Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders
Truly crispy fried chicken tenders are a dinnertime staple you’re whole family will love. Get all my tips for making that crispy crust you crave, seasoning like a pro (and shortcuts if you don’t know how), and fry them up like “cast iron skillet” is your middle name.
Key Points for this Recipe
- Learning to fry is tricky at first. If you want to use an electric skillet to keep the heat even, you can do that. Otherwise cast iron will give you the most even heat.
- Expect that you may get the oil too hot and burn your chicken tenders or too cool and cause the breading to fall off. This happens as you’re learning. Adjust your heat up or down as needed.
- Make sure your flour is well seasoned. You can also just season the chicken directly. You’ll need more seasoning than you think you will for the flavor to carry over to the final product.
- Consider adding garlic powder, onion powder, or other seasonings to the flour. 1-2 teaspoons should do it, or to taste.
- Press the breading on your chicken tenders very firmly and let them sit 5 minutes before frying. This helps the breading really bond with the chicken.
- I like to use chicken breasts sliced in to strips as my “tenders” instead of actual tenders because of the tough tendon that runs through them.
- Refined coconut oil is excellent for frying if you don’t want to use vegetable oil.
How to store leftover chicken tenders
Store leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to three days.
Seasoning options
Try these as cajun chicken or Nashville hot versions.
How to know if chicken tenders are done
Cook your tenders to an internal temperature of 165 f, and there should be no pink inside when you cut them open. You can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature if you are unsure.
Watch me make the full recipe on YouTube
Add a skillet of cornbread and you’ll be all set! You can learn how to make cornbread here if you don’t know how or get brave and learn how to fry bone-in buttermilk fried chicken.
Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds chicken tenders or 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into 1-inch thick strips
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Fill a 9-inch cast iron or standard skillet with about 2 inches of oil. Start heating it over medium-high heat while you bread the chicken. (Keep an eye on it!)
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper.
- In another large bowl, beat the egg and water
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating well. Shake off excess flour and dip in the egg, the back in the flour.
- Set the chicken to the side to rest for about 5 minutes. (This helps the coating stick better)
- Check your oil temperature with a candy thermometer if necessary (you should be around 365-375 degrees) or drop in a little bit of flour–if it sizzles immediately, you can add one piece of chicken.
- If the chicken sizzles, add about 5 pieces at a time and cook until golden brown on that side–about 8 to 10 minutes or so.
- Turn, and repeat until all brown.
- Cook the rest of the chicken in batches.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a little more salt if needed.
I haven’t tried your recipe yet. But I have made a similar one but I add seasoning to the flour like Italian seasoning and paprika. Thank you I am going to try your method especially letting it rest 5 minutes before frying
Just made this recipe tonight. Followed it to the letter, except used an electric deep fryer. I have a cast iron skillet but didn’t want to take the chance. 🙂
Perfect recipe, perfect taste, needed to add nothing to make it better. Just wonderful, and my husband loved dinner.
Pretty good
Easy to follow instructions, first time frying chicken and it came out beautifully. I wish the breading was a bit thicker and crispier but 10/10!!!!
Thanks so much
You’re welcome to double bread it if you’d like! If it wasn’t crispy as written, you could have had your oil temp too low. Try using a thermometer to check it next time and your tenders will be nice and crispy.
Can you use an air fryer with this type of batter or is it only good for oil-frying? Found myself wanting to make this and realized I’m finally outta vegetable oil 🤦♀️
I haven’t but I think if you look through some of the comments I’m pretty sure you will find others who have done it. I’ll see if I can use their feedback to add some additional guidelines on that to the main part of the post too. –Rachel
will baking soda make it crispier?
Hi Jenn, I’ve never found it necessary here but you are welcome to add some to the flour. Without a wet batter, it probably won’t do much and could make the final result bitter though so that’s something to keep in mind. If this was a batter, you could add baking soda and make a tempura style crust. I do use baking soda on the skin of chicken when I make wings and that works wonderfully for drying out and crisping the skin but in this recipe it probably won’t give much benefit. –Rachel
Cornstarch will make it crisper. Maybe 1/4 cup mixed in with flour.
WOW WOW WOW!!! OMG WOW!!! Grandma’s Fried Chicken!!!
Came out delicious nice and crispy not dry. Thanks for the recipe.
Sorry if it’s a dumb question, but how does it become crispy without crumbs or cornflakes?
Hi Mark, that goes back to the science behind frying. Just like with onion rings, deep fried mushrooms or any other food you’ve had that comes with a flour based breading, there’s something called the Maillard reaction that takes place in conjunction with the dehydrating of the surface of the food when frying that helps create that crisp texture we know. –Rachel
Wow, for once in my life, the batter finally stuck! I wish I could give 10 stars. Now my friends will stop saying, “how can you be black and not be able to make fried chicken?😂” Thanks R. Ballard
Oh dear Matai. 😂 So funny!! Great job on your chicken. 🙂 –Rachel
How many carbs in these tenders?
That’s a tough calculation to make Donna. The computer generated nutrition facts say 29 for about 3 1-inch wide tenders, but that’s assuming you eat a lot of the 1 1/2 cups of flour used in the recipe which no one does–it’s just a dusting on the outside. Depending on what flour you use (wheat, gluten free, cassava, etc.) will also change the carb count. It’s hard to nail down exactly but that’s as close as we can get. –Rachel
For calculating calories did you factor in the oil used in cooking? And how many oz was the calories you provided for?
The computer calculator for nutrition does take in the oil, yes. The recipe estimates 2 pounds of chicken serves 5 people.