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How To Cook Frozen Chicken Strips

Crispy, Crunchy and FULL of flavor, delicious frozen chicken strips like you never thought you could do at home! I’ll show you how to cook frozen chicken strips! 

Overhead photo of three chicken strips on a white plate

Why This Recipe Works

  • Fast
  • Easy
  • Uses Ingredients You Already Have At Home
  • Tastes like deep fried but ISN’T!

How It’s Done

STEP 1. 

Place chicken tenders on a baking sheet. 

frozen chicken strips on a baking sheet

STEP 2. 

Pour vegetable oil and seasonings onto the baking sheet

hand adding oil to chicken strips on a baking pan

STEP 3. 

Mix well with your hands and then bake.

Hands mixing frozen chicken strips with oil and seasonings

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) 

Are Chicken Strips, Chicken Tenders and Chicken Fritters All The Same Thing? 

Yes, they sure are!  So this recipe works for all three of those things! 

How Do I Cook Chicken Strips from Frozen?

Simply follow the recipe outlined in the recipe box below and you’ll soon have hot, crispy delicious chicken strips on your plate and ready for snacking! 

How Can I Make My Chicken Tenders Crispy? 

This recipe will show you how to get Crispy Crunchy and flavorful Chicken Strips every single time.

How Long Can I Freeze My Chicken Strips? 

Check the product bag for an end date and follow that. However, your Frozen Chicken Tenders should be good if kept frozen for at least 6 months. 

Are Chicken Strips Already Cooked? 

This depends on the type of strip you buy. Please look at the package, read the front, it should tell you if the strips are already cooked all the way through. 

Can I Get Sick From Eating a Raw Chicken Strip? 

Look at the product packaging for the chicken tenders that you have and see if they are precooked or not. If they are, you should be fine but we recommend cooking all chicken thoroughly before eating. 

How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken Strips? 

18-22 Minutes.  Follow the directions below for crunchy, crispy chicken strips

How Long Are My Chicken Tenders Good For? 

  • Once cooked, your chicken tenders will last for 3-5 days in the refrigerator
  • Do Not leave your chicken strips out for more than 2 hours

Other Seasoning Options… 

Sure try any combination of the following for great taste…

  • Onion Powder
  • Garlic Powder
  • Garlic Salt (but don’t add any extra salt until you have tasted)
  • Black Cracked Pepper
  • Ground Pepper
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Truffle Oil
  • Tiny pinch of Cayenne Pepper
  • Dried Thyme
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Chicken Seasoning. 
  • Squeeze of Lemon with black pepper. 

What Do I Serve With My Frozen Chicken Strips? 

We LOVE Onion Rings, French Fries or a Baked Potato with our Chicken Strips.

The Many Ways to Cook Chicken Strips

We recommend cooking your chicken tenders in the oven or toaster oven for maximum crispiness and flavor, however many of you have asked how to make them in other kitchen appliances, so I’ll cover that here. 

How To Cook Frozen Chicken Strips in an Air Fryer

  1. Preheat your airfryer to 390 degrees.
  2. Spray the basket of the air fryer with non stick cooking spray.
  3. Spray your chicken strips with non stick cooking spray on all sides and then sprinkle with season all salt. 
  4. Set two to three chicken strips in the air fryer basket.
  5. Cook for 12 minutes and make sure to flip them at 6 minutes. 

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in the Oven

Check out the recipe below for those instructions. This is the best way, in our opinion, to have crispy, crunchy, delicious tenders (besides deep frying, of course). 

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Strips in the Microwave

***NOTE***  Chicken Tenders Cooked in the Microwave will not be Crispy and Crunchy like you would expect them to be.

The coating will likely be soft. We recommend that you follow the instructions for oven baking noted in the recipe card below. 

  1. Place the chicken tenders on a microwave safe plate, sprinkle with season all salt and cover with a paper towel
  2. Heat on high for 1 minute. 
  3. Check the temperature of your chicken tenders and change their position on the plate. 
  4. Repeat for 30 second intervals until your chicken tenders are cooked through. 

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Strips in a Pan.

  1. Pour oil into a heavy skillet so that it just covers the bottom of the pan.
  2. Heat over medium high heat untl the surface of the oil is glistening and a drop of water dripped into the pan results in a hot spatter. 
  3. Carefully place up to three chicken strips into the pan, allow enough space between them so that they can cook properly (and inch or two between). Do not overcrowd the pan. 
  4. Heat for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip
  5. Heat for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.
  6. Remove to a paper towel covered plate and allow to drain. 
  7. Sprinkle with season all salt. 

Side view of chicken tenders on a plate with ketchupOther Methods for Cooking Chicken Strips

We do NOT recommend attempting to cook frozen chicken strips in an instant pot and we do not recommend trying to cook chicken tenders in a crockpot.  

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YA’LL HELP ME OUT, OK?

Please leave me a comment and 5 STAR ( 🌟 🌟🌟🌟 🌟 )   review, I ALWAYS love to hear from you and your comments MAKE MY DAY! (Plus, it helps me out by letting everyone know that this is the place to find good recipes!)

 

Overhead photo of three chicken strips on a white plate

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Strips

Want CRISPY, CRUNCHY AND FLAVORFUL Chicken Strips every time with your favorite frozen variety? No problem, here's how!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook frozen chicken strips, how to cook frozen chicken tenders
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 807kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbs vegetable oil
  • 1 tbs Seasoned Salt
  • 6 Chicken Strips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Spread the number of chicken tenders you prefer out on a baking sheet.
  • Pour the vegetable oil over the tenders and sprinkle with the season all salt.
  • Using your hands coat the tenders well with the oil and salt.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes in the oven.
  • Remove, allow to rest for a few minutes and then serve.

Notes

  • Check the product package for your chicken tenders and follow oven and time settings.
  • Different products require different amounts of time/temperature in the oven.
  • You can try other types of seasonings if you do not have seasoned salt. For example:
  • Mix
  1. 1 tsp onion powder with 1 tsp garlic powder and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  2. 1 tsp of garlic salt
  3. ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp dried thyme and 1 tsp garlic salt with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
  • If you are concerned with the oil, try spritzing your chicken strips with non stick cooking spray and then sprinkling with the salt and or herbs.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Strips
Amount Per Serving
Calories 807 Calories from Fat 558
% Daily Value*
Fat 62g95%
Saturated Fat 46g230%
Cholesterol 192mg64%
Sodium 7324mg305%
Potassium 1110mg32%
Protein 64g128%
Vitamin A 90IU2%
Vitamin C 3.6mg4%
Calcium 15mg2%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @loavesanddishes or tag #loavesanddishes!

Wendi is the writer, CEO and dishwasher at Loaves and Dishes! When not in the kitchen or behind the computer, you can find Wendi serving on International Food Conference Boards, Speaking at various conferences, Leading and Cooking for the local Arts Council's "Taste of Stokes" events or donating home cooked goodies to various local non profits such as the Danbury Songwriters and Stokes Partnership for Children. Wendi is also a Registered Nurse with a Master's Degree and serves on her town's board of councilmen.

Recipe Rating




Eva

Tuesday 23rd of May 2023

How do you keep them moist?

Wendi Spraker

Friday 26th of May 2023

They are the moisture that is processed into them.

Chad

Saturday 10th of September 2022

The microwave method turns out nice, ik they're soft in the microwave but that's how I like them, the microwave instructions work great! Thanks!

Wendi Spraker

Sunday 11th of September 2022

Thanks Chad!

Jack

Monday 14th of December 2020

Tyson Chicken Strips cooked using this method are UNBELIEVABLE! Normally when cooking the strips according to package directions, they are too underseasoned and not crispy enough. My opinion on Tyson strips changed COMPLETELY after trying this method. Believe it or not, with just a little extra oil, salt and pepper, these will turn out to be the best "homemade" chicken strips you have ever had. Try this method today, and you will NOT be let down. A+++++++++++

Wendi Spraker

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

Jack, Thank you so much for the stellar review! You wrote my thoughts exactly about chicken strips as well as frozen french fries. They can be made so much better with almost zero work if you just know what to do. I hope you'll come back and try some other recipes as well!

Wendi Spraker

Sunday 4th of August 2019

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