Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
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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)
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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
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- 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.
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Let me just say that my son is one of the pickiest and most meticulous eaters. I was, literally, writhing, with fear and intrepidation, to discover if he would like this masterful concoction. Well, he did! Not only did he yet I, too!! I ended up eating MORE than he did and eating the leftovers. To say the least, I am preparing for my mother, for her to envelop the freshness, the juiciness, and the delectable taste, of these magnificent tenders. These have become a staple, in my home, in Saturdays. YOU are a saint, to concoct these. Food must prove grand, in your home!
I made these for my very picky grandson, and let me say Thank You! He loooves this chicken and as much as I try to avoid deep fried foods I couldn’t help myself! Yumm!
Hello Jenn, I made a mistake and bought chicken breast instead- I marinated them but i did roll them out and cut them to the tenderloin size- when cooking what should I keep in mind? I plan to marinate it for Atleast 10 hours. Btw I cooked these before – they were such a hit! – thank you for the perfect recipe!
Hi PB, based on the fact that you pounded them and cut them to tenderloin size, the cooking time should be about the same. (And glad you enjoy these!)
Thank you!!
Made this tonight after marinating for almost 24hrs.
Was probably the best thing I’ve ever made, everyone loved it!
Followed recipe to the tee. Terrible fed them to the dogs
Jane Feher, you did someting wrong if you gave this one star and said you fed them to your dog. These are the best. I do add a little bread and butter pickle juice to mine during marinade.
This is always a winner whenever we cook them! Really delicious recipe. You’re my favorite chef 🙂
I just made a batch. I finally found my go to recipe. Best damn tenders I’ve made in long time. Thank you. Very much.
I love love love love love this recipe! When I first discovered it, I ate this every day for 3 weeks. It’s so tasty and the batter is so delicious and crunchy. Sometimes, I’ll throw it the bits of leftover batter to crisp up. Crunchy goodness! My one modification—I use chicken breasts and just slice up into the size I want. Sometimes I even make popcorn chicken-sized portions! I’ve also used this chicken as filling for soft tacos. It was a HIT!
I was thinking of using this recipe for chicken sandwiches for my daughters birthday. If I needed to make 16 using breasts. Could I dredge them ahead of time then deep fry them right before we eat?
Sure, Erin – just hold them in the fridge.
If I were to do these in an air fryer would the quality be significantly different than frying in oil?
Hi Matty, I’ve never used an air fryer and don’t know much about them, so I can say for sure how it would work for this recipe. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I don’t know much about air fryers but what i do know is that they’re basically counter top convection ovens. If it was me I would just set it to 350 and let it go till they’re golden and cooked through
I was wondering if you need to remove the tendon in the chicken tender prior to making. I have used some recipes that has you remove the tough tendon,,,, which is difficult (for me anyway), without destroying the meat.thanks
Hi Ck, I would just use kitchen shears to snip off the part that sticks out. Hope that helps!