One of the few things that my family can all agree to eat for dinner is chicken tenders. And there are a few really fantastic places that sell chicken tenders. One of my favorite places is Raising Canes. Uh, that place has fantastic chicken tenders. But here’s the thing, I would much rather have a delicious chicken tender recipe in my repertoire than spending a fortune on buying chicken from restaurants and fast-food places. And that’s exactly what this Fried Buttermilk Chicken Tenders recipe is- delicious!
In addition to saving me a fortune by cooking at home, I find a real comfort in knowing exactly every ingredient in my food. Is that just me? Even though these tenders are fried, I still feel way better about eating them because they’re homemade.
These Fried Buttermilk Chicken Tenders are so simple to make. They do, however, require some down-time to marinate in the buttermilk. Once the tenders have marinated in the buttermilk, it’s less than a half hour to delicious chicken tenders. Personally, I love to double this recipe and freeze some for later. Or set some aside in my refrigerator and chop up the tenders for salads during the week. But you do you. All that you need to know is that these chicken tenders are easy and so so delicious!
Let me show you how I made these Fried Buttermilk Chicken Tenders 👇🏻
The key to getting juicy, tender fried chicken has to do with marinating the chicken in the buttermilk. It’s the acidity in the buttermilk helps to break down protein structures in the chicken.
Marinate the Chicken Tenders.
Add 2 Lbs of chicken tenders to a large plastic bag, along with 2 cups buttermilk and 2 tbsp hot sauce. Close the bag and shake it up a bit to mix. Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 3-4 hours. Or up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook your chicken, remove the chicken from the refrigerator to take the chill off of it.
Set up your breading.
In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
Add 6 tbsp of buttermilk to the flour mixture. Use a fork to stir it up until the flour is clumpy. Don’t over stir! You want the flour clumpy. This will create delicious, crispy bits on the tenders.
Breading the tenders.
Drain the marinade from the chicken, discarding it. Dredge the tenders into the flour, patting it on so that the tenders are well coated. Place the breaded tenders onto a baking sheet and continue breading until all of the tenders are coated.
Let the chicken dry out (for at least 5-10 minutes) while you heat the oil for frying.
Frying the tenders.
Add enough oil to a pan (that’s good for frying) so that the oil is about 1.5” deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350-375 degrees.
Add a few tenders at a time into the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd too much (you don’t want the temperature of the oil to plummet).
Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes.
Then flip the tenders and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Continue cooking in 2-3 minute intervals and then flipping until the chicken is a deep golden color and is nice and crispy.
Remove the crispy tenders to a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle them with a little salt.
Continue cooking the rest of the tenders using the same method above until all of the tenders are cooked.
Serve the tenders with your favorite dipping sauce.
Enjoy!!
Note: These Fried Buttermilk Chicken Tenders are also super easy to freeze. Simply cook them as directed, allow them to cool, and them place them in an air-tight plastic bag and place them in the freezer. Freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat: preheat oven to 375 degrees and cook the tenders until warmed throughout and crispy, about 15 minutes.
These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe! These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.
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Fried Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs Chicken Tenders
- 2 Cups Buttermilk + 6 TBSP, divided
- 2 Tbsp Hot Sauce
- 2 Cups Flour
- 2 Tsp Paprika
- 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders in a plastic bag along with 2 cups buttermilk and 2 tbsp hot sauce. Close the bag and toss it around to mix it up. Place in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 3-4 hours. Or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to cook the chicken, remove the bag from the refrigerator, taking the chill off. Place the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large shallow bowl. Mix the ingredients up with a whisk.
- Add the 6 tbsp of buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir with a fork so that it is clumpy. Don’t overstir, you want it to be clumpy.
- Drain the marinade from the chicken, discarding it. Bread the chicken in the flour mixture, patting the flour onto the tenders so that they are well coated. Place the coated tenders onto a baking sheet.
- When all of the tenders have been breaded, let them air out for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the oil for frying.
- Add enough vegetable oil to a large pan (that’s good for frying) so that it’s about 1.5” deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350-375 degrees.
- Add a few tenders to the hot oil at a time. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes and flip. Continue to cook for 2-3 minute intervals and flipping until the chicken is a deep golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the crispy tenders to a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook the remaining tenders in the same method until all of the tenders are cooked. Enjoy!
Have you tried this recipe? Thinking about it? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave me your thoughts below in the comment section.
Looking for a different kind of chicken tender? These Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders are DELICIOUS!!
Welcome to Cupcakes and Sarcasm! My name is Maggie and I am the creator of C & S. I am a wife and mom of two beautiful kiddos. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and now live in Northeast Ohio with my family. I have been cooking and baking since I was a kid. I decided in 2017 that I wanted to share my passion (and recipes) with all of you! On this site, you’ll find easy and delicious recipes- both savory and sweet. I’ll also sprinkle in some stories of parenting and our adventures along the way.