• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Grumpy's Honeybunch
  • HoneyB's Kitchen
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Low Carb Keto Recipes
  • Disclosure & Privacy Policy
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Videos
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Meal Plans
    • Shop
    • Contact
    • Videos
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Main Dish

    Sauteed Chicken Tenders

    Published: Oct 31, 2011 Last updated: Aug 21, 2022 by Shelby Law Ruttan · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Sharing is caring!

    10 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Chicken tenders are sauteed in a skillet then simmered in a seasoned garlic tomato sauce and served over your favorite pasta shape.
    Featured image for sauteed chicken tenders.
    Pin image for sauteed chicken tenders with garlic tomato sauce.

    These Sauteed Chicken Tenders are paired with a garlic tomato sauce and tossed with pasta for a quick weeknight dinner. It is one of my favorite recipe for chicken pasta dishes and is packed with protein and flavor.

    Hero Image for Sauteed Chicken Tenders with Garlic Tomato Sauce.
    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why you'll love it
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🥄 Equipment
    • 🥫Storage
    • 📖 Variations
    • 💭 Tips
    • 📚 Related Recipes
    • 🍽 Serve with...
    • 🏫 The last word
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❤️ Why you'll love it

    ✔️ This easy chicken dinner is one of the best ways to make a quick and easy meal on busy weeknights and leftovers are great the next day.

    ✔️ It is a healthy meal that is an easy recipe for the beginner cook.

    ✔️ This is one of the best chicken tender recipes for kids and the whole family will love it.

    🥘 Ingredients

    Chicken tenderloins: these cook fast and make it easy on weeknights.

    Black pepper: to season the chicken when cooking.

    Olive oil

    Garlic cloves

    Fresh parsley, I like to use fresh herbs for fresher flavors, but dried parsley can be used as well.

    Diced tomatoes with liquid, don't drain the liquid for this recipe.

    Vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

    Chicken bouillon cube, intensifies the flavor of the sauce and adds saltiness.

    Tomato paste, this adds deeper flavor and aids in thickening the tomato sauce.

    Bucatini pasta, this is what I used (I love i!), but you can use any pasta you have in the pantry.

    Sauteed Chicken Tenders in a skillet.
    Diced canned tomatoes.
    Canned diced tomatoes are something most people already have on hand and make weeknight dinners easy.
    Chopped fresh parsley in a bowl.
    Adding fresh parsley to the garlic tomato sauce adds a boost of freshness to this dish.
    Dried bucatini pasta in a stack.
    Bucatini pasta is my pasta of choice as I love how the sauce flows thru the tube of the pasta! Regular spaghetti works well here also.

    🔪 Instructions

    1. On a large skillet over medium high heat, heat olive oil until hot. Place chicken tenders in hot oil and season with black pepper. 
    2. In a large pot over high heat, cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water to make the tomato sauce.
    3. Cook tenders for 4 minutes on each side, reducing heat to medium heat if needed. Remove chicken pieces from pan and set aside.
    4. Leave oil from cooking chicken in pan. Add garlic to the oil and stir-fry for one minute.
    5. Add chopped parsley and stir-fry another 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, water, and chicken bouillon cube. 
    6. Bring tomato sauce to a boil then reduce heat. Place sauteed chicken tenders back in the skillet and simmer covered for 15 minutes. 
    7. Remove cover, remove chicken and set aside. 
    8. Add tomato paste and whisk into the sauce to combine. Simmer tomato sauce uncovered for 5 minutes or until sauce reduces in volume and thickens. 
    9. Return chicken to the sauce along with cooked pasta and toss to coat.

    🥄 Equipment

    Large skillet

    Tongs

    🥫Storage

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.

    📖 Variations

    • Bread the chicken breast tender in an egg wash and coat with bread crumbs. Fry in the skillet as instructed. Do not return to the skillet, rather make the sauce and then serve the sauce with pasta and crispy chicken strips. Top with fresh grated parmesan.
    • Saute ½ onion and red bell pepper, and mushrooms with the garlic to add chunky vegetables to the sauce.
    • Substitute chicken thighs, chicken cutlets, for the tenders. If using chicken breast, cut into strips or small pieces to enable quick cooking.
    • To add more flavors, season the chicken tenders with onion powder and garlic powder along with the black pepper when sauteeing.
    Featured image for sauteed chicken tenders.

    💭 Tips

    • Be sure to use a large enough pan, you want a large skillet with tall sides so you can cook the strips and the sauce in the same pan.
    • Make your own breast tenders by slicing a chicken breast into strips.
    • No need for a meat thermometer for this chicken recipe as the tenders are cooked long enough in the tomato sauce to ensure they are well cooked. However, if you use a larger cut (such as a chicken breast) be sure to check the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
    • Reduce fat by using olive oil cooking spray instead of olive oil.

    📚 Related Recipes

    Cheesy Penne Chicken Pasta

    Cajun Chicken Pasta - a copycat recipe

    Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles

    Baked Ziti with Italian Chicken Sausage

    🍽 Serve with...

    Serve these chicken tenders in tomato sauce with a green salad and side of homemade soft white bread or cheesy garlic bread.

    🏫 The last word

    I do not season the chicken tenders with salt when cooking due to the use of chicken bouillon. The bouillon adds enough salt to balance the flavors out. If more salt is needed, I recommend it be added to taste by each individual serving.


    Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

    When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

    If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

    📖 Recipe

    Featured image for sauteed chicken tenders.

    Sauteed Chicken Tenders in Garlic Tomato Sauce

    Shelby Law Ruttan
    Chicken tenders are sauteed in a skillet then simmered in a seasoned garlic tomato sauce and served over your favorite pasta shape.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Go to Collections
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Keto Main Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 440 kcal

    Equipment

    • Large skillet
    • Tongs

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 pounds chicken breast tenders
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
    • 1 cup diced tomatoes with liquid
    • 1½ cup vegetable broth
    • ½ cup hot pasta water , reserved from boiling pasta
    • 1 chicken boullion cube
    • 1½ tablespoon tomato paste
    • 12 ounces bucatini pasta

    Instructions
     

    • On a large skillet over medium high heat, heat olive oil until hot. Place chicken tenders in hot oil and season with black pepper. 
    • In a large pot over high heat, cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water to make the tomato sauce.
    • Cook tenders for 4 minutes on each side, reducing heat to medium heat if needed. Remove chicken pieces from pan and set aside.
    • Leave oil from cooking chicken in pan. Add garlic to the oil and stir-fry for one minute.
    • Add chopped parsley and stir-fry another 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, water, and chicken bouillon cube. Bring tomato sauce to a boil then reduce heat. Place sauteed chicken tenders back in the skillet and simmer covered for 15 minutes. 
    • Remove cover, remove chicken and set aside. Add tomato paste and whisk into the sauce to combine. Simmer tomato sauce uncovered for 5 minutes or until sauce reduces in volume and thickens. 
    • Serve chicken and sauce over top of pasta or toss pasta with sauce before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 40gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 505mgPotassium: 815mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 391IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Chicken in Garlic Tomato Sauce
    Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

    More Main Dish

    • Skillet Cod with Cilantro Lime Butter
    • Chile Rellenos with Salsa Roja
    • Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
    • Instant Pot Country Style Ribs

    About Shelby Law Ruttan

    Shelby is the author/owner of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Established in 2007, she shares and preserves family recipes as well as recipes for cooking light and keto. She has authored the One-Pot Paleo Cookbook and The Pescatarian Keto Cookbook. She is an experienced, self-taught home cook who loves to share recipes with others. She also authors the websites Honeybunch Hunts and The Best Vegetarian Recipes. You can see her work on websites such as Veal Made Easy, Parade, Community Table, SoFab Food, Yummly, and FoodGawker.

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christine

      November 07, 2011 at 11:34 pm

      Hi Shelby, Your Tenders with Buccatini recipe has been selected by Knapkins to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Please share the following link with your friends and fans. To play, go here: http://knapkins.com/guess_games/354?source=blog Congrats again!! 🙂

      Reply
    2. Ruth Daniels

      November 03, 2011 at 12:54 pm

      Looks and sounds delicious. I love buccatini. It brings out the kid in me... slurping through the noodles 😉 Thanks for sharing this one with Presto Pasta Nights this week.

      Reply
    3. Christine knapkins_com

      November 03, 2011 at 3:32 am

      Hi Shelby, Your Chicken Tenders in Garlic Tomato Sauce with Buccatini recipe has been selected to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Please share the following link with your friends and fans. To play, go here: http://knapkins.com/guess_games/295?source=blog Congrats again!! 🙂

      Reply
    4. Quirky Jessi

      November 03, 2011 at 3:14 am

      Mmmm, delicious. I've always loved pasta and as an adult, love it even more than I thought I ever would. Something about getting to play around with it more, serve it with various sauces or meats or whatever....it's satisfying it never has to be the same way twice, but it just as yummy if you repeat a standby recipe.

      But aaannnyyywwwaaayyy.... I love the large chunks of chicken tenders served on top. Sounds good!

      Reply
    5. Kathleen

      November 01, 2011 at 4:35 am

      YUM! This looks amazing!

      Reply
    6. Zesty Cook

      October 31, 2011 at 11:15 pm

      Love this recipe concept--it's a combination of two of my favorite foods!

      Reply
    7. Fallon

      October 31, 2011 at 3:31 pm

      That looks so good!! I love buccatini, such a fun noodle!

      Reply
    8. claudia @whats cookin

      October 31, 2011 at 11:31 am

      I just love your chicken dishes and this one is heavenly... looks like something we will all flip over how can you go wrong... with these flavors its a hit!

      Reply
    9. Jay

      October 31, 2011 at 10:41 am

      very flavorful n interesting dish...looks fabulous..;)
      Tasty Appetite

      Reply

    Leave a comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome! I'm Shelby Law Ruttan, author and content creator at Grumpy's Honeybunch. She is self taught in the kitchen and has been sharing keto low carb recipes and family recipes since 2007.

    More about me →

    Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
    Southern Sweet Potato Pie

    Trending Recipes

    • Keto Chicken Nuggets with Canned Chicken
    • Baked Red Snapper Recipe with Garlic Topping
    • Air Fryer Roast Beef with Herb Crust
    • Hot Fireball Apple Cider Toddy
    • Crockpot Venison Stew - Warm and Hearty
    • Mom's Rhubarb Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    About Shelby Law Ruttan

    Privacy Policy

    Terms and Conditions of Use

    Accessibility Statement

    As Featured In:

    Contact Shelby

    Contact

    Work with me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme

    10 shares