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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
Very soggy 🙁
Hi Disne,
Sorry to hear these were soggy for you. Thanks for trying the recipe! Have a great weekend!
I haven’t made this yet but I love the unique ingredient combination! On my list!
Thanks so much, Luci! I hope you love this recipe!!
What nondairy substitute can be used in place of buttermilk?
Hi Jennifer,
You could try a non-dairy milk. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!
These turned out very soggy for me. What a flop!
Very sorry to hear this, Rita. Thanks for trying the recipe! Happy New Year!🥂🎆
Thanks for sharing this chicken tender recipe, my kids loved them!
Hey Beth,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a very Happy New Year!🥂🎆
Delicious
Hey Mike,
Thanks a bunch for trying these chicken tenders! So glad they were a hit!
Have a great New Year!
I saw these on your most popular list for 2025, the rating was low but I wanted to try it because it looked like the recipe was updated and recent review were good. They did not get crispy at all. The breading is super thick and soggy and the tenders were greasy. I followed the recipe exactly. I tried putting them back in the oven and broiling to get crispy, they got brown but did not even remotely crisp up. The spicy dipping sauce was the only good part.
Hi Rachelle,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear the tenders did not turn out for you!
This turned out to be so delicious, and I am definitely planning on making it again. I am not sure why the other reviewers had a hard time. Some things that might help: 1) The temperature of the ingredients. Nothing was taken straight out of the fridge and into prep. Everything (including the chicken) sat out for two hours before prepping. 2) For recipes like this, I don’t like to rest chicken covered in anything straight on a cooking sheet. I lay cooling racks (the ones you use to cool cookies) on top of the cooking sheet and place my chicken on that. 3) The instructions say 10 minutes and then 15 minutes – I think I added another 5 at the end because it does say 15 minutes or until crisp. Mine took a tad longer because I wanted a little more crunch, but probably only needed a few more minutes longer rather than the full 5. Hope this helps – try again if it failed the first time, I still highly recommend these
Hey Racquel,
Fantastic!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, I appreciate you making it! Thanks for sharing all of your helpful notes! xx
These are amazing! I was on the fence about making them due to reading reviews that commented on them being soggy, but am so glad I went ahead and tried them. I followed directions exactly as listed and was careful not to let the batter get too loose. According to my foodie husband, they are a 12/10. Try them! You won’t be disappointed. 🙂
Hey Amy,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
I’d recommend broiling them for a minute on each side so they actually get crispy since people seem to be having issues. We loved the flavor, just needed to tweak it so they get crispy.
Hey Jacqueline,
Wonderful! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! xx
These didn’t turn out for me, they didn’t crisp up in the oven. The flavor is nice, and the sauce is very good. We used pasture raised tenders, so the chicken was good, just came out soggy. Perhaps deep fried would turn out.
Hi Virginia,
Thanks so much for giving these tenders a try, so sorry to hear they were soggy for you. Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor. You could definitely try broiling them towards the end to get the crisp. xx