A simple recipe that is a family favorite. These easy Buttermilk Chicken Tenders are ready in just 30 minutes! Make these chicken tenders for a quick dinner or even for school lunches. You can never go wrong with delicious fried chicken.
We raise our own chickens for meat, so there is no surprise that we eat a lot of chicken. One of the best parts of raising chickens and processing them yourself is being able have chicken tenderloins without having to pay grocery store prices.
With that being said, this recipe does not have to be made with the tenderloins. You can use whole chicken breasts and cut them into strips.
What better way to prepare chicken tenderloins than to make buttermilk fried chicken tenders? Chicken tenders are great served with almost any side dish. We almost always serve them with mashed potatoes, Collard Greens and Cornbread. My husband likes to have honey to dip them in. I like to dip mine in ranch dressing. They are also great for making sandwiches or cut up and added to a salad.
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My secret ingredient for this recipe is Buttermilk Powder. I have mentioned using this in my Buttermilk Cornbread recipe, because I rarely have buttermilk in my refrigerator. I like keeping the buttermilk powder because it has a longer shelf life than buttermilk, which tends to spoil before I have a chance to use it all. I simply add it to the dry ingredients in recipes that I need buttermilk for. Of course, you can use buttermilk in this recipe if you have it. Or omit it entirely and use regular milk.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Tenderloins: Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips will also work for this recipe.
- Buttermilk: Or use buttermilk powder. Regular milk can also be used. To make a quick buttermilk you can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk before adding it to the chickens.
- Eggs: The eggs are used to bind the flour to the chicken.
- Flour: All-purpose is used are the breading for the chicken tenders.
- Cornstarch: To add help make the breading crisper.
- Seasonings: Various seasonings are needed for the milk and the flour. Seasonings both will make for a tasty chicken tender.
- Hot sauce: I like to add a dash of my favorite hot sauce to the milk for added flavor. This is optional but recommended.
How to Make Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
- Trim: Remove the tendons from the tenderloins. If using chicken breasts, cut into strips.
- Marinate: 3-6 hours before cooking the chicken mix together the buttermilk, seasonings and hot sauce. Add in the chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until 1 hour before cooking. Remove from the refrigerator. By removing the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking, the chicken will not be as cold, which will allow it to cook more evenly.
- Heat oil: Add 1" of oil to a large cast iron skillet and bring to 365°F.
- Make breading: In a large bowl or 9" round pan mix together the flour, cornstarch and seasonings.
- Add eggs: In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and stir them into the bowl of chicken.
- Bread chicken: Working in batches take the chicken, letting the excess milk drip off, and coat with the flour. Press down firmly to make sure the flour sticks.
- Fry: Add the chicken to the pan and fry until browned, flip and cook until browned on the other side. Don't crowd the pan. This will drop the temperature too much and make the breading fall off. Work in batches. The chicken is ready when golden brown on all sides and the internal temperature reaches 165° when checked with a thermometer. Add to a dry rack or paper towel lined pan.
- Keep warm: Place in a warm oven until all tenders are done. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Can Buttermilk Chicken Tenders be Made Without Marinating?
Absolutely! For the best flavor I recommend marinating the chicken. However, because the chicken tenders are seasoned by the buttermilk and flour it will still have tons of flavor without being marinated. I have skipped the marinating process several times and the chicken tenders always turn out good.
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review below, I would love to hear how it turned out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
To Marinate the Chicken
- 1.5 lb chicken tenders or breasts cut into strips
- 1 Cup buttermilk or regular milk
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ Teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Teaspoon paprika
- 1 Dash hot sauce your favorite
Flour Mixture
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ Teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder *if using in place of buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon pepper
- 1 Teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ Teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼-1/8 Teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne powder
- ¼ Teaspoon onion powder
- As Needed vegetable oil
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Remove the tendons from the tenderloins. If using chicken breasts, cut into strips.
- 3-6 hours before cooking the chicken mix together the buttermilk, seasonings and hot sauce. Add in the chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until 1 hour before cooking.
- Remove from the refrigerator. By removing the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking, the chicken will not be as cold, which will allow it to cook more evenly.
- Add 1" of oil to a large cast iron skillet and bring to 365°F. Whisk together the eggs and add to the chicken. Mix well.
- In a large bowl or 9" round pan mix together the flour, cornstarch and seasonings.
- Working in batches take the chicken, letting the excess milk drip off, and coat with the flour. Press down firmly to make sure the flour sticks.
- Add the chicken to the pan and fry until browned, flip and cook until browned on the other side. Don't crowd the pan. This will drop the temperature too much and make the breading fall off. Work in batches.
- The chicken is ready when golden brown on all sides and the internal temperature reaches 165° when checked with a thermometer. Add to a dry rack or paper towel lined pan.
- Place in a warm oven until all tenders are done. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Julia says
This chicken was incredibly tender inside! We all loved it and friends asked for the recipe!!!
Sky Pilgreen says
That is wonderful to hear!
Dina and Bruce says
Super crispy chicken! And loved the hot sauce!
Neha says
I adore the flavor of chicken soaked in buttermilk prior to cooking/frying it! I am so excited to have found this recipe and to make chicken tenders your way!
Shadi says
Everyone in my family loves these! Simple and so delicious with a side of salad and potatoes!
Sky Pilgreen says
I am so glad to hear that you and your family love them! They are a family favorite as well.
Ned says
The mix of marinade and spices were fantastic! Thank you for this great recipe!