Fried Chicken Tenders
These golden and crispy fried chicken tenders recipe is the ultimate comfort food—easy to make, budget-friendly, and perfect for the whole family.
Servings: 8 people
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- whisk
- pie plate
- large deep skillet
- tongs
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Mixing spoon
- Liquid measuring cup
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 pounds chicken tenderloins
MARINADE:
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
COATING:
- 1 ½ cup plain panko bread crumbs
- ¾ cup all- purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
FOR FRYING:
- 2 ½ cups vegetable or peanut oil
Instructions
PREP THE CHICKEN:
- Trim the chicken of any of the white membranes.
MARINATE THE CHICKEN:
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the marinade ingredients.
- Add the chicken, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes but no more than 60 minutes.
MAKE COATING:
- In a pie plate, whisk together all the coating ingredients.
HEAT THE OIL OR OVEN:
- Place 2 cups of oil in a large, deep skillet. Heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 360 degrees F. Line a large plate with 3 layers of paper towels.
COAT CHICKEN:
- Take 2 chicken tenders from the milk marinade and let the excess marinade drip off. Then, place the chicken in the breadcrumbs mixture and cover all sides with the breadcrumbs.
- Transfer the chicken tenders to a clean plate and repeat the coating with the remaining ones.
FRY:
- Once the oil is up to temp, add 2-3 pieces of chicken to the hot oil.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Then, flip the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden. When an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of it, the chicken is done with it registers 165 degrees F.
- Move the chicken fingers to the paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Repeat the frying with the remaining chicken. Serve.