Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders with Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

Quantities are for 4 servings.

• 1 1/2 lb Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 each (large) Sweet potatoes
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 each Eggs
• 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Ketchup, for dipping
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F with one rack in the lower third and one in the upper third. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Cut the sweet potatoes (scrubbed, skins on) into fries about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches long. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt, spread on one pan in a single layer with a little space between them, and roast on the lower rack for 10 minutes while you bread the chicken.
3. Cut the chicken into strips about 1 inch wide. Set up three shallow dishes: flour mixed with 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper; the eggs beaten with a fork; and the panko mixed with the garlic powder, paprika, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
4. Bread the chicken: coat each strip in flour, dip in egg, then press into the panko. Use one hand for the wet steps and the other for the dry so your fingers don't get clumpy. Lay the strips on the second pan with space between them. Wash your hands, the cutting board, and anything else that touched raw chicken with hot soapy water.
5. Put the chicken on the upper rack, alongside the sweet potato fries. Bake 18-20 minutes, flipping the tenders and stirring the fries halfway, until the coating is golden, the fries are browned at the edges, and the thickest tender reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
6. Serve the tenders and fries hot, with ketchup for dipping.