These Flamin' Hot Cheeto Chicken Tenders are oven-baked and so easy to make. They are spicy, crunchy, flavorful on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. This Flamin' Hot Cheeto Chicken Tenders recipe is gonna knock your socks off!
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Flaming Hot Cheetos Chicken Tenders
This recipe for Flamin' Hot Cheeto Chicken Tenders is easy to make and is the perfect base for these crispy oven baked chicken tenders. They're smothered in buttermilk ranch and dipped in crushed Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
These are a fun and easy appetizer for game day or any time you're hankering for a spicy chicken tender.
I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, it's genius really. You take a regular 'old chicken tender, dredge it in a buttermilk ranch mixture and roll it in incredible spicy, Flamin' hot Cheetos. It's a match made in heaven!
The amazing thing about this flaming hot Cheeto recipe is it's oven-baked, not fried because that means it cuts down on the calories a bit but you still get that crispy crunch on the outside of the chicken tender.
How to make Hot Cheeto Chicken Tenders
- Start by tenderizing your chicken. Put the chicken tenders in a gallon Ziplock bag or between two sheets of plastic wrap, use a rolling pin, mason jar, or the flat side of a meat tenderizer to whack the thickest part of the chicken tender. Whack it until it is about ½" thick, similar to the rest of the chicken tender. (This should only take a couple of good whacks.)
- To prepare the baking sheet, place a cooling rack on a 13 by 18" baking sheet.
- Add the hot flaming Cheetos to a food processor, pulse until the Cheetos are the size of rice grains. Pour into a plate with edges or a 9"pie plate.
- To make the batter, in a mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, ranch dressing, egg, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Add the chicken tenders to the batter and toss with tongs until the chicken tenders are covered in the batter.
- With tongs, pull one chicken tender out at a time and roll in the ground Cheetos. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and repeat this step until all the chicken tenders are covered in ground Cheetos. If your chicken isn't completely covered add some extra Cheeto crumbs on the chicken.
- Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray or cover a baking pan with a wire rack.
- Bake chicken tenders in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can serve these Chicken tenders with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Tips and Tricks
- It works great to use your food processor to crush the Hot Cheetos. As a result, you will have a fine crumb of Cheetos to dip your chicken tenders in.
- If you aren't up for spice, you can use regular Cheetos too.
- Bake the chicken tenders on a baking sheet with a cookie cooling rack. This keeps the chicken tenders crispy on all sides.
- Dip the baked chicken in ranch or blue cheese dressing. Both are delicious!
Cheetos Chicken Sandwich
This recipe also works great for making a Cheetos Chicken Sandwich. Just toast 2 buns, add a little mayo or Ranch Dressing, some lettuce, and your Flamin hot Cheetos chicken tenders and you've got yourself a KFC Cheetos Chicken Sandwich.
If you've ever had the KFC Chicken Cheeto Sandwich, you know what I'm talking about. It's amazing and now you can make it at home.
Flamin' Hot Cheetos Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 bag Flamin' Hot Cheetos 8 ½ oz package
- 10 med Chicken Tenders Or Chicken Breasts cut into 1 ½" stips
- 2 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing
- ⅓ cup Buttermilk
- 1 large Egg
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To prepare the baking sheet, place a cooling rack on a 13 by 18" baking sheet.
- In a food processor, pulse the Flamin Hot Cheetos until the Cheetos are the size of rice grains. Pour into a plate with edges or a 9"pie plate.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, ranch dressing, egg, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Add the chicken tenders to the batter and toss with tongs until the chicken tenders are covered in the batter.
- With tongs, pull one chicken tender out at a time and roll in the ground Cheetos. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and repeat this step until all the chicken tenders are covered in ground Cheetos.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- These chicken tenders can be served with ranch or blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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Here are some other great Grilled Chicken Recipes your family will love:
- Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Recipe
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
- Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
- Rosemary Garlic Chicken Breast
- Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
- Lemon Rosemary Chicken Kabobs
- Southwest Chicken Kabobs
- 3 Citrus Grilled Chicken Marinade
- BBQ Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
These Flamin' Hot Cheeto Chicken Tenders are oven-baked and so easy to make. They are spicy, crunchy, flavorful on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. This Hot Flaming Cheetos Chicken recipe is gonna knock your socks off!
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