Chicken Tenders
All you need is a few ingredients and a way to cook your chicken tenders and you’ve got delicious and crispy tenders. I used mine to make Snackwraps since McDonalds was being stingy with their return. Dunk these in whatever kind of sauce you prefer and make a meal out of it!
How to Dredge Chicken Tenders
Its best to do a wet to dry method for cooking chicken tenders. Using flour alone, or any dry mix alone does not ensure maximum crispiness. Using buttermilk ensures that a nice coating will stick to the chicken, but wont be an overbearing batter.
Creating the Perfect Wet Batter
The best kinds of wet batter have a few components:
- A Base
- My preferred base is either buttermilk or eggs, sometimes even both.
- Herbs and Spices
- Season your batter! This is going to ensure the chicken is tasty all the way through, especially since the outer crunchy batter is the first thing our tastebuds hit.
- A vinegar based ingredient
- I prefer to use either hot sauce or pickle juice, depending on the level of heat I’m looking for.
Choosing the Right Kind of Dry Batter
There’s so many ways to dry dredge your chicken, and so many ingredients to use. Here’s why each one is great and when you should use them:
- All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour creates a nice smooth but crispy crust on whatever you’re frying, and withstands hot oil temperatures well. (I prefer to add other ingredients to boost the AP flour dredge and ensure maximum crispiness.
- Corn Starch: In my opinion, this is the holy grail of fried chicken. A bit of corn starch in your AP will take it to the next level. It creates folds and creases in the batter, which is that fast food looking crispy fried chicken look we all know and love.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda allows for a bit of fluffiness in your chicken, if you prefer a thicker batter.
- Rice/Potato Flour: Although this flour is super light, you will receive a crispiness that coats chicken beautifully when mixed with eggs.
Keep in mind, all of these dry bases do not mix well with buttermilk, so choose your wet base accordingly!
Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Deep fryer or air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken breasts cut into strips
- Oil, for frying
Buttermilk Bath
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp all purpose seasoning
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Tony's Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
Dry Bath
- 3 cups All purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsbp Tony's Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- To a bowl with the sliced and cleaned chicken breasts, add in buttermilk and remaining ingredients and seasonings for buttermilk bath. Mix and combine well. Allow to marinate for 20 mins.2 lbs Chicken breasts, 3 cups buttermilk, 2 tbsp hot sauce, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp all purpose seasoning, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- To a separate bowl, add in all ingredients for the dry bath. Stir to ensure all ingredients have been evenly distributed among the flour.2 tsp Tony's Cajun Seasoning, 3 cups All purpose flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsbp Tony's Cajun Seasoning, 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- To a deep fryer, heat oil to 360℉. Once oil is hot, fry tenders until golden and cooked through, about six minutes. For air fryer, cook at 360℉ for about 15 minutes or until fully cooked, flipping halfway through.Oil, for frying
- Allow oil to drain for a few minutes, and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
