Description
Cracker Barrel grilled chicken tenders bring Southern comfort right to your kitchen with juicy, perfectly seasoned strips that promise pure culinary delight. Home cooks can easily recreate this restaurant favorite, delivering restaurant-quality flavor without leaving comfort zones.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 pounds (907 grams) chicken tenderloins
Marinade Ingredients:
- 2 cups Italian dressing
- 6 tablespoons honey
Flavor Enhancers:
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Combine zesty Italian dressing, tangy lime juice, and sweet honey in a mixing bowl, creating a vibrant marinade that will infuse the chicken with rich, complex flavors.
- Transfer raw chicken tenders into a sealed freezer bag, then carefully pour the prepared marinade over the meat, ensuring complete coverage.
- Refrigerate the marinating chicken for a minimum of 3 hours or ideally overnight to allow deep flavor penetration and tenderizing.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, creating optimal cooking conditions for achieving perfect char and sealed-in moisture.
- Carefully remove chicken tenders from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off, and discard the remaining marinade to prevent cross-contamination.
- Grill the chicken tenders, rotating once midway through cooking, until they develop golden-brown grill marks and reach a safe internal temperature of 165°F, which typically takes 8-12 minutes depending on thickness.
- Let the grilled chicken rest for 3-4 minutes after cooking to allow juices to redistribute, ensuring maximum tenderness and flavor retention.
Notes
- Marinate chicken for maximum flavor by letting it soak in the mixture for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight to enhance tenderness and taste.
- Avoid cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards and utensils when handling raw chicken, and always wash hands thoroughly.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free Italian dressing and ensure all ingredients are certified gluten-free.
- Prevent dryness by checking internal temperature with a meat thermometer and removing chicken from grill exactly when it reaches 165°F to maintain juiciness.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 415 kcal
- Sugar: 19 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg