Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
One of my most popular recipes, these chicken tenders are marinated in seasoned buttermilk and pan-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Like most kids, my daughter prefers “kid food” to “grown-up food” any day of the week. Occasionally, it works to my advantage—a trip to McDonald’s makes excellent bribery—but most of the time I’m just dealing with a picky eater. Rather than desperately trying to coax her into eating dinner every night, sometimes I just make her favorites. These chicken tenders, marinated in seasoned buttermilk and pan-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection, are at the top of her list. They’re delicious plain, dipped in honey mustard sauce, or perched on top of a salad. And they’re not just for picky kids—everyone loves them.
What you’ll need To Make Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
Step-by-Step Instructions
To marinate the chicken: In a large sealable bag, combine the chicken tenders with the buttermilk, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Seal the bag tightly and massage the chicken until it is evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning.
Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook them, make the breading: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Whisk until well blended.
Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the mixture is evenly clumpy.
Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the breading mixture.
Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It’s a messy job: use one hand to remove the wet tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.)
Set breaded tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet.
To fry the chicken: Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set next to the stove. Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about 3/4-inch. Heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (about 350°). (If a cube of bread sizzles when you drop it in, it’s ready.) Using tongs, place several chicken tenders in the hot oil without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, a few minutes, then flip and cook until the second side is also golden, a few minutes more.
Set the cooked tenders on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
Fry remaining tenders in batches adjusting the heat as necessary (if the tenders are browning too fast, lower the heat). Serve hot with honey mustard sauce.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
You may also like
- Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
- Easy Chicken Parmesan
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Fried Chicken Sandwiches
- Chicken Schnitzel
- 9 Best Pots and Pans For Your Kitchen
Video Tutorial
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
One of my most popular recipes, these chicken tenders are marinated in seasoned buttermilk and pan-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
For the Breading
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk
For Cooking
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil, for cooking
Instructions
- To marinate the chicken: In a large sealable bag, combine the chicken tenders with the remaining marinade ingredients. Seal the bag tightly and massage the chicken until it is evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning. Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- To make the breading: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the mixture is evenly clumpy.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the breading mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It's a messy job: use one hand to remove the wet tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.) Set breaded tenders on the prepared baking sheet.
- To fry the chicken: Line another baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set next to the stove. Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about ¾-inch. Heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (about 350°). (If a cube of bread sizzles when you drop it in, it's ready.) Using tongs, place several chicken tenders in the hot oil without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, a few minutes, then flip and cook until the second side is also golden, a few minutes more. Set the cooked tenders on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Fry remaining tenders in batches adjusting the heat as necessary (if the tenders are browning too fast, lower the heat). Serve hot.
- Note: I find that it's hard to tell how golden the chicken is when it's immersed in the oil. It may only look lightly golden, but it's actually a perfect fried chicken golden brown. If you're unsure, simply pull a tender out of the oil and rest it on the paper towels to see the true color.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately ¼ cup of the oil is absorbed into the chicken tenders when frying.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, put the frozen tenders on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven until heated through and crisp, about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 925
- Fat: 51
- Saturated fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 75g
- Sugar: 5g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 41g
- Sodium: 1866mg
- Cholesterol: 96mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I love this recipe!! My daughter is really getting into being in the kitchen and she wanted to make us dinner by herself we found this and she was able to complete dinner by herself! Thank you. Best tenders ever!
Wow!! These are probably the best tenders my wife and I have ever eaten. They were fantastic. We followed the recipe exactly except we used our own hot mustard sauce recipe. I used a candy thermometer to try to keep the 32 oz of peanut oil between 350 and 360 deg in our le creuset.
OMG! I made these this past week for dinner and my family loved them they asked me if I would make more this coming up week for dinner lol! I love all your recipes I’ll be making the spicy chicken thighs and oatmeal banana cookies this week Thank you for all your amazing recipes 🙂
So glad your family is enjoying the recipes, Ireisha!
Is it possible to replace buttermilk with heavy cream with a similar result?
Hi Angie, It should work fine. Enjoy!
Can this be made with chicken cutlets? I just pounded some out, but then i saw this great recipe.
Hi Susan, Yes, but you’d have to cut them into strips, otherwise they won’t cook properly. Hope it turns out!
i want to make these but not fry the I would like to bake them but have the frying texture
Hi Peter, Unfortunately, baking won’t work with this recipe. Sorry!
I just got done making this and I have one word. YES! I fried them in a mix of Avocado Oil, Olive Oil and mostly Lard. Delicious!!! Thanks a bunch, will be making this again and again.
I made this recipe on 10/6/14. Both my SO and I found it to be very good.But I did change the way it was cooked. I felt that it was way too much oil,so I just pan fried the chicken in a cast iron skillet. The addition of the buttermilk to the breading gave this recipe the twist to make it different from other fried chicken recipes. After tasting, we both felt that the flavor would be more intense if the spices were doubled. I’ll make the recipe again,but will double up on the spices. ” Keep Smiling 🙂 “
When I first saw this recipe I was a little reluctant to try it because I am not a big fan of chicken tenders, but I knew that my husband and daughters would like them. I marinated the tenders overnight and they turned out FABULOUS! I was amazed at how juicy and flavorful they were. These chicken tenders are now in our menu rotation since they were a big hit. This is a must try recipe!! 🙂
I typically don’t even care for chicken – and this was fabulous! I did substitute Lawry’s Season Salt in place of standard table salt. Also, I think my oil heat was too high because it browned almost instantly after submerged so I ended up draining on towels and then baking for about 10 minutes to cook thoroughly. Lastly, the chicken ended up staying in the buttermilk marinade an extra day because, well, three kids and six sports means dinner doesn’t always happen the way I intend!
These are the best homemade chicken tenders iv’e ever had. They are like restaurant one’s!
This recipe is absolutely amazing. I’m from the South and always had trouble frying chicken (go figure). This was my first successful attempt and it’s a keeper!! I imagine this would also work well with shrimp as well?
Yes, shrimp would be delicious as well!
Can you substitute buttermilk for regular milk?
Hi Krista, I would just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk and let it sit for about 10 minutes to make your own buttermilk.
Just excellent. Very tender. Better than the commercial ones.
This recipe is AMAZING! And very well flavored. My boyfriend loved it and so did I! Personally, my taste buds are sensitive to salt so I put a little less salt! Awesome recipe! Thanks!
Are you supposed to remove the tendon in the chicken before marinating it? These look delicious. Definitely will be making them!
Ornit, It’s optional; I don’t bother unless the tendon is large.
I like marinating the tendons and drying these like jerky They make great dog treats!
This is, by far, the best chicken tender recipe I’ve ever tried. I did make one change that I think makes it even better. I used half flour and half panko bread crumbs and didn’t add the buttermilk to the batter. The panko makes them very crunchy and by not adding the buttermilk, it makes it a little easier coating them.
Hello,
I am making this for dinner tonight and I am so excited after reading all the comments :)! I was just wondering if I can use my fryer and if so, what temp should I set it to in order to fry them properly?
Hi Brittney, I would set it at 350. Hope you enjoy and please let me know how they come out!
Why does my breaking completely fall off the chicken after it is cool????? Pls. Answer.
Patty
Hi Patty, I’m not sure why that would happen. Did you make any substitutions?
That would be caused by inconstant temps. Try to keep the oil temp at 350
I fry them then put them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet and put them in a warm oven while i fry the rest of them,works great,and they stay goodand warm.
Delicious – kids love them. I used gluten free flour and grapesees oil for frying so a bit healthier and not greasy at all.
Baked these on a greased cookie sheet and used panko crumbs instead of flour. Very moist and tasty!
Made these tonight for dinner while watchin football. Was a hit!!
Hi Jennifer – I’ve made this a number of times and really love it, but have a question about the chicken tenders. I buy Trader Joe’s organic chicken tenders, which always have a rubbery sinew type of thing running along each tender. I usually remove it but was wondering whether it’s better to not, as it falls apart a bit when I do remove. Do you remove it?
Hi Ponyo, Excellent question. All chicken tenderloins have it. I only bother removong it if it is really thick.
We absolutely love these chicken tenders. They are wonderfully crispy and flavorful. Jenn, thank you for foolproof recipes with reliably great results.
You’re welcome, Valerie. So glad you enjoyed them!
This is one of my regular go-to recipes – both kids and adults love it, and I especially like that it’s also so easy to make. Leftovers work great for lunch the next day too as an added bonus.
I scale back on the salt a little, as I find the other spices adequately provide flavor, and serve it with a side of red lentils or cous cous. Delicious!
I just have to add to the praise of this recipe. I made it for my husband last night and it was incredible. Thank you for sharing! I will have to try the honey mustard next time with it 🙂
I don’t fry much, any tricks for getting the smell of oil out of your house after the fact?
Glad you enjoyed it, Paula. Not much you can do about the smell…just be sure your exhaust fan is on while you’re frying, and lots of lysol afterwards 🙂
Made this for my family and they gobbled it down like they hadn’t eaten in a month. Didn’t have any rosemary so I chopped up some fresh basil added. It was great. 🙂
These sound fabulous. I have a child who can’t eat wheat so I need to replace the flour and the baking powder. I have a couple of other flour options. Not sure about baking powder. He also can’t have corn or potatoes so some of the gluten free options won’t work either. Ideas for a replacement?
Hi Heather, I’d just leave the baking powder out. It just makes the crust a little more crispy. They will still be delicious without it.
These were so easy to make and flavorful!!!! My husband asked for more when there was none left. Thinking I will have to use 8 chicken breast sliced rather than 4. Tender and yummy. I forgot the baking powder but didn’t really miss it!!! Thanks for the hit!!! Served them with mashed potatoes (not boxed) and homemade gravy!!
By far a family favorite!!! These are delicious!!!
Outstanding! I have never gotten *anything* I’ve fried to a texture like this, with all the perfect crispy parts on the outside. Just delicious — thank you!
OMG! These are so flipping good, my whole family loved them. Thanks for a great recipe!
This was the first time I have ever attempted to fry chicken. The tenders were delicious and the recipe was so easy. Will be making this again and again.
Made these tonight and they are amazing!!! Super tender and delicious! Left out the cayenne pepper and used my deep fryer instead but other than that- followed the recipe. Will be making again soon!
Finally made these. I have never “deep fat fried” anything! I guess part of me was like, it is not good for me, but mostly I thought it was be very messy. Well, I made these tenders today and it was easy, and mess free! Thanks for another great recipe and another cooking item off my list of things I have never tried. These were very good and very easy. I always have buttermilk in the house.
I just made these tonight. Delicious!! I used chili powder instead of the cayenne. Still good, DH loved them!! Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to make them again!
Hi and thank you for the recipe. I’m planning on making these for dinner tonight. I had a question though…
Why baking powder? What does that do?
Thanks!!
Hi Rachel, It makes the crust extra crispy. Hope you enjoyed them!
This is one of our favorite chicken tender recipes! I add a little hot sauce to the buttermilk mixture because we like a little more heat. These turn out great everytime! Thanks for the recipe!
Made these for my grandkids and they when so quick I think that the adults helped them. Next time I’ll make more. Great taste I think I’ll try to bake them and see if they come out as good.
Made these for 14 children at our new years party. A BIG hit! (the adults loved them, too!)
Hi. Want to try these, your directions call for baking soda, buit ingredient list says baking powder…
Is it supposed to be powder???
Thanks…
Hi Jennifer, Thanks so much for catching that! I corrected the typo…definitely use baking powder. Hope you enjoy!
I am wanting to try this recipe this week, but was just curious if anyone has tried baking these? My husband isn’t a fan of fried food, so thought
These were delicious and made a dinner that we all enjoyed. That said, I had trouble with my batter falling off and/or sticking to the pan and peeling off during frying. I noticed that you didn’t dredge the tenders in egg before battering, and that’s a step that I’ve used in the past with success. Is there a reason, other than simplicity, that you left that out? Thanks again for a great recipe! Yours is one of my favorite sites for go-to recipes!
Hi Becca, So glad you enjoyed. Since it’s a somewhat wet coating, you don’t really need the egg before battering. That said, if you had issues with it, there’s no harm in dipping the tenders in egg first so the coating it adheres better. Hope that helps 🙂
3 words. OH. MY. LORD. I just made these and I swear…….. PG-13 I am so f-ing amazed. They are THE BEST chicken tenders i’ve made. I make chicken nuggets or at least try to and they never come out crispy.ever. AND THESE, they are perfectly crispy and savory and tender. UGH I am so glad I found your recipe on pinterest. Thank you so much for sharing it with everyone!
Found this fabulous recipe on Pinterest These were wonderful! I halved the recipe since I was only cooking for two. I only had time to marinate for 3 hours and they are loaded with flavor! Yummy!
These are excellent! I’m making them for the second time this week because hubby was so impressed and loved them!! 🙂
I am so excited to try this!
These are the best chicken fingers I have made. My family loves them and my father inlaw, which is a hard one to please ;).
One of our families favorites. The kids love it! Great to pack for a picnic too!
So good! Buttermilk is the key here. I have even “cheated” when I didn’t have any buttermilk, and soured some milk with 1 T of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk.