Chicken Tenders - 4 Simple Steps

I always thought making fried chicken tenders (or fried chicken for that matter) was pretty straight forward.

1. put chicken in seasoned flour

2. fry it

My chicken tenders were OK, but my family wouldn't be cheering when they heard chicken tenders was on the menu that evening. Until I figured out the 4 simple steps I was missing...

1. Soak Chicken in Buttermilk (at least 15 minutes)

2. Let chicken sit after dipping in flour (about 5 minutes)

3. Make sure oil is hot enough

4. Fry in smaller batches

Initially I always just dipped my chicken in flour and put it in the oil. It never got as crispy as I wanted. I tried dipping in egg first, but that just made the batter goopy. I then saw Paula Dean dipping her chicken in buttermilk on one of her cooking shows, but by accident, I let several tenders sit on a plate waiting for the oil to get hot. It's that extra little bit of waiting that lets the "batter" set up and makes the tenders the most light and crispy.

The last 2 steps go hand in hand. If your oil isn't hot enough, it takes longer to fry your tenders and the batter won't get as light as you want it. And if you put too many pieces in your oil at once, it will drop your oil temperature very quickly, and it'll take extra long to cook, causing your batter to be heavy.

Now for the recipe, I don't use specific amounts. Eye ball it and adjust for your own tastes. What's most important is that you soak your chicken in buttermilk (about 15 minutes), after dipping in flour let it rest before frying (at least 5 minutes), make sure your oil is hot enough, and only fry a few tenders at a time.

1-2 lbs of chicken cut in to 1/4 inch thick strips

enough buttermilk to cover chicken strips in a medium size bowl

1-2 cups of flour

McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning

(add more flour/seasoning if necessary to coat all chicken strips)

Fill a large pan with enough oil so that it's at least 1-1.5 inches deep. Turn heat to medium. Add a couple of shakes of steak seasoning to your flour. (more or less to your tastes) Stir. You won't be able to see the seasoning, but you'll taste it after you fry your tenders. Let chicken sit in the buttermilk for at least 15 minutes, and then take chicken 1 piece at a time and put in the flour. Cover thoroughly. Take chicken piece out of flour and put on a plate. Repeat until all chicken is floured. Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes.

By this time your oil should be hot enough. Put 4-8 tenders in at a time (depending on the size of your pan). Set your timer for 8 minutes turning tenders over half way through. Take your tenders out and cool on a wire rack. Best served with white country gravy.

If your tenders aren't golden after 8 minutes, your oil isn't hot enough. Play around with turning up the heat or frying fewer tenders at a time. You might also just have to wait a bit longer to start frying so that your oil is hot enough. Once you get the system down, you'll have extra crispy, juicy chicken tenders your family will absolutely LOVE!

Danielle Eidson is a Certified Master Integrative Coach and Certified Spiritual Divorce Coach personally trained by NY Times best selling author, Debbie Ford. Her passion is helping people heal from painful relationships.

Do you know you have relationships with your food? Join Danielle in healing your relationship with food and creating a life that you love!

To find out more about her programs go to: http://HealingYourRelationships.com/

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