What to Do With Leftover Chicken Tenders: 15 Creative Ideas

It’s easy and quick to make chicken tenders for dinner, but it can be hard to deal with the leftovers. Don’t throw away or let those leftover chicken tenders sit in the fridge for too long. Instead, get creative and make new meals with them.

Here are 15 creative ideas for using up leftover chicken tenders:

Turn Them Into Sliders or Sandwiches

Chicken tenders are a perfect protein for sliders and sandwiches. Try using them in chicken Parmesan sliders, buffalo chicken sliders with blue cheese, or a chicken tender club sandwich. Sliced or chopped tenders can be combined with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and condiments between buns, rolls, or bread slices.

Use Them as Pizza Toppings

Forget pepperoni – use chopped or sliced chicken tenders as fun pizza toppings. They pair well with classic pizza toppings like mushrooms, onions, peppers, and olives. You can also top pizzas with bbq chicken tenders, buffalo chicken tenders, or chicken tenders tossed with pesto.

Add Them to Salads

Chicken tenders make salads more filling and satisfying. Cut them into small pieces or slices to put on top of salads like Asian chicken noodle salad, chicken Caesar salad, or southwestern chicken salad. You can also crumble up extra chicken tenders and use them in chicken salad recipes.

Stuff Them Into Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a breeze to make for a quick meal. Spread shredded cheese on a tortilla, then put chopped chicken tenders on top of it. Fold the tortilla in half. Cook in a skillet until the cheese melts. Serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream.

Use as Fajita Filling

Saute sliced chicken tenders with bell peppers and onions to create easy chicken fajitas. Wrap in warm tortillas and top with cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo or guacamole.

Toss with Pasta

Pasta and chicken tenders go well together. You can dice the tenders and simmer them in your favorite pasta sauce, or you can add sliced tenders to pasta that has been tossed in olive oil or pesto. For extra flavor, sprinkle Parmesan on top.

Make Chicken Tender Wraps

Chicken tenders are naturally well-suited for wraps. Try burrito-style wraps with rice, beans salsa and cheese or lighter lettuce wraps with avocado and ranch dressing. The possibilities are endless!

Add to Soup

Chicken noodle gets an upgrade when you add diced chicken tenders You can also use them in chicken tortilla soup, chicken and dumpling soup, chicken and rice soup, or chicken pot pie soup.

Transform Into Tacos

Ground beef tacos got you bored? Swap in chopped or crumbled chicken tenders for a flavorful twist. Top with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and Mexican cheese.

Stir-Fry Over Rice

Slice chicken tenders and stir-fry with frozen veggies and teriyaki or sweet and sour sauce. Serve over a bed of white or brown rice for a well-balanced meal.

Make Chicken Fried Rice

Dice chicken tenders and toss them with cooked rice, vegetables like carrots peas and onions, and soy sauce. Quick chicken fried rice ready in a flash!

Bake Chicken Tender Mini Pot Pies

Chicken pot pie in single-serve form? Yes please! Add diced chicken tenders to individual ramekins or small pie dishes with veggies, gravy and biscuit dough. Bake until the dough is cooked through and golden.

Simmer in Soup

Add extra protein and flavor to soups by simmering diced chicken tenders in chicken noodle soup, chicken tortilla soup, chicken and dumpling soup, or other broth-based soups.

Mix Up Your Salad

Chopped or sliced chicken tenders make excellent mix-ins for green salads, grain bowls, chicken Caesar salads, and more. The tenders add hearty protein and contrasting texture.

Stuff in Quesadillas

Jazz up your quesadillas by adding sliced or chopped chicken tenders along with cheese between tortillas before cooking in a skillet until crispy. Serve with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

With a little creativity, you can transform leftover chicken tenders into all kinds of delicious new dishes. No more bland reheated tenders – put those leftovers to good use in sandwiches, pizzas, salads, tacos, stir-fries, and more!