Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
Chicken Tenders
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders are flavorful and juicy with an irresistible crunchy fried coating - great as appetizers with dipping sauce!
Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Cholula or Tobasco hot sauce
- 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders about 10 tenders
- Vegetable oil or shortening for frying at least 4 cups
Instructions
- Be sure that chicken is thawed completely, drained, and pat dry with paper towels.
- Fill a dutch oven or heavy stock pot with at least 4 inches of oil, preferably 6”. Heat the oil until it reaches 350°F (this will take 15 minutes or so) Get the oil heating while preparing the chicken.
- In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder in a shallow bowl or on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Dip each side of the chicken tenders in the flour mixture, then dip into the buttermilk mixture and back into the flour mixture. For extra breading, repeat this process one more time.
- Carefully drop one chicken piece at a time into heated oil and fry until cooked through (the center should reach 165°F). The outside should be deep golden brown and crispy. Maintain an oil temperature of 350°F for best results. The chicken tenders will cook through in about 5 minutes. I’ve found that as long as the oil temperature is maintained correctly, the chicken will be cooked by the time the breading is a deep golden brown.
- Place cooked chicken on paper towels or brown paper bags to soak up excess oil.
- Serve immediately.
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Notes
- Using chicken tenders that aren’t too thick will ensure that you get perfectly fried chicken (about ½” in thickness).
- Maintain a decent depth of oil for adequate frying and use a food thermometer to check that the temperature of the oil is exactly at 350℉ before adding the chicken.
- A Dutch oven tends to work well for stovetop deep frying since it maintains the temperature more evenly than lightweight pots and pans. The temperature of the oil will naturally drop when you add the chicken so you should avoid adding too many chicken tenders at once which can lead to a more dramatic shift in oil temperature. Similarly, the oil can easily heat above 350°F, burning the breading before the chicken is cooked through.
- The seasonings add a little punch of flavor to the breading. You can easily kick up the amount of hot sauce or add buffalo sauce for a spicier chicken tender.
- Two coatings of buttermilk and flour mixture make a nice, crispy thick breading although not necessary but I tend to think it’s well worth the effort since it’s so yummy and you’re already making the effort of deep frying!
- Make use of vegetable oil, shortening, or even peanut oil for the best results.
- If you have access to a deep fryer, go ahead and use that since it also maintains oil temperature really well and you won’t have to discard the oil each time.
- Use a strainer for lifting your fried chicken tenders from the hot oil or tongs. Both are good options that are less likely to break the breading apart.
Nutrition
Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 477mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
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