Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
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Homemade fried chicken tenders are crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, and packed with flavor in every bite. This easy chicken tender recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and fries up golden brown with a crunchy coating that tastes better than restaurant chicken strips.
Homemade Fried Chicken Tenders
These tenders are perfect for weeknight dinners, game day snacks, or family meals. Serve them with fries, ranch dressing, honey mustard, or your favorite dipping sauce for a meal everyone loves.
The seasoned breading creates an extra crispy crust while keeping the chicken tender and moist inside. Once you make homemade chicken tenders from scratch, it is hard to go back to frozen ones.
Why you’ll ❤️ this recipe.
🎯Extra crispy coating
🎯Juicy chicken every time
🎯Easy pantry ingredients
🎯Better than frozen chicken strips
🎯Great for dipping sauces
🎯Family-friendly dinner recipe
Best Oil for Frying Chicken Tenders
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point for the crispiest chicken tenders. Peanut oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil all work well. Keep the oil temperature around 350°F so the coating gets golden brown without becoming greasy.
Avoid overcrowding the pan because it lowers the oil temperature and makes the breading soggy.
How to Keep Fried Chicken Tenders Crispy
Place cooked chicken tenders on a wire rack instead of paper towels. This keeps air circulating around the breading so it stays crispy longer.
If making a large batch, keep the tenders warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
You can safely cook chicken to 165°F according to the USDA Food Safety Guidelines
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Slice chicken breasts into strips about the same size for even cooking.
Chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Yes. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer to help keep the coating crispy.
Pat the chicken dry before breading and let the coating rest for a few minutes before frying.
Dipping Sauces for Chicken Tenders
Serve these crispy tenders with garlic buttermilk dressing. These chicken tenders also pair perfectly with bacon-wrapped sweet potato fries and this cole slaw recipe. More sauces to try are:
How to Make Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
If you use chicken tenders, you don’t have to brine or soak them. They will already be tender, hence the name. All I do is dredge the chicken in buttermilk and flour after seasoning them. Then, let them rest after you’ve battered them. This helps the breading stay on the chicken. Temperature is key when frying anything. Heat your oil to 400 degrees. I use a thermometer to make sure I have it just right. Retain the temperature throughout the cooking process for restaurant-style chicken. After you drop the chicken, watch it carefully and remove it to drain after it’s golden brown.
Convert this recipe to an air fryer!
I have more air fryer conversion tips in this post.
Homemade Fried Chicken Tenders
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Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oil to 400 degrees.
- Salt and pepper tenders generously
- dredge tenders in flour, then buttermilk, then in flour again
- Drop 4 or 5 in pan.
- Do not over crowd.
- Fry until golden brown
- Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
I’m going to take your word for it and try this recipe!
Can you use all purpose flour
YES
Can these be frozen after they’re cooked and then reheated?
Most of the time reheating dries out the meat and the crust gets soggy. I did find this info that may help with that.
“We had the most success when we allowed the chicken to come up to room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before rewarming it in the oven, which helped it heat more quickly and ensured that the odd-shaped pieces would heat more evenly. We placed it on a wire rack set in a baking sheet to keep the bottom from steaming and then baked it in a 400-degree oven, which quickly recrisped the crust before the meat had time to dry out. Heating the chicken to an internal temperature of 120 degrees, which took 14 to 18 minutes for breasts and 8 to 12 minutes for legs and thighs, gave us chicken at the perfect serving temperature.”
Approximately how much oil do you use?
It’s hard to say, I usually pour it 3 to 4 inches deep in whatever pan I use.
Can’t wait to try!! Looks amazing!!! Had to leave a comment about your boys names…. I to have 2 boys … their names also lincoln and ryder !! Lol lincoln is younger by 18 months. Took me by surprise to see those names together !!
Oh my gosh, that is so odd!!! Thanks for letting me know!
An actual recipe would be appreciated.
where is the recipe?
I’m sorry for the inconvenience, I didn’t realize the recipe didn’t transfer over when I had work on my site done recently. The recipe is showing now.