Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. canola oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 large egg whites

½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. dried
Cooking spray
6-8 chicken tenders

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil.  Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish.

In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, lemon juice, mustard and thyme (I added a little salt in this mix.)

Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a baking sheet covered with foil.  Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step.  Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Drizzle olive oil on the tops of the chicken tenders. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.  Serve warm.

Source: annies eats, originally from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook