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    Home » Smoked Chicken Tenders

    Smoked Chicken Tenders

    Scott Holmes Posted: June 30, 2020 Last Modified: September 3, 2020 This post may contain affiliate links, we may receive a commission if you purchase a product after clicking on one our our links at no additional cost to you.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These Smoked Chicken Tenders are easy enough to do on a weeknight, but so good you'll want them on weekends too! Chicken tenders are great for soaking up whatever flavors you throw at them and turn out great on the grill. Unfortunately, the line between undercooked and overcooked on such a thin lean meat can be super small. Add live fire and that line gets hard to consistently hit for many home cooks.

    Smoked Chicken Tender Plated

    To assure the chicken tenders don’t overcook I combine a lower temperature smoke with the principles of a reverse sear. Here I don’t aim to do any cooking during the sear. I want to develop a more appealing color than the skin tone crayon color of a smoked tender.

    Place the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Toss the chicken tenders in the bowl and mix with the marinade or pour it over them in a ziplock bag. Always put a ziplock bag with liquids in a bowl before you put it in the fridge. Trust me. Chicken tenders do not require long in a marinade, we go a couple hours max on this one. Even thirty minutes in advance of putting the on the grill will produce great results.

    marinade with a whisk in a metal mixing bowl on a rough wood table

    Get smoking

    Bring your grill or smoker up to 250F and add you preferred smoke wood. I like apple or hickory chunks for chicken, though you could go without and just rely on the smoke flavor from your coal in a pinch. I smoke these indirect, but I don’t use my platesetter, I just place them on the perimeter of my fire. On a smaller grill you may need to use your platesetter for this.

    chicken tenders on a big green egg with a glass of whiskey on a rough wood table with a glass of whiskey and leather gloves

    Smoke for about 45 minutes then open your grill and allow your fire to come to life. If you’re using hardwood chunks they’ll like like start flaming up which will be perfect. Once you find your hot spot move the chicken tenders over it and flip and rotate them just enough to get them a nice char. Make sure you’re over some good heat for this as it should only take a minute or two or you risk overcooking your tenders. Remove the tenders and rest in a covered dish or aluminum foil for 5 to 10 minutes.

    Dig in!

    We absolutely love these Smoked Chicken Tenders. And often served them with our Jalapeño Cream Sauce. They make great leftovers in wraps or cut up in pasta or salads. But their real versatility comes in the ways you can edit this recipe! Add some chili powder and cumin to serve them with warm tortillas and Mexican trimmings. Or you can add some thyme and basaltic vinegar and up the garlic and oregano to make it Italian.

    For a true American classic, pair them with some Mac and Cheese and top them with our White BBQ Sauce. Don't stop exploring there! We'd love to hear how you spin in in the comments!

    Smoked chicken tenders together resting on a glass pie plate.

    Smoked Chicken Tenders

    This recipe takes tender chicken and adds tons of flavor. It is great with any starch, and it doesn't take much to put a mexican spin on it and eat it in tacos or with rice and beans. We always make extra and use it for wraps and on salads for weekday lunches!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Rest time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Chicken, Chicken tenders, Grilling, Smoked
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 224kcal

    Equipment

    • Big Green Egg or other smoker

    Ingredients

    • 1½ lbs Chicken Tenders

    For the marinade

    • ¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • 2 cloves Garlic Minced
    • ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
    • 1 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard Creole Mustard also works great
    • ¼ tsp Black Pepper Ground
    • 1 tbsp Honey
    • 1 Pn Kosher Salt
    • 1 tsp Oregano

    Instructions

    • Place the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and use a whisk to combine.
    • Place the chicken tenders into a large bowl or ziplock bag and cover with marinade.
    • Marinade for 1-4 hours.
    • Prepare grill or smoker with a mild fruit wood or hickory chunks for flavor.
    • When temp is 250°F add tenders to grill or smoker and cook indirect with a mild fruit wood or hickory to smoke.
    • Smoke around 250°F for approximately 45 minutes.
    • If desired allow grill to heat up and cook tenders over direct flame for a few minutes to add color.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Spicy Smoked Chicken Wings
    Jalapeño Cream Sauce »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anita

      July 31, 2020 at 5:40 am

      5 stars
      These chicken tenders are delicious and perfect for a backyard BBQ. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Dannii

      July 31, 2020 at 6:41 am

      5 stars
      These sound amazing with the mustard. I can't wait to try them.

      Reply
    3. Katherine

      July 31, 2020 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      All those great flavors, and smoked! Such a winner.

      Reply
    4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry

      July 31, 2020 at 9:30 am

      5 stars
      These smoked chicken tenders sound and look wonderful! These would go down a treat in my house!

      Reply
    5. Sara A Martens

      December 13, 2021 at 9:18 pm

      5 stars
      Only way I'll make chicken now. So good!

      Reply
      • Scott Holmes

        December 13, 2021 at 9:20 pm

        Awesome, glad you enjoy it! What’s your way to use the leftovers?

        Reply

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