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Easy oven-baked Crispy Turmeric Chicken Tenders. Each crispy tender is tossed with brown rice flour, turmeric, black pepper, and shredded coconut, then oven-baked and dipped in a spicy homemade “special sauce”. Serve these turmeric tenders up for game day, or cook up some baked french fries and call these fun, yummy tenders dinner! It’s a homemade version of everyone’s favorite crispy chicken. These are the best!
I’m so excited about this recipe. These are my crispy, oven-baked turmeric chicken tenders! And they are so good!
Inspired very much by the tenders everyone orders at the LA grocery chain, Erewhon. The turmeric chicken tenders on their menu are served with their homemade special sauce. I saw these tenders on my good friend Cait’s Instagram story the other week, and the picture looked so yummy!
I messaged her to find out what she was eating, and she quickly explained. The idea of tenders sounded really fun. I knew this could be a great recipe to share ahead of the Super Bowl, so I picked her brain even more about the details.
Of course, I won’t know for sure if my tenders are similar, but what I created is a delicious, happens to be gluten-free, crispy chicken.
And the sauce! The chicken is really just a vessel for the sauce. When you read the recipe, you’ll think that the combination of ingredients is odd, but it’s one of the yummiest special sauces. Creamy with some spice, some tang, and the slightest bit of sweetness. Delish!
Let’s jump into the details
Ingredients
- chicken tenders – these are so convenient, no need to cut the chicken!
- brown rice flour – you can also use all-purpose, but I like the texture the brown rice flour provides
- onion and garlic powder
- black pepper
- buttermilk – or you can also use canned coconut milk
- fine shredded unsweetened coconut – like to use Let’s Do Organic brand or Bobs Red Mill. These two brands come finely shredded, almost crumb like.
- ground turmeric
- smoked paprika
- lime zest
- olive oil
- flaked sea salt
Ingredients – for the Special Sauce
- mayo
- buffalo sauce
- ketchup
- garlic powder
- black pepper
Special Tools!
None here. Just a bowl, a sheet pan, and another bowl for mixing up the sauce!
Steps
Step 1: bread the chicken
Toss the chicken tenders with the brown rice flour, onion powder, and garlic powder. Add a good pinch of black pepper.
Now, in a separate bowl, mix brown rice flour, the coconut, paprika, and turmeric pour over the buttermilk or I also like coconut milk, but not that will lend to more coconut flavoring.
Toss the chicken until a thick paste-like batter forms around each tender. It’s OK if it’s a bit chunky.
Step 2: baking
Next, arrange the chicken on a baking sheet. I like to grease my baking sheets with olive oil. I think using oil instead of parchment gives you crispier pieces of chicken.
Arrange the chicken in an even layer, don’t overcrowd the pan. There should be some batter left in the bowl, set this aside.
Drizzle each tender with olive oil, then bake until the breading begins to get crispy all around!
Now, pull the chicken out and spoon over the remaining batter left in the bowl. These clumps will get crispy! Drizzle the chicken once more with olive oil. Don’t skimp using the olive oil, this really helps the coating get crispy. Bake another few minutes, get them crispy all around!
Step 3: make the sauce
While you have the chicken baking, mix up the sauce. Use your favorite mayo or vegan mayo and mix in some buffalo sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, and black pepper.
Step 4: serve
When the chicken comes out of the oven and it’s sizzling, sprinkle with some flaked sea salt.
Put the special sauce in a bowl for dipping, and serve the chicken up with lots of sauce. SO YUMMY! And fun too!
The chicken has just the right amount of crisp. You might think it’s fried, but it’s not!
The sauce is spicy, creamy, and tangy. It’s really great with the turmeric chicken. To finish the meal off, I always serve with home fries. Such a fun, easy dinner or game day appetizer!
Looking for more recipes? Here are a few to try:
Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken and Feta Potatoes
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Lastly, if you make this Crispy Turmeric Chicken Tenders, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Turmeric Chicken Tenders
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 494 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken tenders
- 2 tablespoons + 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- flaked sea salt and black pepper
- 3/4 -1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4-1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2-1 teaspoon ground turmeric, use to your taste
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing/drizzling
Spicy Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or rub with olive oil. 2. In a bowl, combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons brown rice flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss well to coat. 3. In a separate bowl, mix 3/4 cup brown rice flour, the coconut, paprika, turmeric, and lime zest. Pour over 3/4 cup buttermilk and mix until a thick batter forms. Add additional buttermilk to loosen if needed. The batter should be thick.4. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Place each piece on the prepared baking sheet. Do not overcrowd the baking sheet. Reserve any batter left in the bowl. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, spoon the remaining batter in the bowl onto the chicken. Drizzle again with oil. Bake another 15 minutes until crisp all around. Sprinkle with sea salt. 5. To make the sauce: combine all ingredients in a bowl.6. Serve the chicken with the sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Important Note: I have updated this recipe due the amount of trouble many have had. I apologize for anyone is if finding this recipe a challenge! This has been tested and made many times now. We really enjoy the chicken as I have written!
This post was originally published on January 30, 2025
Taste is good but they just don’t cook well.
Who do I contact to get my money back? This is not crispy and is a soggy mess. My family will be eating sides tonight. Do not waste your time! The bisquick recipe for chicken tenders is literally 1000 times better and everyone will love it.
I was hesitant to make this after reading the negative reviews, but I noticed that the recipe had been tweaked and this version works out great! I made it just as written. The only exception I made was I preheated my baking sheet in the oven with a tiny bit of oil for 5 minutes so that when the chicken tenders went on, they were sizzling. I also flipped them very carefully at the 10-15 minute mark. You have to be careful and gentle so that the coating doesn’t come off. They were flavorful and crunchy!
Hey Michelle,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it and your comment!!
Followed recipe exactly as listed and turned out great!
Hey Shannon,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear they were enjoyed! Happy Sunday:)
Followed the recipe and wouldn’t make again. Batter didn’t crisp up, didn’t enjoy the flavor.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so yummy! Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I was trepidatious at first because of all the bad reviews but it was incredible. Very delicious and relatively easy!
Hey Alex,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xx
These were sooo good!! No issues with the recipe. I did cook on my ovens “air fryer” setting to ensure crispness.
Hey Anna,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it and your comment!!
This is a GREAT recipe! I followed exactly and even made with chicken thighs (what I had on hand), and not with chicken tenders. I adjusted ingredients since not using chicken tenders. Still, it turned out wonderful! Reading the comments, you’re not in everyone’s indivual kitchen and watching what and how a recipe is followed. It’s a great recipe! And the leftovers are even better! 🙂
Hey Amy,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xx
I just meal prepped these for the week and as many others have said they came out soggy on the outside and dry on the inside. I also skipped adding the remaining batter to the chicken mid-cook but still, very soggy, no crunch. Such a shame as the flavors are quite nice. I wish I had just pan fried them, probably would’ve been a better result.
This is still very off. I had to double the amount of dredging flour and batter in order to have enough for 2lbs of chicken. After all that… the flavor was terrible. Do not recommend
Absolutely LOVED these. The batter is so good, such great flavor. Making them again this week!
Hey Shalene,
Yay! Love to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend:) x
I am extremely upset and confused by the reviews on this site of this recipe. I have also read things about this recipe on other sites. I was looking forward to making it, but don’t feel like I can waste products just on a try. It’s the recipe fixed? Is there something I’m missing?
Hi Susan,
I have tested and re-tested this recipe so many times, especially with all of the negative feedback. I updated a few things that I found worked a bit better, but I stand by this recipe. I hope you will give it a try! xx
After much thought I jumped in and made this. I had a few challenges, I only had thin cutlets and brown rice flour was no where to be found. So thin chicken and all purpose for me.
The only changed I made was that I always preheat the oil and sheet pan for 5 minutes to make the chicken sear better on the bottom. I followed all other directions exactly.
The chicken was fine. I do recommend letting the chicken sit a few minutes before lifting it off the pan. It is a soft batter and needs to set. It gets more crunchy as it sits. If you lift it up too soon the crust may fall off.
It had a very mild coconut taste with out the sweetness. Not the best HBH recipe but not worth complaining about. A fine meal.
I made these last night for the Super Bowl. I used oat flour instead of brown rice flour as I didn’t have that. I used the air fryer and these came out so so good! Easy and delicious! I will definitely be making these again!
Hey Karen,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it and your comment! xx
I made this last night, and was obviously a bit concerned that I would experience the difficulties other readers have described, but it worked fine. I added the buttermilk until it felt like the right consistency to dip/coat. All my mixture got used up in a single coat, but that was fine, it would have seemed odd to pour more on top halfway through in my opinion. The batter didn’t run or get oily and it did get crisp. My partner liked it very much.
Hi Lisa,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe turned out for you, I appreciate you making it and your comment! xx
The amount of batter was enough for 1/2 pound chicken and recipe called for ten. Gloppy and didn’t crisp up.
Hi Sally,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe. Sorry to hear you had some issues. Sometimes I thin my batter out with a little extra buttermilk so it isn’t so thick. xx
I never read recipe comments, but I wish I had. These were soggy and didn’t get crispy at all and I followed the recipe exactly, no subs.
Hi Marley,
I am so sorry to hear these did not turn out for you. How long did you bake them for? If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know! xx
I baked them 25 minutes, according to your directions. Then, because they weren’t crispy, I baked them another 5 minutes. They were dried out from cooking too long and still not crispy.