Oven Baked Cheez-It® Chicken Tenders with Buffalo Sauce and Homemade Ranch

Get ready for game day with these tender chicken strips marinated in bold buffalo ranch flavor, coated with a Cheez-It® crust, and baked to fiery perfection.

PREP TIME (MIN): 25

TOTAL TIME (MIN): 40

SERVINGS 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the chicken:
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders, or breasts sliced into tenders
¾ cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 (7 ounce box) Cheez-It® Crackers
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons garlic power
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing
¼ cup buffalo wing sauce
For the ranch:
¾ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, buttermilk, and cayenne. Toss well to coat. Let sit at least 10 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.

2. Preheat the oven to 425F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

3. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse Cheez-It® crackers until finely ground (if you don’t have a food processor, you can put them in a large zip top bag and use a rolling pin to crush them by hand). Mix ground Cheez-It® crackers, Panko, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

4. Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, and dredge through the Cheez-It® crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. Make sure not to crowd your pan—if necessary, use three baking sheets. Lightly brush or spray the chicken with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through and tenders are golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan half way through and carefully flipping the tenders.

5. Meanwhile, make the ranch. Combine all ingredients and season to taste.

6. Drizzle the chicken with buffalo sauce and serve with ranch immediately.