There’s something so freeing about a healthy, reliable, stupid-easy dinner.
Having a slew of tried-and-true dinners at your fingertips is always a smart idea, and this is exactly one of those dishes. Obviously there are times when all I want to do is cook something fantastically innovative, insanely complicated, or down-right difficult. But most days I’m craving quick-fix solutions that keep me fed, full, and feeling lean. And that’s why I’ve come to rely on these delightful chicken tenders — 5 ingredients, 45 minutes, and dinner is served.
From the lack of fussy ingredients to the wonderfully mindless preparation, this is go-to meal material. Simply salt & pepper the chicken, whisk together a sexy little sauce — tomato paste, sriracha, brown sugar, and honey — then bake!
That’s literally as complicated as this gets.
The key to this recipe is the balance of sweet and spicy flavor. In one single bite you get a rush of spice, a barrage of sweetness, and a finishing hint of mellow heat. It takes boring, boneless chicken tenders to a whole new level of deliciousness. And after one taste, you’re going to be hankering for it constantly.
The sauce here is fairly thick, creating a regal-red cloak that drapes over the chicken to the point that it practically disappears. This might look suspicious while you’re prepping it, but relax! By literally suffocating the tenders in saucey sexiness, you end up with the most moist, flavorful chicken ever. The first bite will make you a believer, but the smell alone should be convincing enough.
If tomato paste isn’t hanging around your pantry — It should be, but I digress — ketchup can be substituted here, though that will add a lot of sugar to the recipe and throw the sweet/spicy equilibrium out of balance, so only do this if necessary. And as you might have assumed, this can easily be scaled down to feed just two (cut the recipe in half), or doubled or tripled as needed. If you feed this to a crowd, pair it with some bacon-wrapped asparagus and a side of ‘mashed – You’ll get raves from everyone, guaranteed.
And what else? Not a damn thang.
Make it, eat it, rinse & repeat it.
5-Ingredient Sweet & Spicy Chicken Tenders w/ Honey + Sriracha
Ingredients:
- 1 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders
- a few pinches of Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 cup Tomato Paste (a little less than one 6oz can)
- 3 tbsps Water
- 2 – 3 tbsps Sriracha
- 2 tbsps Brown Sugar (I prefer dark)
- 2 tbsps Honey
- Diced Scallions to garnish (optional)
- Cooking spray to grease
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 425F. Lightly grease baking dish with cooking spray.
- On cutting board amply salt and pepper chicken tenders on either side, then transfer to greased baking dish. Next, in mixing bowl combine the tomato paste, water, sriracha*, brown sugar, and honey, whisking until smooth — If you’re sensitive to spice, use just 2 tbsps of sriracha at first, then add more if you’d like.
- Pour marinade over chicken until the tenders are completely covered — It will look as if they’ve disappeared, but that’s okay! The marinade is fairly thick. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until chicken is cooked through, then immediately plate and serve, garnishing with diced scallions if desired.
>> The tomato paste + water can be substituted with 1/2 cup Ketchup
* Use 2 tbsps Sriracha at first, then add another if you’d like more spice
so good.