Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
To remove the tendon from the chicken, use the fork method: Place the tip/edge of the tendon between the tines of a fork. Grip the piece of the tendon between your fingers (using a paper towel) and pull hard. The tendon should pull out of the chicken, keeping the tender in tact.
Place flour in a shallow dish. Add ¼ teaspoon EACH salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and Italian seasoning to the flour and stir.
Place egg, water, and dash of hot sauce in a second shallow dish. Whisk to combine.
Place panko, parmesan, ½ teaspoon EACH salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning and ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika in a third shallow dish and stir to combine.
Dip each chicken tender in the flour, then in the egg, then in the panko to completely coat. Place on prepared pan.
Spray the tops with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 20 minutes, then flip the tenders and spray again. Continue baking until they're cooked through to 165°F (about 15-20 minutes more).
Serve hot with ranch or bbq sauce or mustard for dipping.