BBQ potato chip chicken is juicy chicken strips coated in a tangy mayonnaise and Dijon mixture, shaken in crushed barbecue chips and baked until the crust is crunchy, smoky and golden. It’s a fun twist on chicken tenders that kids and grown-ups both reach for, and it’s on the table in 30 minutes.
How to make BBQ potato chip chicken: toss chicken strips in mayonnaise, Dijon, pepper and smoked paprika, shake them a few at a time in a bag of crushed barbecue chips, and bake on a lined pan at 375°F for 20 to 22 minutes, flipping halfway, until they reach 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- 30 minutes, with 10 minutes of hands-on prep.
- No flour, no eggs, no breadcrumbs. The chip bag is your breading station.
- Crunchy and smoky from the barbecue chips, tender inside.
- Baked, not fried, on one lined sheet pan.
Ingredient Notes
Barbecue potato chips. One family-size bag of your favorite barbecue chips.
Chicken. Four large chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into strips. You can also cut them into 1 1/2-inch chunks; the bake time stays the same.
The coating. One and a quarter cups of mayonnaise whisked with 1 1/2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and a pinch each of black pepper and smoked paprika. The chicken gets tossed in it before it meets the chips.
Ingredients
- 1 bag barbecue potato chips, family size
- 4 large chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into strips
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch smoked paprika
How to Make BBQ Potato Chip Chicken
1. Prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 375°F. Spread a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set it aside.
2. Crush the chips. Fold the open end of the chip bag over and press out a little of the trapped air. Scrunch the chips with your hands until they are small, uniform crushed pieces. Set aside.
3. Mix the coating. In a large mixing bowl whisk the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, black pepper and smoked paprika together until evenly combined.
4. Coat the chicken. Add the chicken strips to the bowl and toss until evenly coated.
5. Crumb the chicken. With tongs, move the strips to the bag of crushed chips, no more than 4 or 5 strips at a time. Hold the top of the bag closed and shake to coat the chicken with chip crumbs.
6. Fill the bare spots. Move the strips to the prepared pan, pressing on extra chips to cover any bare spots. Repeat until all the chicken is coated and on the pan.
7. Bake. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through, until the strips are cooked through and the thickest piece reads 165°F on a food thermometer.
8. Serve. Serve warm.
How to Keep the Chip Crust On and Crispy
The crunchy chip crust is the whole point, so the goal is to get it onto every strip and keep it there. These are the habits that make the difference.
Crush the chips in the bag. Squeeze out a little air, fold the top over and scrunch the bag with your hands until the chips are small and even. A food processor works too; pulse until you have crumbs with a few larger pieces still showing.
Shake a few at a time. Drop in no more than 4 or 5 strips, hold the bag closed and shake. Repeat with the next few.
Patch the bare spots. Once the strips are on the pan, press extra crushed chips onto any spots the shake missed.
Flip halfway. Turn the strips at about 10 minutes, halfway through the bake.
For extra crunch, bake on a rack. Set a wire rack inside the lined pan and spray it generously with nonstick spray, or the coating will stick to it. A light spray of oil over the tops also helps them turn more golden brown and crunchy.
| Set-up | Result |
|---|---|
| Foil or parchment-lined pan | Easy cleanup, flip halfway for even browning |
| Sprayed wire rack on the pan | Crust stays crisp on both sides |
| Tops sprayed with nonstick spray | More golden brown and crunchy |
Tips for Success
How do I know the chicken is done?
Don’t go by color alone. Push a food thermometer into the thickest strip. At 165°F, it’s done.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes. Bake them up to several hours ahead, refrigerate, then reheat in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, until they’re crisp again and reach 165°F inside.
Variations
- Barbecue sauce coating: instead of the mayonnaise mixture, toss 1 1/2 pounds of chicken in 1/3 cup thick barbecue sauce, then press it into 2 cups of finely crushed barbecue chips.
- Chicken chunks: cut the breasts into 1 1/2-inch chunks for bite-size pieces; bake for the same time.
- Ruffled chips: use ruffled barbecue chips so the crust doesn’t get soggy while it bakes.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. USDA FSIS notes that mayonnaise doesn’t freeze well, so the fridge is the better place for these. Reheat in a 350°F oven until they reach 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve the strips with extra barbecue sauce for dipping and a side salad. They’re a natural partner for good ole fashioned mac and cheese or slow cooker chicken and baked beans. If you love crispy, coated chicken, try bacon brown sugar chicken tenders, Longhorn parmesan crusted chicken or Ritz cracker chicken casserole. For a saucier barbecue dinner, there’s baked barbecue chicken thighs with onions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make breaded chicken with potato chips?
Coat the chicken in something that sticks, like the mayonnaise and Dijon mixture here or barbecue sauce, then shake it in crushed chips and bake it on a lined pan until it reaches 165°F.
What’s the best barbecue potato chip for this?
Whichever barbecue chip you like eating. Ruffled chips are a good pick because they don’t get soggy in the oven.
What dipping sauce goes with it?
Extra barbecue sauce is the easiest. For something creamy, stir together mayonnaise, ketchup and a little prepared horseradish; it keeps up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
Final Notes
Crush the chips while the oven heats, and the whole dinner is in the oven in 10 minutes. Tell me in the comments which barbecue chips you used.
BBQ Potato Chip Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 bag barbecue potato chips family size
- 4 large chicken breasts trimmed of fat and cut into strips
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch smoked paprika
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Spread a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set it aside.
- Fold the open end of the chip bag over and press out a little of the trapped air. Scrunch the chips with your hands until they are small, uniform crushed pieces. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, black pepper and smoked paprika together until evenly combined.
- Add the chicken strips to the bowl and toss until evenly coated.
- With tongs, move the strips to the bag of crushed chips, no more than 4 or 5 strips at a time. Hold the top of the bag closed and shake to coat the chicken with chip crumbs.
- Move the strips to the prepared pan, pressing on extra chips to cover any bare spots. Repeat until all the chicken is coated and on the pan.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through, until the strips are cooked through and the thickest piece reads 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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