High Protein Grilled Chicken Tenders for Low Calorie Weight Loss Meal

One of my high protein go-to weekday dinners is this easy & spicy grilled chicken tenders that are super quick to make and supremely satisfying on the taste buds with a serving of fresh salad!

Chicken being my go-to choice of protein, I keep looking for new yet easy recipes to include as part of my daily meals. That’s how I arrived at this grilled chicken tenders recipe!

I get these chicken tenders from my online meat provider where they sell it under the name of chicken supreme and I have been using this portion for quite some time now.

After perfecting this recipe a few times, it’s high time now to share this weeknight-ideal high protein meal idea with you all!

What are high protein grilled chicken tenders?

Chicken tender is that easy-to-cook portion of chicken that I frequently use for my quick & healthy dinners! I have described what exactly chicken tenders mean in detail below.

Grilling these chicken tenders is super easy and can be done using a stove-top grilling pan or an electric griller similar to what I have used.

Those stunning grill marks look so tempting that you will love to make these grilled chicken tenders on repeat; more so because it’s way too easy to make!

You can serve your grilled chicken tenders with a side of a quick & simple salad of cucumber, tomato & onion or make a sandwich filler using a Greek yogurt dip!

Ingredients for grilled chicken tenders

Chicken tenders: If you are not familiar with this portion of chicken, you must give this a try after finishing reading this recipe of mine!

Chicken tenders are the little strips of meat that are delicately attached to the underside of each breast. You can read more about these here!

Like chicken breasts, chicken tenders also cook really fast and remain tender and juicy when cooked right.

So these chicken tenders become an ideal choice for a high protein meal on a busy weeknight when you are looking for a healthy, nutritious and tasty dinner!

Extra virgin olive oil: This is my choice of fat to cook my high protein grilled chicken tenders as the flavor of olive oil compliments the aromatics and spices beautifully in this grilled chicken recipe!

Aromatics: Chicken tenders are nothing but an extended portion of chicken breasts which is the leanest part of the bird; so you need to flavor it well to make it tasty as well as palatable.

Hence comes my 2 holy grail aromatics – onion powder and garlic powder! My recommendation is to keep these bottles of aromatics handy as they are really all-purpose!

Spices: Since this is specifically a quick weeknight recipe, I kept the spices minimal so that you don’t have to hunt for too many things – just cumin powder for an earthy flavor and chilli powder for that subtle kick!

Seasoning: Add salt and black pepper to taste to the marinating mixture. I have been using pink salt for a long time now and highly recommend it!

Lemon juice: Using a citrusy flavor adds a zing to the chicken and also keeps the meat tender, so do not skip it!

How to make high protein grilled chicken tenders?

Step 1: Wash the chicken tenders and pat them dry thoroughly using paper towels. Take the chicken tenders in a mixing bowl & set aside while you make the marinating mixture.

Pro tip: If you don’t easily get chicken tenders from your local meat shop, you can still make this recipe using chicken breasts.

First pound the chicken breast using a meat mallet to make it of even thickness; then cut out 2-inch wide slices of the chicken breast lengthwise. Voila!

Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, mix together all the other ingredients – olive oil, garlic & onion powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt & pepper and also the juice of half a lemon.

Step 3: Give everything a good mix ensuring all the powdered spices are mixed thoroughly with oil and lemon juice.

Step 4: Once you are happy with the marinade, pour it over the chicken tenders kept in the mixing bowl.

Step 5: Now preferably using your hand, start mixing the marinade with the chicken tenders ensuring each chicken tender is coated evenly on both sides.

Step 6: Take time to give a good massage to your chicken; once done leave it to marinate for at least an hour.

Step 7: When you are ready to grill, preheat your griller on high for 5 minutes. Brush the grill grates lightly with oil.

Step 8: Then place the marinated chicken tenders one by one over the grill plates leaving a gap between 2 pieces. Do not overcrowd the griller, do it in batches if needed.

Step 9: If you are using a grill press similar to mine, then close the griller by pressing the top cover over the chicken tenders.

Step 10: Let the chicken tenders grill for 5 to 6 minutes over high. Do not overcook the chicken.

Step 11: Switch off the griller and take the chicken tenders out using a tong on a serving platter.

Pro tip: If you are using a grill pan on a stovetop, flip over the chicken tenders after grilling for 3 minutes and continue grilling the other side for another 3 minutes.

Step 12: Serve your quick and easy high protein grilled chicken tenders with fresh salad and enjoy your low calorie weight loss meal!

More high protein chicken recipes from Flavor Quotient