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WW Recipe of the Day: Pickle Juice Crispy Chicken Tenders
I’m all about eating healthier, but I’m also a firm believer in not wasting precious calories on food you don’t like. Usually there is a way to take your favorite dish and lighten it up, without losing all the flavors and textures you love.
I’m a fan of “before” and “afters” from everything to house remodels, to makeovers, haircuts, weight loss, or even recipes. Nothing happens overnight and without work, but look at the amazing transformation in the end.
At Simple Nourished Living, Martha has become a master at doing just that. Some of my favorite posts are when she takes recipes from others and creates a Weight Watcher friendly version. The fat and calories have been reduced, but the same great flavors remain.
I think this recipe is along those lines. The pickle juice makes a perfect low-fat marinade for chicken. This lighter version lets me enjoy all the crispy crunchy goodness without any guilt.
When I looked out my window and saw this balloon, I knew I was on the right track!
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Recipe for Crispy Pickle Juice Chicken Tenders?
According to my calculations, each serving has 217 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
4 SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
How to Make Pickle Juice Crispy Chicken Tenders, Step-by-Step
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients
Step 2: Place the chicken tenderloins in a gallon freezer bag and add the pickle juice. Marinate 8 hours, or overnight. (I made up some extra tenders and tossed them in the freezer.)
Step 3: When you’re ready to bake the chicken tenders, preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet (affiliate link) and set aside.
Step 4: Drain the chicken and pat dry.
Step 5: Add the egg and water to a bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 6: In a second bowl, add the breadcrumbs (I used almond flour), crushed cereal (I used purple corn flakes) and seasoning. Stir to combine.
Step 7: Dip the chicken in the egg wash first and shake off any excess. Then add the chicken to the cereal mixture and pat to coat.
Step 8: Place coated tenders on prepared baking sheet (affiliate link). Spray lightly with cooking spray and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan and turn the chicken over, continue to bake for 7-10 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked and golden.
Step 9: Air Fryer Cooking Instructions – preheat air fryer to 400F degrees. Add coated chicken tenders to air fryer basket and cook for 5-6 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook for another 5-6 minutes, or until done.
Recipe Notes
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs, if desired.
- Substitute nut flour in place of breadcrumbs to keep the recipe gluten-free.
- Add a couple dashes of hot sauce to the beaten egg if you like it spicy.
- Buy fresh chicken in bulk, then freeze portions in the pickle juice. Just thaw and cook.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve tenders with your favorite dipping sauce.
- Makes a nice topping to just about any salad.
- KFC favorite, serve with mashed potatoes and corn.
- Enjoy chicken tenders alongside baked beans and your favorite slaw.
- Add to a biscuit for a southern style breakfast sandwich.
Ways to Use Leftovers
- Enjoy them cold.
- Reheat in the oven, chop them up and add to a wrap.
- Toss them in your favorite casserole.
- Use as topping for a BBQ chicken pizza.
- Add to a buffalo chicken dip.
- Make chicken nachos or a quesadilla.
- Add to a broccoli and cheese stuffed baked potato.
If you’ve made these oven-baked or air fried Crispy Chicken Tenders, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Pickle Juice Chicken Tenders Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup cornflakes, crushed
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Put chicken tenderloins in a gallon freezer bag. Add the pickle juice. Marinate 8 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425F degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, preheat air fryer to 400F degrees.
- Drain the chicken and pat dry.
- Add egg and water to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add bread crumbs, crushed cereal (I used purple cornflakes) and seasoning to a second bowl.
- Dip the tenderloins in the egg wash and shake off any excess.
- Then add the chicken to the crumb mixture and pat to coat.
Oven Baking Insctuctions:
- Place coated chicken tenders on prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray
- Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan and turn the chicken tenders. Continue baking for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Air Fryer Instructions:
- Add coated tenderloins to preheated air fryer and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Turn the chicken and cook for another 5-6 minutes, or until done.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 4 SmartPoints (Green plan) 2 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 2 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 5 PointsPlus (Old plan) Use gluten-free breadcrumbs, if desired. Substitute nut flour in place of breadcrumbs to keep recipe gluten-free. Add a couple dashes of hot sauce to the beaten egg if you like it spicy. Buy fresh chicken in bulk, then freeze portions in the pickle juice. Just thaw and cook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe source: Pickle-Brined Baked Chicken Tenders from SkinnyTaste
very tender and delicious
This sounds delicious as I love pickles but never know what to do with all the juice once they’re gone.
Do you think I could sub. rice krispies for the corn flakes? I have so many rice krispies right now, haha. Thanks.
Hi Erica, I think crushed rice krispies would work as a substitute for cornflakes. ~Martha
Thanks! I’ll give it a try.
Amazing i loved them
What is the sodium count?
Can I omit the cereal or substitute something else with out carbs or low in carbs
Hi Karen, I’ve only made the recipe as written. You can omit the cereal if you like. Low carb alternatives to the cereal would include crushed nuts and/or pork rinds. Hope this helps. ~Martha
When I saw this recipe, I jumped to try it! Since I’m a pickle lover and commonly have several different kinds refrigerated at all times, I was anxious to see how they would taste. They were good – I used the juice of mixed hot pickles and the results were great. I also used the oven bake method of cooking.
I don’t have Air fryer, is there another method I could use?
Hi Eveline, There are directions for cooking in the oven in the recipe as well! ~Martha
This sounds good! My question is, what happens to the pickles once you dump the juice out of them? Do you wait until your out of pickles and save the juice to use? For me that would be quite some time!?
I don’t know what happens to pickles once you dup the juice out of them. The only thing I’ve ever done is use the excess juice that is not need to cover the pickles. Hope this helps! ~Martha
I made my own pickle juice. I found a recipe online. I just typed pickle juice recipe into Goggle search.