Tonight, I am making something a little different, yet a little predictable. We tend to eat a lot of chicken breast and rice in our house but this time I’m going to try something a little different by using everything bagel seasoning in the chicken tender breading and adding some spinach to the rice. The following recipes are what I chose to follow!
Everything Bagel Baked Chicken Tenders
https://www.averiecooks.com/everything-bagel-baked-chicken-tenders/
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning (or homemade as outlined in the blog post)
- 1 large egg
- 1 to 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders
- ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, ketchup, etc. for serving if desired
![]()
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier cleanup; set aside.
- To a large zip-top, the storage bag adds the panko, everything bagel seasoning, and stir to combine; set the bag aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the egg, lightly beat it with a fork, add the chicken, and toss and flip chicken with the fork so all pieces are coated evenly.
- Remove chicken from the bowl using the fork (discard excess egg), drop it into the plastic bag, seal bag, and toss and shake the bag to evenly coat the chicken.
- Place chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced. If there is excess panko in the bag, use your fingers to push it onto the chicken in sparsely coated areas.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, flip midway through to ensure even cooking. Serve immediately with your favorite dip or dressing if desired. The chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months, noting that reheated chicken will not retain its crispiness.
Something that often happens with chicken is that it becomes too dry and can easily be over or undercooked. But, this chicken tender recipe is wonderful and the tenders turn out perfectly tender and moist if you follow the instructions and combine it with a little bit of intuition.
I chose to serve my husband’s chicken tenders with ranch dressing as well as a side of Frank’s Hot Sauce whereas I only served my own chicken tenders with ranch. Our son didn’t use a dipping sauce but I’m sure ketchup or blue cheese dressing would work really well with them.
Spinach Parmesan Rice Bake
https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/spinach-parmesan-rice-bake/#wprm-recipe-container-14379
Ingredients
- 1 (10 ounces) package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed to remove excess liquid)
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped onions or 2 large green onions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
- shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
![]()
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease an11 x 7-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine spinach, rice, butter, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onions, garlic, eggs, and milk until well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes and then top with mozzarella cheese the last 5 minutes of baking if desired.
The spinach and rice bake is something I haven’t made before but I happily will again. I was pleasantly surprised by this meal and how much my family enjoyed it. While my husband and I will eat practically anything, our three-year-old son is quite picky (as most kids are) and even our son was excited to try it!
