How Long To Boil Chicken Tenders
Learn how long to boil chicken tenders so that you can have perfectly cooked chicken ready to serve with almost no effort at all! Boiled chicken tenders are tasty and versatile and pair well with all sorts of different sides.
Suitable for gluten free, low carb, keto, paleo, and Whole30 diets. Post includes Weight Watchers Points.
A little while back, I showed you How To Boil Chicken Legs, and I got loads of excellent feedback from you about this.
So today, we are turning our attention to chicken tenders.
Boiling chicken tenderloins is one of the easiest ways to cook this meat that easily transforms into a delicious meal.
Want to save this Recipe?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Along with recipes & tips every week!
You can have perfectly cooked with a tender texture, lean protein meat on the table in less than 20 minutes.
You can also find out How Long to Boil A Whole Chicken too.
And need to make dinner complete? It’s easy to serve a well-balanced complete meal on busy weeknights with simple classics like How To Boil Carrots and really easy How To Boil Broccoli.
Why Make This Recipe
- Easy – it is quick and easy to make in just 20 minutes.
- Budget friendly – made with a few everyday affordable pantry ingredients.
- Fresh or frozen – you can use this method to cook both fresh and frozen chicken tenders.
- It’s a great blank slate. Season the meat however you see fit, so everyone loves it.
- A simple crowd favorite – Everyone loves chicken, and this recipe is simple yet incredibly delicious.
If you want perfect juicy chicken tenders every time you make these, grab a large Dutch pot, and let’s get started.
This perfect recipe will show you how to make boiled tenderloins for a delicious main or side dish all year long.
Ingredients Notes
- Chicken tenders – this recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken tenders, aka raw chicken tenders. You can make your own by cutting up chicken breast meat.
- Whole peppercorns – these complete the flavor and give a little heat.
- Fresh herbs – bay leaves and thyme sprigs add delicious aromatics.
- Salt – add to your taste. The amount you use will depend on how you will use the remaining chicken stock.
- Optional flavors and garnish – I used garlic butter, fresh thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
How To Boil Chicken Tenders
Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Rinse tenders in cold water and add them with the herbs and peppercorns and best ever salt into your dutch oven.
- Fill with enough water to completely cover the raw chicken tenderloins (by about one inch).
- Cover with the lid and bring to a boil on medium high heat.
- Then reduce the heat, so you end up with a gentle boil, and cook chicken between 7-15 minutes (this depends on the size, smaller ones may need a little less time), or until fully cooked through. Check that the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F/ 74 degrees C.
- Remove cooked chicken strips safely with tongs, strain out, and save the broth.
- Return chicken to pot and mix in about ¼ cup of garlic butter and gently coat meat with it. Note, it will melt as you mix.
Chef’s Tip: Serve your cooked tenders with garlic butter, fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes.
Finish In Oven, Broiler Or Air Fryer
Want more cooking methods to complete this? Then check out these below.
- Allow meat to cool enough for handling. Then pat dry using paper towels or tissue so the sauce sticks more easily.
- Simply brush your favorite sauce all over the cooked chicken tenders.
- Then, place under the broiler for a few minutes per side until crisped up to your liking.
- Or place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake chicken fingers in an oven preheated to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C for about 3-4 minutes.
- Otherwise, place in a single layer in a preheated air fryer basket (at 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C) and air fry for about 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Recipe Tips
- Use a large enough pot to easily hold all the meat. Overcrowding may lead to uneven cooking and tough meat.
- Please make sure all the meat is fully covered by the water during cooking.
- Save the resulting chicken broth and use it to make soup or cook some pasta.
- Once cooked, feel free to serve them whole or shred or slice tenders to your preference.
- Brine – feel free to brine your chicken before cooking for extra flavor.
- Let tenders rest for a few minutes after draining to allow the juices to redistribute within the meat so the meat stays juicy and tender.
- Cook meat perfectly – to avoid undercooked or over-cooked dry and tough meat, keep an eye on them and test the internal temperature using a thermometer (should reach at least 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C ).
- Handling raw chicken incorrectly can lead to food poisoning. Please clean your kitchen tools and properly wash your hands to avoid contamination or food poisoning.
- Watch this space for posts on how to boil chicken thighs, whole chicken, and more.
- When boiling chicken tenders, ensure they have enough space to cook evenly.
Delicious Variations
- Vary the sauce – This recipe uses garlic butter, but you can use your other favorite sauces like BBQ sauce, peanut butter sauce, ranch sauce, sweet chili sauce, hot sauce, and sriracha sauce to season after cooking.
- Vary the seasoning – feel free to add in seasoning like BBQ seasoning, ranch seasoning, Italian Seasoning, Poultry Seasoning, garlic powder, and more.
- Vary the cooking liquid – you can also use things like chicken broth or vegetable broth as the cooking liquid for that extra flavor.
Storage
- Refrigerate – Refrigerate cooled chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze – Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat – for the best result, check out how to Reheat Chicken In Air Fryer to avoid drying out the chicken.
What To Do With These
- Serve your perfectly boiled chicken tenders as is with your favorite dipping sauce like buffalo chicken dip, or honey mustard sauce.
- You can use these to make Cranberry Chicken Salad and this Chinese Chicken Salad.
- Slice, dice or shred chicken tenders them before using to make chicken tacos or chicken wraps.
- Add them to cozy casseroles, soups or pasta dishes, fresh salad, or rice bowls.
FAQs
If boiling fresh chicken tenders you would boil them, on a gentle boil for 10-15 minutes depending on their size.
I suggest testing their temperature at around the 8-9 minute mark so you can gauge how much longer you need to cook them.
For cooking safely, make sure the internal temperature of 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C before you stop cooking.
How Long To Boil Frozen Chicken Tenders?
If boiling frozen chicken tenders, you will want to increase the cook time somewhere between 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.
Make sure the meat is separated and not in one big lump if cooking from frozen. Make sure the internal temperature of 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C before you stop cooking.
Need More Chicken Recipes
Looking for a delicious chicken dinner for tonight? Then head on over to these Chicken Recipes everyone will love. Or you can start with these below;
- How Long To Boil Chicken Legs.
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken.
- Crockpot Whole Chicken.
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs.
- Crispy Fried Chicken Legs.
- How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is a versatile dish that pairs well with all your favorite sides. Here are some suggestions to try;
- Serve it along with easy Boiled Potatoes or these Boiled Carrots.
- Creamy Stovetop Mac And Cheese is a great side.
- I love serving it with Crockpot Mashed Potatoes.
- It is great with Air Fryer Frozen Hash Browns.
Recommended Tools
- An awesome Dutch oven for even cooking of your meat.
- A quick read meat thermometer for checking the temperature.
- The best ever sea salt flakes for cooking.
- A set of fragrant spices for upgrading your food.
- For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 0 Blue Plan Smart Points in one serving of this (if you do not add garlic butter).
More Chicken Recipes
Be sure to check out these other awesome chicken recipes!
Thank you for reading my how long to boil chicken tenders recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Get The How Long To Boil Chicken Tenders Recipe:
Don’t forget to tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or Twitter if you try How Long To Boil Chicken Tenders! It is really, really awesome for me when you make one of my recipes and I’d love to see it. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thank you for reading Recipes from a Pantry.
How Long To Boil Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 3 pounds (1.37kg) chicken tenders boneless and skinless
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 3-5 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt to taste
- garlic butter, additional fresh thyme, and red pepper flakes optional for finishing
Instructions
How to boil chicken tenders
- Rinse tenders in cold water and add them with the herbs, peppercorns and salt into your Dutch oven.
- Fill with enough water to completely cover the raw chicken tenderloins (by about one inch). Cover with the lid and bring to a boil on medium high heat.
- Then reduce the heat, so you end up with a gentle boil, and cook chicken between 7-15 minutes (this depends on the size, smaller ones may need a little less time), or until fully cooked through. Check that the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F/ 74 degrees C.
- Remove cooked chicken strips safely with tongs, strain out, and save the broth.
- Return chicken to pot and mix in about ¼ cup of garlic butter and gently coat meat with it. Note, it will melt as you mix.
- Serve cooked tenders and garnish with fresh herbs and red pepper flakes.
To finish boiled chicken tenders in the broiler, oven, or air fryer
- Allow meat to cool enough for handling. Then pat dry using paper towels or tissue so the sauce sticks easier.
- brush your favorite sauce all over the cooked chicken tenders. Then, place under the broiler for a few minutes per side until crisped up to your liking.
- Or place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake chicken fingers in an oven preheated to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C for about 3-4 minutes.
- To finish in the air fryer, preheat to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C and place them in a single layer in a preheated air fryer basket. Air fry for about 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Video
Notes
-
-
Use a large enough pot to easily hold all the meat. Overcrowding may lead to uneven cooking and tough meat.
-
Please make sure all the meat is fully covered by the water during cooking.
-
Save the resulting chicken broth and use it to make soup or cook some pasta.
-
Once cooked, feel free to serve them whole or shred or slice tenders to your preference.
-
Brine – feel free to brine your chicken before cooking for extra flavor.
-
Let tenders rest for a few minutes after draining to allow the juices to redistribute within the meat so the meat stays juicy and tender.
-
Cook meat perfectly – to avoid undercooked or over-cooked dry and tough meat, keep an eye on them and test the internal temperature using a thermometer (should reach at least 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C ).
-
Handling raw chicken incorrectly can lead to food poisoning. Please clean your kitchen tools and properly wash your hands to avoid contamination or food poisoning.
-
When boiling chicken tenders, ensure they have enough space to cook evenly.
- Storage – keep in an airtight container inside the fridge for 3 days.
- There are 0 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving (without garlic butter).
-
