Crispy Chicken Tenders marinaded in buttermilk then fried (or oven baked!) golden brown are juicy and flavorful with southern seasonings.
If you love recreating fun family-favorite American restaurant meals at home, then you’ll love the easy Baked Beans, our famous Baked Mac and Cheese, and creamy Macaroni Salad!
Do you want to cracked the secret code when making chicken tenders crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and incredibly flavorful? These homemade Chicken Tenders are soaked in buttermilk, fried crisp, and are super flavorful, moist, and extra crispy on the outside! Plus, with spices like the kind you’d get at your favorite chicken restaurant, they are perfect for replacing fast food cravings and even game day parties. Plus, there are directions for an oven baked version too, so there can be no feeling guilty about indulging in this awesome chicken fingers recipe!
They’re golden brown fried chicken tenders made with either chicken breasts (make sure you use skinless chicken breasts) that you can slice into thinner chicken strips or you can use chicken tenderloin pieces and skip an extra step in the preparation. The addition of the yummy spices that are used in our copycat KFC Potato Wedges recipe takes these chicken fingers over the top.
If you’re using a chicken breast you will cut it along it’s long side to make chicken strips the right length for these chicken tenders. If you cut the chicken strips the shorter way they’ll be about 2-3 inches long and be closer to the size of an average fish stick.
How to Make Super Crispy Chicken Tenders
Making these is so easy! The longest part is waiting for the marinade to finish. But once it’s all ready, it’s just a simple coat, dip, coat, fry, cool, and enjoy! Check out how to make Super Crispy Chicken Tenders.
- Step One: Marinade the chicken tenders. 30 minutes at room temperature is ideal. Don’t put it in the fridge or the breading will fall off.
- Step Two: Coat the fingers 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.
- Step Three: Dip the chicken fingers into the whisked eggs.
- Step Four: Coat the fingers a second time. 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.
- Step Five: 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!
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Frequently Asked Questions
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 though as it will create steam which will ruin the texture of the crispy chicken.
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.
If you would like to use panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs in this recipe to add more of a texture or crunch, like in a tempura recipe, you will have to reduce the flour to make up for the additional coating. Using breadcrumbs also allows you to bake this recipe instead of frying it (see baked chicken tenders recipe below).
If you fry the recipe with the use of the panko be aware that the fat content (and saturated fat) of the recipe may be slightly higher since breadcrumbs tend to absorb more total fat than a flour based coating. Serve this meal up with some roasted vegetables for some additional dietary fiber to make up for it!
There are a couple of factors at play here: Oil temperature and chicken temperature.
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 350ºF.
The chicken temperature should not be cool or cold. It should be marinated only at room temperature. The chicken needs to be thawed to room temperature before being marinaded. If you do marinade it in the fridge for a few hours, that’s ideal, just pull it out about an hour before frying so that it comes to room temperature and is not cold.
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Key Ingredients in Super Crispy Chicken Tenders
- Chicken: Cutting chicken breasts into our own tenders is budget friendly so that’s what we’re doing here. But, you can use actual chicken tenders if you don’t want to cut them. Make sure the chicken is thawed to room temperature if frozen before seasoning.
- Flour: We are using regular all purpose flour here, not self rising flour.
- Seasoning: Using your own fresh spices is always preferred, however, you can use a premade blend, like Ac’cent Seasoning. This blend is the x-factor in the original KFC copycat recipe (use ½ teaspoon) (this is MSG which adds flavor sensation, so use at your discretion).
- Baking Powder: We are using actual baking powder which is a baking blend and contains the ingredient baking soda. Baking powder often contains cornstarch, depending on the blend. Adding a leavening agent, such as baker’s powder, will help to increase the volume and lighten the texture of food products. This is actually the secret ingredient to the crispiness in the recipe!
- Deep Fryer: This is what we are using to cook the chicken. It is easy for keeping temperature on point and kind of fun to use!
- Oil: You’ll want to use a good cooking oil with a high smoke point like canola, peanut, or vegetable oil. Olive oil is not good for frying these.
- Buttermilk: This helps to tenderize the meat so it is juicy. You can use regular or low fat buttermilk, whatever you prefer.
- Hot Sauce: This is a flavor addition. You can easily leave it out if you don’t want the spiciness.
Variations on Super Crispy Chicken Tenders
- Italian Chicken Tenders: Swap out the paprika for grated parmesan cheese and ½ teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Cajun Chicken Tenders: Add ½ teaspoon cajun seasoning and double the garlic powder.
Alternative Cooking Methods for Super Crispy Chicken Tenders
Deep frying is the name of the game for this incredibly crispy recipe. But, sometimes it’s better to bake without too much oil, and we love that! Here’s how you can make some healthy Chicken Tenders!
- Oven Baked Super Crispy Chicken Tenders: After the buttermilk marinade add the spices to panko crumbs or breadcrumbs instead of flour. Dredge the chicken from the buttermilk into the breadcrumbs then add to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush with just 2 tablespoons of melted butter or spray with cooking spray (melted butter will give better flavor). Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- Air Fryer Super Crispy Chicken Tenders: Once the chicken has been breaded, place them into the air fryer basked directly (no tin foil on the bottom this time!). Make sure they are not touching as we need the air to circulate around the tenders. Cook at 400ºF on both sides for 6 minutes (12 minutes total). Check the internal temperature of the chicken to ensure that it reaches a minimum of 165ºF and adjust the cooking time as necessary.
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Dipping Sauces for Chicken Tenders
Having the perfect dipping sauce will really bring this recipe to it’s greatest potential! You can get the store bought kind of dips, or make some yourself at home and really impress your guests!
How to Store Super Crispy Chicken Tenders
- Serve: Serve these while they are still hot. They’ll be ready to serve after they have drained on the wire rack.
- Store: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. 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 and then reheat with your preferred convection oven.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts , boneless, skinless
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 large eggs , beaten
- 2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon 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.
Nutrition
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I tried this recipe but I found it to be lacking in flavor due to not enough spice in the flour! I would at least double the amount of every spice listed or even triple the amount!
Outstanding! I marinated my chicken breasts in buttermilk overnight, the spices were perfect…and they fried up with very crispy. This one goes in my recipe book for sure! My family loved them! Thank you for the help. I’ll be seeking out more of your recipes!
Fantastic! I look forward to seeing you around the site, Deba.
Made this for the fam and they tore into them like they hadn’t ate in months. A good and easy recipe. Thumbs up to Dinner for Dessert
Haha, that sounds like a winner to me! Thanks for the 5 stars, Alfredo.
Wonderfully crispy. I added extra spices tho
I think it was the baking powder I think it make crunchy is cornstarch and panko
I made the tenders it turned black what did I do wrong and it wasn,t crispy it was like general tow
Let’s troubleshoot. Were you measuring the temperature of the oil? Was there enough oil in the pot? Usually if it blackens too quickly your oil is running too hot. Would love to help out, this is a family favorite recipe we use often.
How can I convert this recipe to airfryer?
I’ve not tested it using one but if you decide to try, I’d love to know what worked out for you. Thanks!
I made these last night. It was kind of bland tasting and the batter was not crunchy, except for the edges. The batter did stay on the chicken well, but it was just kind of soft, not the crunchy recipe I’m looking for.
It was absolutely delicious!! Will be making again for sure.
Great recipe, easy to make and very tasty! I grabbed vindaloo spice instead of the paprika by mistake lol!! It still tasted great tho! 🙂
Super easy to make and tastes sooo good. This was my first attempt at making fried chicken. I bought a new deep frier and wanted to try it out.
Glad you decided to give it a try.
So Good my kids picky eaters loved it
So did me and my husband thanks for a grate recipe a keeper for sure
Part of the breast is the tenderloin. You can buy a pack of all tenderloins in the chicken section of the meat dept fresh!
Constantly making this! The chicken is so flavorful I haven’t bought fried chicken since discovering this recipe. Thank you very much for sharing !
Both our kids are picky and they LOVED these! Lots of flavor. We will definitely be making these again.
Sounds like a great easy recipe. One question..what kind of hot sauce do you recommend ? Tabasco? Tapatio? Thanks sop much!??
You can use whatever you prefer but I like Franks Red Hot pepper sauce. Enjoy!
I love this recipe so much! I used my air fryer, and it was very successful. 380 for 10 minutes, flip the pieces, then cook for 10 minutes longer. Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
use oinion powder, garlic powder,seasoned salt, on chicken before marinating
Seen this recipe just after I had cooked mine and seen yours is exactly the way I cook mine. Nut while family love them. There are never any left. The only difference is I do use the Panko. It gives that extra crispy everyone loves. And the buttermilk makes all the difference in the world and didn’t know this til just recently. But grateful I did. But I didn’t know you could add lemon juice 96th vinegar to regular milk to get the same result. Thanks for that tip. But just wanted to say I was glad to see the same recipe already in writing that I use. Only difference is I use different spicies. But Its all just a matter of taste of the person that is making them and who they are making them for. So everyone out there. Use whatever spicies you want. Just make sure you marinate in buttermilk. Then go into the floor then the egg. Then into the panko. They’ll come out great every single time. And make sure your oil is good and hot before you out in the chicken. I always get alit’l water on my finger and fling it into the oil. If it pops. Its ready to go. Happy cooking everyone.
Remember everyone who reads this. To let your chicken sit in the fridge for at least 15-20 mins. Before frying or baking. This will give the chicken a chance to bind with the breading.
Follow this formula and you will succeed every time.
Marinate chicken for 3 hrs in buttermilk/ or cream. Make sure to season the mixture.
Then when ready to try. Mix eggs with cream until perfectly blended. Then follow this step below:
From the marinade into all purpose flour with seasoning…
Then into the egg wash
Then into the final coating be it flour or bread crumb.
Let the costed chicken sit for 15 minutes in the fridge without touching it.
Then Cook
Enjoy
Straight from FLOUR TO OIL -Colonel Sanders
I never thought abt letting out sit so the seasonings could bind. Thanks for the tip. I’ll be trying that the next time. But I kinda disagree abt adding cream to my eggs. Cuz I want the gooeyness of the eggs cuz it makes the panko or flour stick so much better. Its really more of a quick dunk than actually submerging. But everything else you said makes alot of sense. So I’m gonna try it. Thanks so much.
I just cooked this using bite size pieces of chicken tenderloin and it was the best fried chicken! I work at a chicken restaurant and my homeade was so much better! I will definitely be using this recipe again!
Hi Sabrina,
Though I followed your recipe to a T. , my chicken did not come out with a crispy skin such as the ones in the pics. The outer part came out more like a thin flour covering – even though I used so many eggs in the end; the last few pieces of chicken took alot of eggs because by then the egg bowl had so much flour in it, that it was just absorbing the eggs. Another thing – towards the middle, the oil became a frothy mess . I was sooo disappointed – my ‘crispy’ chicken nuggets came out like soft covered chicken nuggets – I really need to understand what to do about the crispiness, the oil & the eggs.
Thanks
Donna
It sounds like you might need to dredge less or not make it as thick when dredging…does that make sense? That would cause too much coming off in the egg and making the oil frothy. Try and have a lighter hand or make a few batches to swap out in between if that happens again. Hope this helps!
First time frying chicken in over 25 years. It was easy and delicious. I probably could have gone a little more golden, but they were still good
Glad you decided to give it a try!
I have a 10 year old who will only eat chicken strips from KFC. I googled “KFC chicken strips” and this recipe popped up in the results, so I gave it a whirl. Like others have said below, I cranked up the paprika and garlic powders as I thought 1/8 tsp would leave it quite bland. Otherwise, I followed it and used my little deep fryer to cook them in (minus the suggestion of using “Accent”).
He took one bite and excitedly shouted “These taste just like KFC!”, so this recipe is going into the favorites.
Thanks for sharing it!
Yay!! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Art.
After reading this recipe because I wanted to try the oven baked version, I was really disappointed because there were no directions about the breading with breadcrumbs for the baked version. I was always taught never assume when writing a recipe, Confused in Ohio.
In the post, there are directions for the oven baked version. Hope this helps clear up any confusion.
Good recipe. I used more garlic and paprika then the recipe called for, also added a little onion powder. I normally season my chicken and the coating but in this case, followed the recipe. The chicken was not as rich as i would have liked. Next time, I’ll try that. Also, the store had 0 buttermilk. I googled a substitute, milk and for each cup add 1tsp of vinegar. Turned out great and you couldn’t taste the vinegar. Also, great idea placing the fingers in the oven. All and all, happy with the recipe and fingers came out nice, tasty and crispy.
My kids (17, 13 & 7) all loved these! I did add a few extra dashes of Tabasco to the buttermilk and a bit more of each spice and finished with a little salt after they came out of the oil. They turned out just like the photo and none were left behind. Will be making again soon.
What can I use in place of buttermilk ? If I don’t have any.
You can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Hope this helps!
1/4 cup of milk whisked together with 3/4 cup sour cream
the seasoning is not enough, tasteless. sorry.
I didn’t have buttermilk. Measured 1tsp lemon juice and filled the rest of the cup with milk. Turned out amazing!
Hi Sabrina,
I made them and they were tasty however, they didn’t turn out to be like the ones in your photo. They were crispy but I was hoping they would turn out just like the ones you made. I used everything in the recipe. Did you use breadcrumbs to give them the texture like the ones in the photo?
I didn’t, I only used the ingredients in the recipe card.
Why don’t you try to substitute yogurt instead of buttermilk it’s delicious as well some allperpus seasoning, crushed garlic
I made these for my family and they loved them! I tossed them into buffalo sauce to give them more flavor and they were delicious! The only thing I would say is add a little more spices or what not to give it that extra flavor.
Made this recipe today!! Worked out great tenders were so crispy , only thing was I tripled the recipe but found could of used a little more seasoning, but ground some black pepper and salt ontop and they worked out so good! Definitely adding to my recipe book , family favourite!!
I have made this several times ! My husband loves it I like that it is made with boneless chicken breast
So glad you love it so much!
The pics of chicken make me hungry.
I fixed this recipe yesterday and it was a hit.
The strips came out good for the most part. However, I honestly don’t see the point in adding hot sauce to the buttermilk, the breading all fell off with the first bite, and if anyone wants more of a kick I suggest added crushed red pepper to the flour mix.
liked the recipe real tasty
You cannot cut a chicken breast into tenders.
They are called “tenders” because they are made from chicken tenderloin.
Otherwise, recipe is good 🙂
This is the funniest comment!
Please, please tell me where the chicken tenderloin is on the chicken so the next time i can make these properly.
He’s actually correct. It is a part of the breast. That is why some places serve chicken tenderloins or tenders and others serve chicken strips. Some don’t know any better and call it whatever they want to. Chicken tenderloins are premium in my opinion. I absolutely prefer them. But a sliced chicken breast aka chicken strips go a lot further when feeding a crowd, on a budget or just don’t care. I do both, but I prefer tenders.
When I make chicken tenders I like to add many spices from the cabinet. As well as some salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.. I also like to add a little onion powder, ground mustard…**Also** I add a packet of ranch dressing seasoning to the dry flour mix and it really adds a LOT of good flavor to your chicken tenders. A lady I worked with for years that makes great soul food recommended this to me and I’ve been making them this way ever since. Happy frying! 🙂
Sounds amazing!
Can you make this an air fryer?
I don’t know what I did wrong as followed the recipe to a t but my super crispy chicken nuggets weren’t that crispy
Hello Courtney, about how much of a portion do you put of the ground mustard? If you don’t mind me asking. for years I try to look for a good recipe and tonight is the night I think I’m going to try it finally. Wish me luck and thank you to all and Sabrina very much for all of this yummy cooking to be so delicious & to be possible for me to make.
Really nice but the seasoning wasn’t flavoursome enough. But really nice and crispy. Will make again. Any ideas on what else could be added to the seasoning?
Depending on how much spice and heat you like, you can always add in some red pepper or chili powder. Also, feel free to up the amounts of the other spices, especially the garlic powder and the black pepper.
add hot sauce to the buttermilk, It won’t be overly spicy. I have marinated before in straight up hot sauce.
These were delicious! Super crunchy and cooked well. I soaked a little longer than suggested in buttermilk and loved the taste! Will definitely use again.
So glad you liked them! They are a big favorite of my kids and me!
This was so delicious. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! Glad you liked it!
Hi
Can i substitute flour with whole wheat flour?
Certainly 🙂
Your metric conversion is crazy. Dry measures should be in grams. Liquid measurements in liters.
So sorry you feel that way. I use universal measurements that the majority of home cooks are comfortable with. If you are comfortable around using a scale, I say feel free to convert the measurements 🙂
Wow, you handled that rude comment from Paul very well. Even if he had legitimate suggestion to make, he definitely should have started with “Thank you for the recipe” and then offering his suggestion respectfully. Well done, and thank you for the recipe!
“Crazy” and “Should be” are pretty rude and pointless judgments. One gram weighs one milliliter. Same same as far as a recipe is concerned. Whether you put a bowl or measuring cup on a scale and weigh liquid in grams or flour in milliliters you’ll get the same amount. Find something legitimate to complain about.
I’m unable to have casien, so instead of buttermilk, I added a tablespoon melted ghee to 2 cups soy milk. It worked great and was very delicious! Even my sister, who hates chicken, LOVED it!
What a great swap – thanks for sharing! So glad to hear that you enjoyed. 🙂
Hi Sabrina, this recipe looks delicious! But I have a quick question for the oven recipe. Since your adapted directions don’t reference the eggs (but it does direct to dredge) can you confirm whether I would still use the eggs? Thanks in advance! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
So sorry I missed this! I would leave out the eggs, too much moisture will keep them from getting crispy. Let me know how it turns (turned) out!
Made these for dinner. I did let the chicken breast slices soak in the buttermilk overnight. They were so tender. Now, mine did not look like the photo, but they were crunchy and tender. I tried to keep the oil as close to 350 degrees as possible, which was hard to do. I would love to see a video of the preparation of this recipe, as I never know if I am breading the chicken correctly. I will try the baking option next time, as I typically only fry about once a year! Great recipe!
Glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for the feedback, hopefully we can get more videos out to you in the future! Let me know how the baking option goes!
As I don’t like canola oil, would I be able to use peanut oil instead? Or would that alter the flavor? Thanks for all the great recipes!
Sure, just know that it will mildly adjust the flavor. Enjoy!
Can I substitute something for buttermilk??
You need to use buttermilk but can make your own combining 1 cup of milk and either 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Stir and then let sit for 5 minutes before using. Good luck!
Thank you! I don’t have buttermilk, but I do have lemon juice and milk, I am trying this tonight!! Thank you for a great recipe!!