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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Comments
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Made these with chicken breast cut into strips. Worked out great and they were awesome. Do you recommend taking the tendon out of the tenderloins?
Glad you liked them! I usually don’t bother to cut off the tendon unless it’s large.
Really excited to try this recipe but doesn’t say how long to cook.
Hi Joanne, Cook them 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. Hope you enjoy!
Perfect recipe. My chicken tenders came out juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside with a nicely seasoned breading. Mine were pretty thin, so I only had to cook them for around 4 minutes. I was a little worried that something was going to happen with the breading because I breaded them and had to let them sit for a minute while I did a first fry of a batch of french fries (I do the double fry method, so I fried them again after the chicken was done); it looked like the breading was getting soaked up by the chicken, but it came out perfectly.
Hi Jenn! I am not into frying with canola, corn, peanut, or soybean oil due to allergies, but I want to make these for my sons. Would coconut or grapeseed oil work well with this recipe? What other kind of vegetable oil would you recommend?
Hi Nicole, I’ve never fried these with anything but vegetable oil, but one reader commented that she used grapeseed oil successfully (and I read that it has a high smoke point so I suspect it should work). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jenn! I used grapeseed oil, and La Tourangelle is the brand I used. The tenders were so delicious! Kiddos and adults loved them. This recipe will become a staple in our house!
Thanks for reporting back – so glad they were a hit! 🙂
I have sent this recipe to so many of my friends. I substituted flour for gluten free flour. It was amazing!
Is the nutritional content per serving or for the full recipe?
Hi Amanda, it’s per serving.
These are delicious! I add 50% to the spices as my personal preference and it gives them a nice mild spice without being hot. 11/10 Tendies
Would these still be yummy at room temperature?
Hi Robin, I prefer them hot because when they’re cold, they’re not crunchy. That said, I do put leftovers in my kids’ lunches and they enjoy them just fine. Hope that helps!
This was my first time frying chicken. The tenders were DELICIOUS. However, a lot of the batter fell off during frying. What did I do wrong? Can’t wait to make these again! Hopefully next time it’ll be perfect.
Hi Claudia, Glad you liked these! If the batter came off during frying, the oil may not have been hot enough. A good way to ensure the oil is hot enough is to drop a cube of bread into the oil; if sizzles when you drop it in, it’s ready.
Woohoo!!! Success!! They came out perfect this time. Thanks!!
So glad!
Can I deep fry this breading? Maybe more butter milk?
I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
I was confused to what she was asking. May I deep fry these in a deep fryer (not pan fried)? If yes, do you have a recommended temperature and cook time? Thank you!
Hi Annamae, Yes, a deep fryer will work here. The oil temperature should be between 350 and 375 degrees. (You’ll want the oil hot enough that if you were to drop a cube of bread into it, it would sizzle.) I don’t know about timing in a deep fryer as I’ve not used one, but another reader commented that they cooked them for 6 minutes so you could use that as a ballpark number. Hope that helps!
Made the chicken tenders for dinner and the family loved them. Crisp and juicy on the inside. Did not alter anything in the recipe and it came out perfect. Thank you Jenn!
Made this and it was so good! The breading was perfect, thank you for sharing this!