Enjoy one of Cracker Barrel’s most popular menu items with our version of their grilled chicken tenders recipe. Cracker Barrel is known for making delicious home-cooked food. We all loved the family favorites we had when we were growing up.
Who captures them better than Cracker Barrel? This taste-alike recipe gives you the restaurant taste without having to leave home. You can pick up chicken tenders at the grocery store or at most warehouse clubs, and with a couple of extra ingredients, we will show you how to get the restaurant taste in your kitchen.
Table of Contents
Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenders are simply scrumptious
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is known for making delicious home-cooked food. We all loved the family favorites we had there when we were growing up. Now, you can enjoy one of Cracker Barrel’s most popular menu items with our version of their chicken tenderloin recipe. And, best of all, this taste-alike copycat chicken recipe gives you the Cracker Barrel taste without having to leave home. All you need, apart from the chicken, of course, is Italian dressing, fresh lime juice, and honey.
Why a Chicken Breast Isn’t the Same as a Chicken Tenderloin
A chicken tenderloin is that part of the muscle that runs along the inside of each chicken breast half and is closest to the bone. Because it’s not a working muscle, it’s more tender than the breast and cooks more quickly. If a recipe calls for marinating your chicken tenders, you are marinating for flavor, not tenderness, because they are already extremely tender.
If you want to substitute chicken tenders for boneless, skinless breast halves, allow two or three tenders per serving, depending on their size.
For dishes that require you to pound the meat flat, tenders are easier to work with than breasts. Since chicken tenders are stickier than breast meat, coatings stick to them really well. This makes tenders perfect for breading or wrapping with prosciutto.
Tips for How to Cook Chicken Tenderloins
- Before going ahead with your recipe, cut off the small gristly white nob that you will see protruding from the top end of the tenderloin.
- Cook whole chicken tenders for approximately half the time as chicken breast halves.
- Chicken tenders are more porous than chicken breasts, so over marinating will cause them to take on too much liquid. If the marinade is a salty one (like many Asian marinades), don’t marinate for more than fifteen minutes or the salt will draw moisture out of the chicken.
- For stir-fry recipes, cut the tenders into one-inch pieces rather than thin slices, so that the meat doesn’t dry out.
- Add bite-size (one-inch) pieces of raw chicken tenders to soups close to the very end of cooking time. If you boil the tenders, they will toughen up. Gently simmer them until they are just cooked through – about three minutes.
- If baking whole tenders of different sizes, place the smaller ones at the front of your baking sheet. This makes it easier to remove the smaller ones from the oven a minute or so earlier than the larger ones.
Ingredients
- Chicken Tenders
- Honey
- Italian Dressing
- Fresh Lime Juice
How to make Cracker Barrel grilled chicken tenders
This recipe is super easy to make. The marinade is easy and well-balanced for chicken.
Mix dressing, lime juice, and honey together. Pour over chicken tenders, making sure all tenders are covered. Marinate for 1 hour.
Discard marinade after the chicken tenders are ready to be cooked. Braise tenders in a non-stick pan or grill to lightly golden in color and done but not dry.
Love Cracker Barrel? Try these copycat recipes
- How to Make Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake
- Brussel Sprouts and Kale Salad
- Egg In a Basket Breakfast
- Fully Loaded Hashbrowns
- Cracker Barrel Hashbrowns Casserole
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Katsu
- Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets
- Baked Chicken Leg Quarters Recipes
- Chili’s Chicken Crispers
- Berry Burst Chicken Salad
- Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
- Keto Chicken Divan
- Long John Silver’s Chicken Tenders
Be sure to check out more copycat restaurant favorites and easy chicken recipes.
Can’t get enough Copycat recipes? Be sure to subscribe to the mailing list. Drop me a comment down below of what you serve with your grilled chicken.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Grilled Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast tenders
- 1/2 cup Italian Dressing
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Mix dressing, lime juice, and honey together. Pour over chicken tenders, making sure all tenders are covered; marinate for 1 hour.
- Discard marinade after the chicken tenders are ready to be cooked. Braise tenders in a non-stick pan or grill to lightly golden in color but not dry.
Cindy.
These are really delicious with Olive Garden Italian dressing. Also, if you flatten your chicken tenders a little they’re better.
This is a very easy recipe that my family loves, never any leftovers!
laura
yum
sandra mcpherson
I worked for C.B. and I have made all of their recipes. All you need is chicken and italian dressing. Cover the tenders with the italian dressing, place in a covered container and merinade overnight. It is that easy.
Traci
How do they make their green beans?
Stephanie
Here you go.
https://copykat.com/cracker-barrel-the-old-country-country-green-beans/
GB
the video and written recipe is different? in the video you say one half of a 16 ounce bottle – that 8 oz/1 cup – not 1/2 cup? as to the honey, in the video you say 1 tablespoon but the written recipe says 1.5 teaspoon; and same with lime, 1 tsp vs a whole lime?
new cook – so I’m confused! but will try anyway.
thank you – as I LOVE CB’s grilled chicken tenders! yum …
Tereasa
The recipe was great!! The video helped. Thank you so much. I hope you are still doing this site
Stephanie
I am still recreating recipes 😉
plasterers bristol
These sound great. I love chicken recipes. Thanks for sharing this. Simon
Candice - the non-cook
Please provide a brand of Italian Dressing – I’m assuming you mean the “clearish” version.
Stephanie Manley
I prefer Wishbone Italian dressing or a store brand Italian dressing.
Dianne Champagne
My daughter~in~law said this is very good. I can’t wait to try it for young guests next week!
Ann
Hi Stephanie,
Cracker Barrel had for a short time fried chicken tenders with a delicious honey pepper dipping sauce, it was so good…but they no longer have it on the menu. Have you by any chance eaten it and know how it
was made. It was sweet & sour tasting with a bit of heat from the pepper. Thanking you in advance for
your help. I so enjoy the recipes you share with all of us. As of now I have not been disappointed in a
single recipe that I have tried. Keep up the delicious work.
Ann
SouthernGirl55
I am also looking for the honey/black pepper dipping sauce. I had it with the buttermilk fried chicken. It was a perfect blend. I noticed yesterday the buttermilk chicken is back but not the sauce. I would love to have the recipe!
fantasy01
At my age I have used a number of stoves. The problem I have with recipes is that they will tell you to cook at medium or medium hight heat yet I have never seen a stove with those particular settings.
stephaniemanley
I have seen some really old cookbooks, and perhaps stoves that specified the heat for the stove top portion.
fantasy01
You didn’t mention what the internal temp has to be for chicken which should be 160 – 165 F. I know you can remove it from the hear source at 155 F as it will continue to cook as it rests .
stephaniemanley
Great point. I will see what I can do to mention in the recipe what temperature to cook the chicken too. I appreciate your comments!
Meg B.
Going to try this tonight. I have never seen a recipe where u drained the seasoning from dressing so I made my own dressing and just didn’t add the seasonings. We’ll see how it turns out…..
stephaniemanley
I hope it turned out ok for you.
Sara Wright
Hello, I just made the Cracker Barrel chicken and it is GREAT! I am going to try a little more honey next time but other than that it was right on! I think this is going to be a family favorite! Thank you so much for this recipie and for all of the others. I can’t wait to try more! I have told everyone about your site! THANKS AGAIN!
stephaniemanley
Sara, I hope you had a chance to try more recipes!
JJ
I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Grilled Chicken Tenderloin Sandwich- I will make these and recreate the sandwich from memory. We have no CB in CA, so I miss it!
stephaniemanley
I wished there were more of them out there. They have good stuff.
Tonja
I use to be a grill cook at Cracker Barrel, and We used Marzetti Italian Dressing and nothing else and marinate for 12 hours.
Jcworkman_89
how much how do you make the hashbrown casserole
Erin
Yep I work there now and thats all they use… love those grilled tenders!!!
Msbear3
Is it just Italian? Or sweet Italian, or house Italian?
Loretta Wells
I asked at cb how they made them and they said exactly the same????
Linda
What is the brownish sauce on the plate with tenders?
Stephanie
It was some of the sauce that was in the pan after cooking.
Rose
@ Tonja – I wish your post wasn’t from so far back (2010) and you could tell me which Marzetti Italian Dressing they use – there are a few.
Biddy
Plain marzetti italian dressing?
sunnidayrain
I didnt have time to marinate so I just put all the ingredients in the pan and sauteed it with it and it turned out awesome!! Put green chilies and montrey jack cheese on it for their green chili chicken made with these strips! Yummmy!
SELENE
I MADE THESE LAST NIGHT. THEY WERE AWESOME. I CUT SOME UP ON A SALAD AND ATE THE REST BY THEMSELVES. NEXT TIME I’M GOING TO TRY WITH MORE HONEY.
Sarah M. White
My hubby and I made this today and it is GREAT! The only things we did differently then the recipie says is…We used lemon juice instead of lime (but we plan to buy some lime and try it next time). And we did NOT drain the Italian dressing. The kids loved it too!!