Copycat Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenders Recipe

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Cracker Barrel is one of this southern girl’s all-time favorite restaurants. I have been looking for a good copycat Cracker Barrel grilled chicken tenders recipe. Whether served with veggies, on a sandwich or a big green salad the grilled chicken has a very distinct flavor. Since we changed our diet earlier this year I’ve been trying different recipes. Since I already knew how much my family loved Cracker Barrel’s grilled chicken, I was hoping that the copycat recipes I found online were going to turn out much like the original. I changed up the recipe a little, most called for lime juice I substituted lemon and adjusted the amount of salad dressing and honey. You can find various versions of this recipe online all over the web. Some of my favorite versions can be found at mommyskitchen.net, food.com, ahensnest.com, and everydaysistersblog.com to name a few.

.If you don’t have a little whisk, you might want to grab one next time you are out. I love this smaller sized one.

I love this “measure from above” liquid measuring cup. This is genius I tell you, so much easier than having to look eye level at a measuring cup to determine the appropriate measurement. Especially now that my daughter is getting older, she loves to be my little helper in the kitchen. I can also slip in measurement lessons when we can both clearly see the measurements from above.

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Here’s a tip for you if raw meat freaks you out like it does me. I won’t touch it. I go to great lengths during meal prep to only allow raw meat to touch surfaces that can be thrown away, like a zip lock bag. I know you can marinate in a bowl, or tupperware dish but then I’ve got to make sure that I disinfect everything. Since I am obviously a little  extremely OCD about germs from raw meat it just works out better if I use zip lock bags. If you’ve ever tried to dump chicken and a marinade in a zip lock bag you know it can be a little challenging. If I fold my zip lock bag over the rim of my 4 cup measuring cup like in the image above clean up is a breeze. I don’t get any ooey goey chicken juice on the outside of the bag or my counter. Laugh if you want to, but I KNOW I can’t be the only one who is grossed out by raw meat.

My family LOVED this recipe. They ate every single bite of chicken, and asked when I was going to make it again. The clean up was minimal, I made with green beans and a fresh salad for a healthy low fat, low carb dinner.

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4.62 from 13 votes

Copycat Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenders Recipe

Author: Kasey Trenum

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
• 1 cup low fat zesty Italian salad dressing
• 1 tablespoon + an extra squirt of honey
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice may substitute lime juice

Instructions

• Combine Italian dressing, honey and lemon juice in a measuring cup. Whisk together until blended.
• Place chicken tenderloins in a gallon sized zip lock bag.
• Pour marinade over chicken, squeeze out excess air and seal.
• Turn bag over several times to make sure that the marinade covers chicken completely.
• Marinade at least an hour, or overnight in fridge.
• Pour all ingredients into a skillet (I used a cast iron skillet) and cook over medium heat.
• All of the extra liquid will evaporate, don't worry.
• Cook over medium heat for 40-45 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
• I set my timer for 10 minute intervals so I wouldn't forget.
• Each time the timer goes off, stir then reset timer for another 10 minutes.
• After 40-45 minutes the liquid will have evaporated leaving a yummy browned caramelized coating on the chicken.
• Enjoy!

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