Best Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders Recipes

KIKI'S FAVORITE DEEP-FRIED BUTTERMILK CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Mix buttermilk and 1 tablespoon seasoned salt together in a bowl. Stir in chicken tenders. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 6 hours.
• Preheat oven to 170 degrees F (75 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with paper towels; place a cooling rack on sheet and set in oven.
• Mix remaining 1 tablespoon seasoned salt, panko bread crumbs, and pepper together in a large, flat bowl.
• Remove tenders from marinade one at a time and shake to remove excess buttermilk. Roll pieces in panko mixture and place on a large platter.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 370 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time in hot oil until browned and crispy, about 3 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack in oven to keep them warm as you fry.

BUTTERMILK WAFFLES WITH BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• For the waffles: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
• In a second bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth, then whisk in the buttermilk and butter until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until the batter comes together; there will be lumps. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Set a baking rack over baking sheet and place on the center rack. Preheat a waffle maker according to manufacturer's instructions and brush with melted butter.
• For each waffle, ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the iron. Cover and cook until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes; the waffles will be a little misshapen--not perfectly square, with rounded corners. As you go, transfer the cooked waffles to the baking rack in the oven and hold there while you fry the chicken.
• For the fried chicken: While the waffle batter rests, place the chicken tenders in a resealable plastic bag. Add 1 cup of the buttermilk and the hot sauce, then seal the bag and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the garlic powder, onion powder, chile de arbol, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Transfer half of the flour mixture to a second bowl. In a third bowl, put the remaining 1 cup buttermilk.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a high-sided skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat until it registers 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, dredge the chicken in the first dish of seasoned flour, then dip in the buttermilk, letting excess drain off, and finally dredge in the second bowl of seasoned flour, tapping off excess. Fry until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt.
• To serve, put two waffles on each of four plates. Top them with three tenders and drizzle all with hot sauce, if desired, and honey.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Steps:

• Combine the chicken tenders with all of the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Seal the bag tightly and smush it around to ensure chicken tenders are evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning. Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours. Make the breading by combining the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined, then add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until mixture is evenly clumpy. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the flour mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It's best to use one hand to remove the tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.) Set breaded tenders on prepared baking sheet. Line another baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set aside. Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about 3/4-inch. Heat over high heat until oil is shimmering. (If a cube of bread sizzles when you drop it in, it's ready.) Using tongs, place several chicken tenders in the hot oil without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, a few minutes, then flip and cook until second side is also golden, a few minutes more. Set cooked tenders on baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Fry remaining tenders in batches. Serve hot.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Combine buttermilk, milk, onion, jalapeno, salt, and Tabasco. Add chicken, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to warm (250f). Set cooling racks over rimmed baking sheets. In a large bowl or ziploc bag, combine the flour, granulated garlic, onion powder, thyme, sage, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. In a large pot, pour in enough oil to come up to 2 inches. Set over medium-high heat until oil registers 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches of 4 to 5 pieces, remove chicken from marinade, shaking to remove any vegetables and excess liquid, and dredge in the seasoned flour. Fry chicken pieces, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes total per batch. Transfer chicken to wire racks and warm in oven while frying remaining batches. Serve chicken fingers with ranch dressing, if desired.

COUNTRY FRIED BUTTERMILK CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine buttermilk, salt, garlic and onion. (can also add in red pepper or hot sauce!)
• Submerged chicken into mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Stir in remaining spices (feel free to cut back on the spices by half if you don't like extra seasoned chicken. I always taste my flour to make sure it's seasoned well.)
• Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, letting most but not all of the excess buttermilk drip off.
• Place the chicken into the flour mixture and with the other hand, coat the chicken completely with the flour.
• Place coated chicken on a plate and continue until all the chicken is coated heavily with flour.
• Let the chicken rest until the flour looks as though it is getting absorbed (very important to prevent the coating for sliding off)
• When it's time to fry the chicken, heat oil in a cast iron skillet. The oil is hot enough when a leftover clump of flour fries gently.
• Gently lower the tenders into the hot oil a few at a time. The oil should be steady with lots of calm bubbles. It should not be sputtering, smoking or popping out of the pan. Reduce the heat if needed.
• Cook until underside is golden and then flip and continue cooking until that side is golden and crispy. (Cooking times will vary based on thickness.)
• Remove from oil and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels or a cooking rack.
• Serve hot!