Nothing beats a crispy fried chicken tender. These moist tenders start with a buttermilk marinade, covered with a chunky coating, and then fried to perfection on your stovetop.
1teaspoonwhite pepperoptional; if using black pepper then 1/2 teaspoon
1/8teaspooncayenne pepperoptional
Instructions
Pat dry 1 pound of chicken tenders or cut skinless boneless chicken breasts into strips. Trim well.
Put strips into a deep bowl and cover with buttermilk. It took only a cup for me. Let soak for 15- 20 minutes while you work on the coating and oil. If you are cooking a large amount, preheat the oven to 200 with a cooking sheet for a place to hold the cooked strips.
Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in a large pan over medium heat. I used about 2 cups in a 12-inch fry pan. Get to a steady temperature of about 365°. Don't be under 325° or above 375°.
Mix 1 1/2 cups AP flour with 1 tablespoon of Lowey's seasoning salt. Options of adding 1 teaspoon white pepper or 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Also, an option of 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Other seasoning salts should be fine or make your own spicing combination. Mix well.
Now drizzle 1/4 cup buttermilk into the flour mixture while continuously mixing. It will make a "shaggy" coating.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and shake off excess. Coat in the flour mixture.
Coat well and place on a plate. Let sit for 5 minutes before cooking.
When you place the chicken in the oil, the temp will drop. Increase the burner setting some at this point to maintain the temp in the 325°-375° range.
Cook in batches about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and internal temp of 165°. These can cook very quickly if your oil temperature is high. If the oil is colder, the time increase and they will start absorbing lots of oil.
Drain on a paper towel. Tent with the plate with foil or place in a 200° oven to keep warm while you do more batches.
Notes
Pro Tips
Do not try this recipe without a good instant read thermometer. Try the oven baked recipe if you don't have the correct equipment.
Chicken tenders are preferred, but you can cut strips of chicken breasts. If you do that, cut across the grain.
If one or two tenders are thicker than the others, flatten them to even out the cooking time.
The pepper and cayenne pepper are optional. I highly suggest the white pepper which adds a wonderful taste and it is the “secret” ingredient of KFC.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Corn or canola are good choices.
The most common error in stovetop frying is the temperature , and keeping it within range between 325° and 375°. If you are cook at a lower temperature, it takes longer, but the bigger issue is the absorption of too much oil. If too high of temperature, the outside cooks very rap
idly and may be burnt before the center is done (165°).
You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, or vinegar to 1 cup of milk, and allowing it to sit for 5 minutes before using.
Nutrition is calculated on my estimate of fat absorption during frying.
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