Sesame Chicken Fingers with Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce

Chicken fingers, tenders marinated in buttermilk, breaded with panko and sesame seeds, baked, served with spicy orange sauce

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated June 09, 2022
Elise Bauer
Sesame Chicken Fingers
Elise Bauer

Chicken fingers! The ultimate finger food, perfect for dipping.

The challenge is, how to make crispy tender chicken fingers without having to deep fry them?

With this baked sesame chicken finger recipe we first marinate the chicken tenders in buttermilk. Then we dredge the tenders in a breadcrumb mixture with crispy panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds that have been browned and mixed with a little olive oil so they don't dry out in the oven.

We bake the tenders while quickly mixing together a spicy sauce made with orange marmalade and sriracha.

Sesame Chicken Fingers
Elise Bauer

Not counting the marinating time (which you can do hours in advance if you want), the whole dish comes together quickly. It's kid-friendly, adult-friendly, and party-friendly.

By the way, it took us several tries to land on this particular recipe (my sweetheart can attest to the dry and tough rejects that even he didn't want to eat), and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. I hope you like it too!

Sesame Chicken Fingers with Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (can sub a scant 1/2 cup of milk that has been mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice)

  • 1 tablespoon orange marmalade

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Breading:

  • 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs

  • 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Dipping sauce:

  • 1/2 cup sweet orange marmalade

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce

  • 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar

Method

  1. Marinate the chicken:

    Mix marinade ingredients (buttermilk, marmalade, soy sauce) in a medium bowl. Add the chicken tenders to the marinade and stir to coat completely with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour (or longer).

    marinate chicken tenders in buttermilk mixture
    Elise Bauer
  2. Prepare the breading:

    While the chicken is marinating, prepare the breading. Heat a medium sized thick-bottomed skillet on medium high heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs to the dry hot pan and spread the breadcrumbs so they are in an even layer in the pan. Lower the heat to medium and stir frequently until the breadcrumbs begin to brown.

    Once you can see visible browning, stir in the raw sesame seeds. Continue to cook in the pan, stirring frequently until the mixture is a deep golden color. Remove from heat.

    Stir in the olive oil and the salt and stir until all of the breadcrumbs and sesame seeds are lightly coated with the oil.

    toast panko and sesame seeds
    Elise Bauer
    stir in olive oil
    Elise Bauer
  3. Dredge chicken in breading:

    Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Line a roasting with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top. Brush or spray the rack with a little cooking oil. Place the toasted breadcrumb mixture in a shallow bowl for dredging.

    Remove the chicken tenders one at a time from the marinade (do not wipe off the marinade) and dredge them in the bread crumb mixture. Place them on the prepared rack on the roasting pan.

    dredge chicken tenders
    Elise Bauer
    place breaded chicken fingers on rack over aluminum foil lined baking pan
    Elise Bauer
  4. Bake:

    Bake chicken tenders at 400°F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

  5. Make dipping sauce:

    While the chicken tenders are baking, prepare the dipping sauce. In a small bowl stir together the orange marmalade, soy sauce, sriracha hot sauce, and seasoned rice vinegar.

    Serve sesame chicken fingers with the spicy orange dipping sauce.

Sesame Chicken Fingers
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
698 Calories
32g Fat
73g Carbs
32g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 698
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 66mg 22%
Sodium 1783mg 78%
Total Carbohydrate 73g 27%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 178mg 14%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 601mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.