probably did at your grandparents' house when you were little, but you can also add some seasonings of your own to customize the blend to suit your tastes. For example, adding some garlic salt to the Parmesan Crusted variety can be a great way to boost the flavor on chicken Parmesan-style chicken tenders. Adding red pepper flakes to any variety of Shake 'N Bake can add a little touch of heat, and adding smoked paprika can add seriously savory notes. No matter how you mix up your Shake 'N Bake chicken tenders, you'll find that it's a simple, low-cost, delicious way to ramp up the flavor.