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.
learning to cook here, literally this is the 3rd time i’m gonna cook something, 1st and 2nd were a disaster but I learned a lot.
i hope i got everything right. i am now marinating the chicken overnight in the fridge. And also done with the breading. the question now is, i fried a small amount of breading and gonna cook the chicken tomorrow, will my breading get spoiled tomorrow? or can i still use it? by the way the breading tasted so good i could not believe that i made it my self. Thank you very much
Hi Kenny, I hope the 3rd time is a charm! If I’m understanding your question, it sounds like you’ve combined all the ingredients for the breading but haven’t yet breaded the chicken yet. If that’s correct, as long as you refrigerate it (because of the buttermilk), it’s not a problem at all for the breading to sit overnight. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much. I cooked half of the chicken now and i cant believe it the taste is amazing,
I’m gonna make another batch of the breading cause it clump up so much that i can put it on the chicken even if i had already dip the chickens in an egg and milk mixture.
can i skip the adding of buttermilk on the breading or maybe lessen it a bit so that it wont clump up that much?
Thank you very much for the recipe for replying greatly appreciated it.
P.S. soon I’m gonna have 1 something that I’m gonna brag to my wife, sister and mother 😀
Hi Kenny, Glad you have something to brag about :)! If you’re referring to making the breading mixture in advance, you can leave out the buttermilk and just add it when you’re ready to bread the chicken, but I do think this works best with the buttermilk and it should be included. Hope that helps!
Excellent recipe. I’ve never made any type of fried chicken. My tenders were quite large but cooked up nicely. The flavoring of the coating was delicious and the chicken was amazingly tender. My 7 yr old son thanked me profusely for making these.
I made these tonight and they were fantastic….I substituted the cayenne pepper and the salt for seasoned salt instead because I have seen on other fried chicken recipes that some use seasoned salt.
Easy to make and so good. Husband really liked it too.
So delicious and easy to make!!
I marinated these overnight and they were so tender and juicy. Will make again!
Delicious, moist and crispy. Re-heated in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes the following day and it was as perfect. Thanks for another perfected recipe!
hi, I really want to make this. but where I live buttermilk is not an option. can i use the vinegar and milk as a substitute or will it not work with this recipe. Thank you 🙂
Yes Frances, that will work here. Enjoy!
I didn’t have buttermilk or Vinegar but added just plain milk to see what would happen. I’ve made this recipe a dozen + times and found it was just as yummy.
Can you oven bake them instead of frying them…if so how would you suggest to do it?
Hi Jeannine, These are really best fried, but if you’d like a chicken tender recipe you can bake, try these Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders.
This is the best buttermilk chicken tenders recipe I’ve found thus far! So yummy! Thank you!
Hello from England! Thanks to the tips in this recipe i’ve finally been able to make fried chicken as i have always wanted to! Many attempts and many recipes, and it’s never quite come out right. Particularly, pressing hard on the chicken when breading it. Perfect! Thank you 🙂