Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Servings: 4 servings (8 tenders total)
Calories: 374cal
Equipment
- Large heavy bottomed skillet with deep sides
Ingredients
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup hot sauce divided
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- oil for frying
- 2 ½ Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- To one of the breading trays, add bread crumbs, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Whisk or stir to combine.
- To another breading tray, add buttermilk, egg, and 2 tablespoons of the hot sauce. Whisk to combine.
- To a gallon zipper bag, add the flour. Place chicken tenderloins into the bag and seal. Shake the bag to coat all the tenderloins evenly.
- Working with one at a time, dip a floured tenderloin into the buttermilk mixture. Turn to coat completely.
- Place coated tenderloin into the breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat. Gently press both sides to adhere the crumbs. Place on a tray to rest while you coat all the other pieces.
- Add enough cooking oil to the skillet to come about an inch up the sides of the pan. Heat over medium-high until temperature reaches 350 F.
- When oil is ready, add tenderloins, one at a time, to the skillet, being careful not to crowd. You may need to work in batches.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, turning once or twice. They should be nicely browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- To make the buffalo sauce, add the remaining hot sauce and butter to a saucepan. Heat over medium-high, just long enough for the butter to melt. Turn off heat.
- One at a time, place cooked tenderloins in the buffalo sauce, turn to coat, and remove.
- The remaining sauce can be used for dipping if you like.
Notes
- It's important to maintain the temperature of the oil while frying. The temperature will fluctuate as you add and remove the chicken tenders. If the oil temperature is too low, the chicken will absorb more oil and you may end up with soggy tenders. Your best bet is to attach a thermometer with a clip to the pan.
- You can substitute the tenderloins with boneless skinless chicken breast, just slice the breasts into strips to resemble tenders.
- I recommend using Frank's Red Hot as the hot sauce of choice, but you can substitute with your favorite brand.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (2 tenders) | Calories: 374cal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 2629mg | Potassium: 572mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 629IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
