Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
One of my most popular recipes, these chicken tenders are marinated in seasoned buttermilk and pan-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Like most kids, my daughter prefers “kid food” to “grown-up food” any day of the week. Occasionally, it works to my advantage—a trip to McDonald’s makes excellent bribery—but most of the time I’m just dealing with a picky eater. Rather than desperately trying to coax her into eating dinner every night, sometimes I just make her favorites. These chicken tenders, marinated in seasoned buttermilk and pan-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection, are at the top of her list. They’re delicious plain, dipped in honey mustard sauce, or perched on top of a salad. And they’re not just for picky kids—everyone loves them.
What you’ll need To Make Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
Step-by-Step Instructions
To marinate the chicken: In a large sealable bag, combine the chicken tenders with the buttermilk, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Seal the bag tightly and massage the chicken until it is evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning.
Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook them, make the breading: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Whisk until well blended.
Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the mixture is evenly clumpy.
Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the breading mixture.
Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It’s a messy job: use one hand to remove the wet tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.)
Set breaded tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet.
To fry the chicken: Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set next to the stove. Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about 3/4-inch. Heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (about 350°). (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 the second side is also golden, a few minutes more.
Set the cooked tenders on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
Fry remaining tenders in batches adjusting the heat as necessary (if the tenders are browning too fast, lower the heat). Serve hot with honey mustard sauce.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
You may also like
- Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
- Easy Chicken Parmesan
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Fried Chicken Sandwiches
- Chicken Schnitzel
- 9 Best Pots and Pans For Your Kitchen
Video Tutorial
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
One of my most popular recipes, these chicken tenders are marinated in seasoned buttermilk and pan-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
For the Breading
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk
For Cooking
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil, for cooking
Instructions
- To marinate the chicken: In a large sealable bag, combine the chicken tenders with the remaining marinade ingredients. Seal the bag tightly and massage the chicken until it is evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning. Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- To make the breading: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the mixture is evenly clumpy.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the breading mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It's a messy job: use one hand to remove the wet tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.) Set breaded tenders on the prepared baking sheet.
- To fry the chicken: Line another baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set next to the stove. Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about ¾-inch. Heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (about 350°). (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 the second side is also golden, a few minutes more. Set the cooked tenders on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Fry remaining tenders in batches adjusting the heat as necessary (if the tenders are browning too fast, lower the heat). Serve hot.
- Note: I find that it's hard to tell how golden the chicken is when it's immersed in the oil. It may only look lightly golden, but it's actually a perfect fried chicken golden brown. If you're unsure, simply pull a tender out of the oil and rest it on the paper towels to see the true color.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately ¼ cup of the oil is absorbed into the chicken tenders when frying.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, put the frozen tenders on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven until heated through and crisp, about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 925
- Fat: 51
- Saturated fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 75g
- Sugar: 5g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 41g
- Sodium: 1866mg
- Cholesterol: 96mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
We love these tenders! Awesome recipe. Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe?
Hi Barbara, I’ve just added them. You’ll see that they are a bit of an indulgence :).
Hello, I work in a small kitchen where we serve about 40 chicken strips in a 5 hour period. I was wondering if the cayenne adds a lot spice or if it’s just a hint. We have many picky eaters and don’t want to upset anyone.
Hi Ashley, the chicken tenders really aren’t spicy, but if you’re concerned, you can either omit it, or just reduce the amount.
I thought these were great! I served them with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. If I wanted to make a couple of batches ahead and put them in a crockpot on warm and possibly vent the lid, do you think they’ll remain crispy enough? I would make them about an hour in advance.
Holly, Unfortunately, I don’t think they’ll remain crispy that way– sorry!
I don’t fry often due to mess (!) but plan to make these for company tomorrow. Do you think the crispiness would be compromised if I breaded the tenders early in afternoon and refrigerated on a rack, then fried them after work? (I will definitely marinade overnight tonight before breading.) Thank you, these look so delicious!
I think that should work fine, Julie.
This recipe is wonderful. 6 kids (all 12 and under years of age) devoured the chicken in record time. They wanted more and were disappointed that they had to wait for more to get fried up.
The chicken tenders were fabulous! I served it to all ages and everyone loved them! Perfect!,,
We have had great results but have made some changes. Smoked paprika, White and Black Pepper, 1/3 Pastry Flour 2/3 All Purpose Flour. We use the deep fryer with Canola oil in the back yard. My son used a meat tenderizer on the chicken breast (place in Ziploc bag before pounding with the tenderizer(use flat side). I little crisper and we like the extra zip from the extra white pepper. We dipped some of them into Franks Original then sliced to go on top of a salad inspired by the Buffalo Blue Salad at Pronto in Sacramento. Since my boys do not like blue cheese or blue cheese dressing so Jalapeno Ranch in substituted. There friend that came over last night loved it. We had used some frozen tenders from Costco in the past but never again. Strips in the buttermilk and spices for 24 hours is the key. Thanks for the huge improvement in the chicken. Nice to have a son in the culinary program at ARC. We team up for some amazing meals. Beef Pho today.
This might be a dumb question. This looks so good and I can’t wait to try but could I use a deep frier instead of a pan ?
Not a dumb question at all! Yes, I think a deep fryer would work nicely here. Enjoy! 🙂
These were absolutely amazing – especially with your honey mustard sauce!
We had quite a bit of leftover honey mustard left. Do you happen to know how long it can be kept in the fridge before I should make a new batch?
Thank you so much!
Glad you liked them Angela! The honey-mustard should keep well for about a week.
I followed the recipe and they turned out great. Needed more seasoning however. I would double salt and pepper for sure. This recipe will now be in my dinner rotation for sure. A+
I would not double the salt but use kosher salt. We doubled the pepper by using black and white pepper. Extra smoked paprika and garlic will not hurt.
Easy to make & chicken was awesome!!!!