Sweet and Tangy Stuffed Chicken Tenders

Unexpectedly stuffed with a delicious prawn filling, fried to crispy perfection, and served with a tangy-sweet blood orange gastrique, a simple chicken tenderloin is elevated to Michelin-worthy levels of taste and presentation. It sounds tricky – but trust us – it only sounds that way! Embrace the “extra,” wow with your culinary skills, and create a dining experience that they’ll never forget. 

This recipe is featured as part of the Attainable Opulence trend from the 2026 Flavor Forecast. 

Ingredients

Procedure

Procedure

1. Place all ingredients for the Blood Orange Gastrique in small non-reactive, heavy saucepan. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Cook until mixture has reduced to about 1 cup and has the consistency of a thick syrup, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container or jar. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour before serving to bring to room temperature.
2. To make the Filling, place herbs, spices and salt in food processer. Pulse until very finely ground. Add shrimp. Process 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is a smooth paste. Add egg and cream; process 1 minute longer to mix well. (If mixture is not completely blended after 1 minute, transfer to bowl and mix with rubber spatula until ingredients are evenly distributed.) Transfer filling to piping bag and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
3. For the Stuffed Chicken, pat tenderloins dry. Use a small sharp knife to cut a 2- to 3-inch slit down the long side of each tender to create a pocket. Be careful not to cut all the way through and leave at least 1 inch of chicken tenderloin intact at each end to help enclose filling.
4. Insert tip of piping bag into pocket in chicken tenderloin. Squeeze bag gently to fill pocket with mixture, being careful not to overfill. (It’s OK if the filling spreads the chicken open slightly, the batter will cover this!) Once filled, refrigerate about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Fill large deep saucepan or Dutch oven about two-thirds of the way with oil (or use deep fryer). Heat oil to 350ºF. Mix all ingredients for the Crispy Coating in medium bowl. Place 2 cups of the Crispy Coating mixture in separate large bowl; add ice-cold water and whisk until well blended.
6. Coat stuffed tenders in remaining dry Crispy Coating mixture. Then dip in batter to coat well.
7. Working in batches as needed, fry tenders in hot oil 6 to 8 minutes, turning frequently until chicken and filling is cooked through and coating is golden brown and crispy. Remove from fryer and place on wire rack set over a sheet pan to drain.
8. Place Stuffed Chicken Tenders in large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the Blood Orange Gastrique, tossing to coat. Serve immediately with remaining Gastrique on the side for dipping.