These Pan Seared Chicken Tenders are flavor-packed, tender, and juicy, and they’re perfect for everyday dinner. Throw them on a salad, serve them with some roasted vegetables or add your favorite carb for a satisfying dinner!

These chicken tenderloins are great for any night of the week. Plus you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time. Isn’t this what dinner dreams are made of?

Serve them with some Garlic Herb Rice, Garlic Butter Green Beans, or Easy Roasted Potatoes for a satisfying dinner.

Pan cooked chicken tenderloins with melted butter.

Worth cooking

It makes a quick weeknight dinner.
You get juicy chicken.
You get butter sauce.
Cooking time is 7 minutes.
No special equipment is needed. All you need is a large skillet.
Great for meal prep.
Leftover chicken tenders are great in a wrap for lunch and in rice or salad bowls!
Perfect for the whole family. Even picky eaters will enjoy!
No need for breading or dipping in flour!

Pan Searing Chicken Tenders

The best way to cook chicken strips and lock in the juices is to pan-sear them! The chicken tender or tenderloin is an independent small muscle that lies directly under the chicken breast. You’ll find packs of chicken tenders in most grocery stores.

If you can’t find chicken tenderloins, you can buy chicken breasts and cut them into strips. Then, you can cook them on the grill, in the oven, in an air fryer, or pan-fry them on the stovetop.

Pan searing is a cooking technique that involves cooking meat, chicken, or fish in a skillet over medium to high heat. This technique, when done properly creates a sear on the protein and adds loads of flavor in a short time.

Cooking chicken fingers this way is a great way to cook them because they cook so fast. Also, with this recipe, you don’t need to coat the meat in flour or breading. This recipe calls for simple ingredients, and it produces flavorful chicken!

For more quick and easy pan seared dinner recipes, check out this Pan Seared Shrimp Pan Seared Sea Bass, and Pan Fried Teriyaki Salmon.

The Ingredients

With minimal ingredients, you’ll have great-tasting chicken tenders pan fried with no added flour or breading. Here is everything you need:

Ingredients for cooked chicken tenders with labels.

Chicken tenders: You could pick up packs of chicken tenderloins from your local grocery store or supermarket. This recipe calls for one pound of chicken tenders which can serve about 4 people but feel free to double the recipe if your family is bigger.
Olive oil: Use olive oil or another flavorless oil for pan searing.
Seasoning: A combination of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes, and paprika takes chicken tenders over the top!
Butter: Adding some unsalted butter at the end of cooking adds more flavor which takes these chicken tenders over the top! If you want even more flavor, use high-quality European butter if you can find it.

For the full list of ingredients with measurements, check out the recipe card below.

Pantry notes

Chicken – Instead of chicken tenders, you could use boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs cut into strips.
Seasoning – Add seasoning blends like Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, chili powder or lemon pepper seasoning. Make sure you reduce the salt the recipe calls for if your seasoning is salted or use salt-free seasoning.
Spicy – For a spicy kick, add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the seasoning.
Baking – Season the chicken tenders as stated, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until the juices run clear.

How To Pan Sear Chicken Tenders

Always pat the chicken dry with paper towels to ensure a nice crust on the outside. In 4 easy steps, you’ll have a tasty dinner of pan-cooked chicken tenders. Here are the steps for this easy meal:

Seasoned chicken tenders on a white plate.

Step 1: Mix together salt. pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried basil, and rub on both sides of the chicken tenders.

Step 2: Heat up oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and cook the chicken tenders in a single layer for 4 minutes on the first side. Olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil work well here.

Step 3: Flip the chicken to the other side and cook for another 3-4 minutes until done.

Step 4: Add butter to the pan and let it melt then spoon the melted butter over the chicken tenders.

Make sure your pan heats up until smoking hot before adding the chicken to the pan. This ensures the chicken gets a nice sear.

When the chicken tenders are done, you can garnish them with fresh chopped parsley and serve warm with your favorite sides.

These Pan Seared chicken tenders will go with these Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and quickly Sauteed Vegetables.

Chicken is done when it registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 73 degrees Celsius on a meat thermometer.

Also check out this easy recipe for pan seared Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts.

Recipe FAQs

Also, check out these Pan Seared Tilapia and Pan Seared Boneless Pork Chops recipes.

Cook notes

Before spooning the butter over the chicken, add a fresh smashed garlic and a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary for extra flavor!
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the chicken before serving for an extra bright lemony flavor.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat leftovers in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Yield: 8 tenders
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound chicken tenders, about 8 tenders
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Method

Thoroughly pat the chicken tenders dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl mix together the salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried parsley flakes.
Sprinkle the seasoning evenly on both sides of the chicken tenders then rub the seasoning on the chicken using finger tips.
Place the skillet on medium heat and add the olive oil. Heat up for 2 minutes.
Add the seasoned chicken tenders to the skillet pressing each chicken tender onto the skillet.
Cook on one side for about 4 minutes then flip to the other side and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Dot the pan with thye butter and let the butter melt. Spoon the melted butter over the chicken tenders.
Serve chicken tenders warm with your favorite side dish.