An easy recipe for delicious grilled chicken tenders, marinated in a tasty marinade of olive oil, honey, and hot sauce.
I can't help but make chicken often. It's accessible, affordable, and my kids really like it. The grownups, however, do need some variety. This tasty recipe is a good way to make a somewhat boring meat more palatable.
I make these grilled chicken tenders regularly because they are delicious and very easy to make. The sweet-spicy marinade is wonderful. Even the leftovers are good!
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty chicken recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
1. For the marinade, you'll need olive oil, honey, hot pepper sauce, and kosher salt. If you'd rather use an oil with a high smoke point, you can replace the olive oil with avocado oil. Although olive oil is certainly more flavorful.
2. You will also need 8 raw chicken tenders. Their total weight before cooking should be about 1 lb.
How to make grilled chicken tenders
It's super easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. Preheat your grill on medium-high.
2. In a small bowl, mix the marinade ingredients.
3. Brush the marinade all over the chicken pieces.
4. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, or a total of 4 minutes in a dual-contact grill such as George Foremen.
Should I marinate the chicken prior to grilling?
If you have time, you can certainly marinate the chicken tenders for an hour in the fridge before grilling them. Marinating them will enhance their flavor. But you don't have to! I usually simply brush the marinade over the chicken pieces and grill. The chicken comes out perfectly juicy and very flavorful.
How long to grill them?
This would depend on the grill you use. In my George Foreman grill, I grill the chicken pieces for a total of 4 minutes. In a grill pan, you will probably need to grill them for about 3 minutes on each side.
What to serve with grilled chicken tenders?
They go really well with so many side dishes. They are truly versatile! But a couple of my favorite side dishes to serve with them are creamy cucumber salad and broccoli salad.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers keep in the fridge, in a sealed container, for 3-4 days. I don't like to reheat them though, because reheating dries them out. So I shred them and use them as in this chicken cobb salad or in a lettuce sandwich.
More tasty chicken tenders recipes
Another recipe that I really like is this recipe for baked chicken tenders. It's more work, for sure, but it's very good. And these Parmesan chicken tenders are wonderfully flavorful. They are simply coated with parmesan - no flour or breadcrumbs - and they are very good.
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Grilled Chicken Tenders
INGREDIENTS
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Chicken:
- 1 lb. raw chicken tenders (8 pieces)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat grill on medium-high.
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Brush the marinade on both sides of the chicken tenders.
- Grill the tenders until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Their internal temperature should reach 165ºF.
- If using a dual-contact grill, cooking time will be shorter. I made these in my George Foreman Grill, and they came out juicy and perfect after a total of 4 minutes.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 