Oh yes 😏 crispy fried chicken tenders—golden, crunchy, juicy, and basically irresistible. Here’s a straightforward recipe:
🍗 Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders
Ingredients (4 servings / ~12 tenders):
- 1 lb (450 g) chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into strips
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch (for extra crispiness)
- Oil for frying (vegetable, canola, or peanut oil)
Instructions:
- Marinate chicken:
- Mix chicken with buttermilk, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and half the paprika.
- Let sit at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight) in the fridge.
- Prepare coating:
- In a shallow bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, remaining salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Coat chicken:
- Remove chicken from buttermilk, let excess drip off, then dredge in flour mixture.
- Press flour gently to stick; for extra crunch, double-dredge by dipping back into buttermilk and flour again.
- Fry chicken:
- Heat oil in a deep pan/skillet to 350°F (175°C).
- Fry tenders in batches 4–6 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through (internal temp 165°F / 74°C).
- Drain on paper towels.
Tips & Variations:
- Oven-fried alternative: Bake at 425°F (220°C) on a greased sheet for 15–20 min, flipping halfway.
- Extra crunch: Add a pinch of baking powder to the flour mix.
- Spicy version: Add cayenne pepper or hot paprika to flour.
- Serve with: Honey mustard, ranch, BBQ sauce, or spicy mayo 😋
If you want, I can give a super quick 20-minute air fryer version that’s just as crispy with less oil.
Do you want me to do that?
