Super Crispy Chicken Tenders

4 Servings
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

The best recipe for juicy, flavorful Super Crispy Chicken Tenders made with chicken breasts and buttermilk. Plus oven and air fryer options!

When it comes to family-friendly Main Dishes, you can’t go wrong with some fried chicken pieces dunked in tasty sauces. For more dippable Crispy Chicken Recipes, check out my Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Boneless Wings too!

Sabrina’s Super Crispy Chicken Tenders Recipe

If you want to crack the code for making chicken tenders crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and incredibly flavorful, this is the recipe for you! The key is the buttermilk marinade, which does mean adding 30 minutes to the prep time, but the tender juicy chicken is worth it! Once the chicken is tenderized, it gets double coated in seasoned flour and deep fried. The result is an extra crunchy coating that tastes like you got it from a fried chicken restaurant!

Making homemade chicken fingers is perfect for fast food cravings especially when you are on a budget! They also make a great cheap and easy appetizer for game-day parties. Save even more money by making your homemade sauces – I’ve included some of my favorites with links to their recipes at the bottom of this post. Plus, there are directions for oven-baked and air-fryer versions in case you want to save some calories while you’re saving money!

Ingredients

  • Chicken: Cutting chicken breasts into your own tenders is budget-friendly so that’s what I’m doing here. Cut them long-wise into even strips.You can flatten the thick part of the breast a bit to make them more even before cutting.
  • Buttermilk: This is the secret ingredient for getting juicy tenders without having to buy expensive tenderloins. It breaks down the muscly cut of meat and adds a bit of fat for moist, flavorful chicken. See my Frequent Questions for how to substitute buttermilk.
  • Hot Sauce: The hot sauce adds a little bit of flavor to the chicken but more importantly it helps break it down for more tender meat. Don’t worry, it won’t make the tenders spicy.
  • Flour: I’m using regular all-purpose flour.
  • Seasoning: I keep the seasoning simple with a little garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Feel free to adjust, see my Variations section for ideas.
  • Baking Powder: Baking powder adds some air to the breading mixture while it cooks, making it lighter for a crispier, crunchier coating.
  • Oil: You’ll want to use a neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point like canola, peanut, or vegetable oil.

How to Make

Time needed: 1 hour.

  1. Marinade the Chicken

    Marinade the chicken tenders. 30 minutes at room temperature is ideal. Don’t put it in the fridge or the breading will fall off. 

  2. First Coating

    Coat the fingers with the buttermilk on them in the flour mix. Don’t pat them dry before doing this. They need to have the marinade on them to help the flour stick.

  3. Second Coating

    Coat the fingers a second time into the flour and then back into the whisked eggs. Don’t pat flat, really let it get thick on the chicken. You need all the nooks and crannies to get the desired crispy consistency.

  4. Fry and Serve

    Fry in the oil (or bake them) until ready. Drain on a wire rack (NOT paper towel!) and serve while they are still warm. Enjoy!

Recipe Card

Super Crispy Chicken Tenders

The best recipe for juicy, flavorful Super Crispy Chicken Tenders made with chicken breasts and buttermilk. Plus oven and air fryer options!
Yield 4 Servings
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 4 chicken breasts , boneless, skinless
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 large eggs , beaten
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon course ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken breasts into four tenders each and soak them in a bowl with the buttermilk and hot sauce for 30 minutes.
  • Add the eggs to one bowl and the flour and spices to a second bowl.
  • Dip each piece of chicken from the buttermilk bowl to the flour mixture.
  • Dip it into the eggs then back into the flour mixture.
  • Shake excess flour gently off and put the chicken onto a baking sheet.
  • Repeat with all the pieces.
  • Heat the oil (three inches deep) in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat to 350 degrees.
  • Fry the chicken in small batches for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

1 serving is 4 chicken tenders.

Nutrition

Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 244mg | Sodium: 1855mg | Potassium: 1028mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 336IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 4mg

Chef’s Note: Tenders or Tenderloins?

You may be wondering why I am using cut up chicken breasts instead of chicken tenderloins. The main reason is cost! Chicken tenderloins are a small piece of meat under the breast that has a little more fat and sodium so it’s a bit more tender and juicy. But since it’s a smaller cut, it is usually way more expensive per pound than regular chicken breast. For a dish like fried chicken, I just don’t think it’s worth the cost. My buttermilk marinade tenderizes the meat so you get a similar juicy piece of chicken without breaking the bank.

Can This Be Made Ahead?

It’s best to prepare these and serve them fresh for the crispiest texture. However, if you store them uncovered in the fridge overnight, you can reheat them in the oven at 300 degrees for 7-10 minutes to heat and crisp them up.

Nutritional Facts

Nutrition Facts
Super Crispy Chicken Tenders
Amount Per Serving
Calories 560 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 0.04g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 244mg81%
Sodium 1855mg81%
Potassium 1028mg29%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 60g120%
Vitamin A 336IU7%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 114mg11%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

How to Store

  • Store: Serve these while they are still hot. They’ll be ready to serve after they have drained on the wire rack. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • Reheating: Reheat in the air fryer, oven, or toaster oven to maintain crispiness. The microwave will make them soggy. 
  • Freeze: You can keep these in the freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Alternative Cooking Methods

Oven Baked Method

  • Marinade as usual.
  • You are going to use 1 cup flour and 1 cup of breadcrumbs, each in separate bowls. Divide the spices between the flour bowl and breadcrumb bowl.
  • Dredge the chicken from the buttermilk into the flour, then to the eggs, and finally into the breadcrumbs.
  • Add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or coated with cooking spray.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush the tops of each tender with melted butter. You can also spray with cooking spray but melted butter will give better flavor.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

Air Fryer Method

  • Prepare the chicken for frying as usual, no adjustments to the marinade or breading.
  • Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
  • Once the chicken has been breaded with flour, lay them in a single layer in the air fryer basket on the tray.
  • You’ll need to work in batches. Don’t crowd them or let them touch, you want there to be enough room for the air to circulate.
  • Cook at 400 degrees for 6 minutes, flip the tenders, and cook another 5-7 minutes until they are cooked through and golden.

Homemade Dipping Sauce Recipes

Whether it’s a popular fast food sauce or classic dip, these recipes are perfect for dunking homemade chicken fingers! Check out my complete Sauce Collection for more ideas.

Frequent Questions

What is a buttermilk substitute?

Make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or fresh lemon juice) to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough whole milk to bring it to 1 cup. Let the milk sit for 10 minutes. Stir and use as usual in your recipes! (For 2 cups of buttermilk, increase the vinegar to 3 tablespoons and rest for 15 minutes)

How can I keep them crispy once fried?

Once fried you can keep the chicken tenders crispy on a baking sheet or a cookie sheet in a low oven at 250 degrees while you finish frying the remaining chicken tenders or keep them warm until your event starts. The low temperature will ensure the chicken fingers stay juicy too, it isn’t hot enough to dry them out unless you leave them in there for hours. Do not cover the chicken or put it on paper towel as it will create steam which will ruin the texture of the crispy chicken.

Why marinate in buttermilk?

The buttermilk acts as a tenderizer which makes the chicken juicy. Even just a half an hour soak will help with flavor and it also acts as a binding agent for the first coat of seasoned flour. Even if the chicken tenders are going to be oven-baked they should still be marinaded in buttermilk before baking.

Can I substitute the flour for breadcrumbs?

No, for this recipe I would not recommend swapping in breadcrumbs one to one. The breading won’t stick well without adjustments and it won’t fry the same in general. If you want to use breadcrumbs, see my Breaded Chicken recipe.

The breading keeps falling off. How do I keep it on the chicken? 

If your breading keeps falling off, it could mean that the oil temperature might be too high or too low while cooking. The oil temperature should be held at 350 degrees. Also you don’t want to bread and fry the chicken when it’s cold, room temperature will fry faster and the breading will stick better.

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Variations

  • Italian: Swap out the paprika for grated parmesan cheese and ½ teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
  • Spices: Add spices like cumin, onion powder, curry powder, or use spice blends to kick up the flavor. I like to add 1 teaspoon of Taco Seasoning a Cajun spice blend. You could also add some dried herbs like oregano or basil, but I like to grind them until they are fine to mix better. A little cayenne pepper or chipotle powder add a nice heat for spicy chicken.
  • KFC Secret Recipe: The addition of the spices that are used in my copycat KFC Potato Wedges recipe takes these chicken fingers over the top.

More Tasty Chicken Dippers!

Cooked chicken tenders in basket and holding tender.

Photos used in a previous version of this post:

Chicken Tender held sideways up to camera lens
Holding chicken tender upright.
Holding tender vertical and recipe name across middle.
Basket of cooked chicken tenders.

chicken tenders platter

crispy chicken tenders

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Followed recipe to the letter but not very crispy. I finished in the air fryer. Tasted great and I’ll try them again.

  2. I was reluctant to try this recipe because most other recipes I’ve tried that say they yield “crispy” chicken tenders, usually don’t make crispy chicken tenders at all. However I followed through with every step, (I added extra seasoning as I see fit because I like it extra flavorful) the end result was AMAZING. It was the perfect amount of crispy I wanted, with the right level of softness to it as well. I have dinner for today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow! I saved this recipe to do it again, definitely a favorite.
    Ps. I used chicken thighs because of preference, it still cooked wonderfully! Just cut off the fat.

  3. This sounds delicious! I’m thinking about making these in the air fryer instead. When you mention breading for the air fryer is that flour & egg or would that be panko or breadcrumbs. Thanks in advance.

  4. I wasn’t sure how they were going to turn out, but I’m so happy they turned out the way you mentioned. My hubby and I loooved them, we’re definitely going to remake this recipe whenever we’re craving Raising Canes. I bought chicken tenderloins so I wouldn’t have to spend time cutting the chicken breast, and they turned out great— so crunchy and delicious~

  5. The best chicken tenderloin I have ever had! I fried these chicken tenderloins instead of baking. I didn’t have time to marinade them in the buttermilk, nor did I have buttermilk. Skipped that part of the recipe. I also mixed store bought Siracha sauce with the eggs before dipping the tenderloins into the eggs. After dipping the tenderloins into the egg mixture, then flour/seasonings bowl as described in the recipe and finished in the frying pan.
    Awesome taste and tenderloins were so tender… no need for a knife!

    1. You know your way around the kitchen Trudy! Glad your Chicken Tenders turned out for you and thanks for the five star rating!

  6. Best Chicken Tenders Ever. I used tenderloins. I didn’t have time to marinate in the buttermilk so I just dipped them in it and followed the rest of the recipe.

  7. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.. YUMMY . MY ENTIRE FAMILY LOVED THEM .TY SO MUCH FOR ANOTHER EXCELLENT RECIPE ???

  8. These chicken tenders turned out so good. They were flavored so nicely, crispy and delicious. I will definitely be making them again.

    1. Thanks Linda! They are a favorite around here as well. Really appreciate the 5 star review.

  9. Best recipe yet and I make a lot of chicken tenders, didn’t have buttermilk so did kosher pickle juice with milk. I did add a tsp. of Cajun seasoning and instead of 1/8 tsp. I added 1/4 tsp. each of paprika, garlic, onion & baking powder. The family loves them, thanks for the wonderful recipe.

  10. Okay, these are the BEST chicken fingers ever!! I looove crispy chicken tenders, but could never replicate that at home, until now! They were literally the crispiest, best chicken fingers I’ve ever had. I have no reason to order them out anymore! I shallow fried them because I wanted to use coconut oil (but it’s expensive so I didn’t want to use a whole bunch) and it worked perfectly. The chicken stayed nice and moist too. I paired them with some air fries for a perfect child-friendly meal!

  11. Do you think these can be shallow fried? I’m dying to try the recipe but I don’t a pot good for deep frying (or enough oil for that matter!). Or do you recommend I follow the baking instructions instead? Thanks!

    1. Yes they can be shallow fried. Just be careful of hot oil splatters. If you try the recipe Ana, let us know what you think!

    1. Each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder can be replaced with a 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon vinegar.

    1. The problem with making them ahead of time is that if you refrigerate the chicken tenders that have been marinated and battered, the batter will not stick to the chicken.

  12. This was absolutely perfect! I wish I could add photos.

    I hate to be the guy that makes changes to a recipe and then says “this was great”, but I’m sure it would be fantastic just as it is, I just like salty food.

    My changes were at the buttermilk step. I added texas pete hot sauce and seasoned the mixture with the same spices that go to the flour. Chicken turned out very flavorful and there’s really no heat to it.

  13. I made these tenders for dinner tonight and we LOVED them!!! They came out looking like the restaurant tenders!!! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m definitely adding this to my favorites.

  14. These turned out fantastic. The breading stayed on and was super crispy. Will definitely make these again!

  15. This is a fantastic recipe, Sabrina! I am an old experienced southern cook, who has always fried chicken using the buttermilk & seasoned flour method. The extra step using egg makes it even better, which I didn’t think was possible. Thank you! I am just discovering your website, & will be back for many more recipes.

    1. Wow! High Praise coming from an experienced Cook like you! Thanks for the 5 star review!