Baked BBQ chicken tenders are a go-to weeknight dinner that’s simple to prep and full of flavor. These juicy, seasoned strips are brushed with your favorite BBQ sauce and oven-roasted until perfectly caramelized. It’s a family-friendly meal that comes together quickly using just one sheet pan.
When it comes to quick dinners, it’s hard to beat the ease of sheet pan meals. That’s why we turn to bake BBQ chicken tenders when the day gets busy. Everything cooks together—protein and veggies—on a single pan, which makes cleanup easy too. If you’re searching for more simple chicken tenderloin recipes, this one’s a clear winner. You’ll also love how baking BBQ chicken tenders in the oven keeps them juicy with minimal hands-on time.
Content Covered Here
Why We Love This Bake BBQ Chicken Tenders
- Quick to make and easy to clean up.
It will take 30 minutes from preparation to serving, and you’ll have minimal cleanup. - A well-rounded, nutritious dish.
The lean chicken tenderloins are full of protein. Potatoes and green beans go right onto the pan, so everything is cooked and ready to eat at the same time. - Kid-friendly.
The sweet and tangy flavor of the sauce is a favorite of most kids. Even better, the strips are easy for little hands to hold.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Boneless, skinless chicken strips or tenders: Chicken tenders, strips, and fingers are all names for boneless breasts, cut into finger-sized slices.
For less prep work, use tenderloins instead. Most grocery stores sell them in ready to use, in one or two-pound packages. - BBQ sauce: We use our 3 ingredient BBQ sauce recipe in this dish. The flavor is amazing, and it’s so easy to make! However, feel free to use your favorite premade barbecue sauce.
- Veggies: There are plenty of options on which vegetables to use for this recipe! We like the combo of roasted potatoes and green beans
Feel free to use different veggies. Just be sure they will hold up to the high heat of roasting.
Good substitutes for roasted potatoes are broccoli, parsnips, baked sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts with maple syrup, and even winter or summer varieties of squash.
Recipe Variations
- Crispy BBQ: For a crunchy twist, coat the tenders in a seasoned breadcrumb mixture before baking. Whisk together eggs and dip each piece, then dredge in a blend of panko, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and paprika. Bake until golden, then brush with homemade BBQ sauce during the final 10 minutes.
- Classic BBQ: Swap out tenderloins for thighs (boneless or bone-in) for deeper flavor. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and a touch of butter before baking. Finish with a layer of BBQ sauce and return to the oven until bubbling and caramelized.
- Smoky sheet pan BBQ: Use skinless chicken breasts or sliced BBQ breast for a leaner option. Season generously with salt, pepper, and a little paprika. Bake alongside sliced bell peppers, then stir halfway through cooking for even browning.
- Southern-style BBQ: Marinate your meat in homemade BBQ sauce overnight for extra richness. Use garlic powder, paprika, and a pinch of salt to season. Add a side of butter-tossed green beans on the pan, and serve with a crunchy breadcrumb topping for added texture.
Looking for one-pan meal ideas without chicken?
We get it—not everyone likes oven baked BBQ chicken. 🙂
Pepperoni calzones recipe are like an Italian baked hand pie and almost as much fun to make as they are to eat!
Meatballs pan fried is a delicious Italian dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Baking Sheet
- Basting brush
Baking BBQ Chicken Tenders
- Be sure to grease the sheet pan (or use parchment paper). The sauce gets sticky as it cooks. Using non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper makes cleanup SO much easier!
- Use a sharp knife.
Do you know that a dull knife causes more injuries than a sharp one? Using a properly sharpened kitchen knife helps to prevent accidents, and it will help you cut more quickly, too! - Cut the meat and veggies into uniform sizes.
Consistent sizing helps to ensure that everything cooks evenly while in the oven. The potato chunks should be no larger than 1-inch across.
- Wait to add soft veggies and BBQ sauce until the final minutes of cooking.
If you brush the barbecue sauce on right away, the sugar will burn. So, wait a bit; apply it about 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
- Firm vegetables should go into the oven along with the meat. Green beans and other soft veggies don’t need as much time, so add them to the pan during the final 10 minutes of bake BBQ chicken tenders.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Place soft vegetables like green beans along the outer edges of the sheet pan. This way, air circulates around them, so they roast better.
Serving Suggestions
This easy sheet pan dinner of baked BBQ chicken tenders pairs wonderfully with a few simple and satisfying sides. To soak up all that rich BBQ sauce, we love serving it with warm sourdough dinner rolls. Fluffy buttermilk biscuits or a slice of Jiffy buttermilk cornbread are also tasty choices and add a comforting, homemade touch. For a refreshing contrast, a crisp garden salad makes a great side, or you can boost the nutrition with a fiber-filled cowboy salad featuring beans and fresh veggies. And to wrap up the meal, we suggest something sweet but low-effort like a batch of Bisquick funnel cakes—both are quick to make and guaranteed to please.
Recipe FAQs
Baking BBQ chicken tenders takes 28 minutes at 400°F., or 25 minutes at 425°F.
All fresh poultry is safe to eat when the internal temperature at the thickest portion reaches 165ºF. For the most accurate reading, use a digital or infrared meat thermometer.
Overcooking is one of the biggest reasons for dry meat. Using a kitchen timer can help you create the juiciest tenders possible.
Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll be good for up to 3–4 days. Reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until the meat is 165ºF in the center.
Love Easy Dinner Recipes? Try These…
- Recipes for Smoked Pork Tenderloin
- Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Bowl
- Chicken Cast Iron Skillet
- Chuck Eye Steak
If you tried this baked BBQ chicken tenders recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Baked BBQ Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- baking sheet or casserole dish
- basting brush
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken tenders (tenderloins) thawed
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose seasoning we use Kinder's "The Blend"
- ½ cup BBQ sauce or your favorite brand
optional
- 4 potatoes scrubbed and 1" dice
- 12 ounces (about 3 cups) fresh green beans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Prepare a sheet pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
- Add chicken tenders to the prepared baking sheet; season both sides with all-purpose seasoning.If using firm vegetables like potatoes, brush or drizzle with olive oil and seasoning. Wait to add softer vegetables like green beans until the final 10 minutes of cooking time.
- Place pan in preheated oven and cook for 18 minutes. Remove sheet pan from the oven, and brush tenders with BBQ sauce. Add green beans (or other soft veggies) to baking sheet, placing them close to the edges for better roasting.
- Return pan to the oven and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, until BBQ chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF in the center. The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork and the green beans should be soft.
- Serve the chicken sheet pan dinner with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
Notes
-
- Crispy BBQ chicken tenders: For a crunchy twist, coat the tenders in a seasoned breadcrumb mixture before baking. Whisk together eggs and dip each piece, then dredge in a blend of panko, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and paprika. Bake until golden, then brush with homemade BBQ sauce during the final 10 minutes.
-
- Classic BBQ chicken thighs: Swap out tenderloins for chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in) for deeper flavor. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and a touch of butter before baking. Finish with a layer of BBQ sauce and return to the oven until bubbling and caramelized.
-
- Smoky sheet pan BBQ chicken breasts: Use skinless chicken breasts or sliced BBQ chicken breast for a leaner option. Season generously with salt, pepper, and a little paprika. Bake alongside sliced bell peppers, then stir halfway through cooking for even browning.
-
- Southern-style BBQ chicken bake: Marinate your chicken in homemade BBQ sauce overnight for extra richness. Use garlic powder, paprika, and a pinch of salt to season. Add a side of butter-tossed green beans on the pan, and serve with a crunchy breadcrumb topping for added texture.
- Place soft vegetables like green beans along the outer edges of the sheet pan. This way, air circulates around them, so they roast better.
- Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll be good for up to 3–4 days.
- Reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is 165ºF in the center.
Nutrition
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email below, and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox.
Pancho R says
Made this. Was delicious 😋. Just remember if you don’t like it sweet, hold off or go easy on the honey or use a bbq sauce from the store.
Bomb 💣