Make restaurant-style chicken tenders at home! Can you guess what secret ingredient I use to make the crispiest chicken tenders? You probably already have a container of it in your pantry! Crispy, flavorful, and fried until perfectly golden brown. You'll love these tenders!
If you're looking for a crowd pleaser to make for the entire family, whip up a batch of these crispy chicken tenders and serve them with my crispy buttermilk onion rings and homemade ranch dressing!
If you've ever found yourself intimidated by making fried chicken, homemade crispy chicken tenders are a great place to start. Chicken tenders fry up quicker and cook much more evenly than drumsticks. I've tried many different methods over the years and came up with one that my family goes nuts over, using a secret ingredient that you probably have in your pantry.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Basic ingredients. Obviously, you'll need chicken, but the other ingredients are inexpensive and basic. A blend of your favorite spices, a few ingredients for dipping, and a coating to make the best chicken tenders. All things you probably already have on hand.
- Flavorful. I use pickle juice in my dipping mixture. It isn't overpowering at all and gives the tenders a wonderful flavor.
- Perfect for dipping. Chicken tenders are the perfect shape for dipping in your favorite sauce. I even included my favorite homemade dipping sauce recipe!
- Affordable. With a family of 7, being able to make restaurant-style chicken tenders at home is a huge money saver. I can feed our entire family for less than the price of two combo meals.
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What People Are Saying
I’ve made fried chicken tenders a thousand times for my family…. And they’ve always been …."good"…..but this recipe really is a winner. The ratio of cornstarch and flour and seasonings is great, but the real kicker is the pickle juice in the marinade. It perfectly tenderized and flavored the chicken, resulting in next level tenderness and texture. This is a keeper! Thanks Brandy. ---Kayce
I just made this chicken tender recipe, and it is literally the best fried chicken I have ever made! Very tender and crispy fried. Great flavor, I can't say enough about how happy I am to have found it! Thank you so much for sharing, I will be using this one from now on! ---Amanda
These are good! I forgot to take a picture, but they turned out nicely- golden brown with a medium amount of breading. I also used only a quarter cup of pickle juice because others said they tasted too strongly like pickles. They did not taste like pickles, they were nicely seasoned. They were also crispy. I used less corn starch because I didn’t have that much, and replaced it with flour. I made the sauce recommended with it, which my husband and I both liked with some added hot sauce. ---H (Pinterest comment)
Tips and Tricks
- Use Corn starch. The key ingredient in making the CRISPIEST fried chicken is corn starch. I've been making fried chicken using cornstarch for years, and every time I branch out and try a recipe that doesn't call for cornstarch, I am disappointed. The coating just isn't the same! A simple 50/50 ratio of corn starch and flour works great, and it is something that you probably already have in your pantry. Many view corn starch as only an ingredient for baking or making sauces, and it works great for those uses. I use it in my bakery style sugar cookies.
- A trick for testing your oil for frying. If you don't have a thermometer (I use an electric thermometer, but a candy thermometer works too), you can test the oil by dipping a bamboo skewer into the oil. Make sure it touches the bottom of the pan. If you immediately see bubbles coming up against the skewer, the oil is ready.
- Test fry one tender before doing an entire batch. Once the oil temperature reaches 350-375 degrees, do a test batch with one chicken tender. The tenders shouldn't brown immediately. If they do, the oil is too hot. Lower the oil and wait a few minutes before testing another chicken strip.
🥣Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Breast Tenders: I've made this recipe using chicken tenders or sliced up chicken breasts, and they both come out delicious. I prefer tenders, but chicken breasts work great too.
- Pickle Juice: Sounds crazy, but trust me! Pickle juice tenderizes the meat and gives it great flavor.
- All-purpose flour and Corn Starch: These two ingredients make up the crunchy coating on the chicken tenders. They give it a light texture, but lots of crispiness, and the coating won't fall off during the frying process. Promise.
- Spices: I use a combination of garlic powder, paprika, seasoning salt (Johnny's is my go-to), and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Oil for Frying: Vegetable oil is a solid choice, but peanut oil or canola oil also works well for deep frying.
- Dipping Sauce: If you'd like to make my dipping sauce, you'll need mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and more pickle juice!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳 How To Make The Crispiest Chicken Tenders
Step 1: Soak the chicken tenders in pickle juice, milk, and an egg for 30 minutes. When the chicken has about 5 minutes of soaking time left, mix the dry ingredients. Corn starch, flour, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, and a bit of cayenne pepper.
Step 2: Place everything in a plastic bag and dip 6 tenders at a time. Seal the bag, give it a good shake, and transfer the chicken tenders to a rack. Repeat until all of the tenders have been dipped and shaken.
Top Tip
Dip and shake everything at once so you don't have to stop and wash your hands multiple times. It also makes the frying process quicker if all of the tenders are ready to go!
Step 4: Heat oil in a skillet or deep fryer to 350-375 degrees. Line a platter with paper towels. Fry tenders in small batches for 5-6 minutes. Tenders should be golden, and the internal temperature should be 165 degrees.
Step 5: Once the chicken is done, remove it and place it on a platter with paper towels to drain.
This recipe makes 16-18 crispy fried chicken tenders, so you can easily fry all of them in 3-4 batches.
Fried Chicken Tenders FAQs
You might think that a chicken tender is simply a chicken breast cut into strips, but it's actually a different piece altogether. A chicken tenderloin is a small strip of meat located on the chicken breast. True to their name, the tenderloin is more tender than the chicken breast. It also has more flavor. That being said, boneless skinless chicken breasts are packed with vitamins and are lean. They are more affordable than tenders, too.
You can leave the pickle juice out if you prefer, and the tenders will still be crispy and delicious. Pickle juice tenderizes and adds flavor.
You can reheat fried chicken tenders in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 3-4 minutes. You can also fry chicken tenders in an air fryer, but I would recommend a recipe that calls for bread crumbs and double-dredging.
More Chicken Recipes to Make
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Crispiest Chicken Tenders Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. chicken tenders 16 tenders (or chicken breast cut into strips)
- oil for frying
Chicken Soak
- ¾ cup dill pickle juice
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 egg
Chicken Dip
- ¾ cup corn starch
- ¾ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt
- cayenne pepper pinch
Optional Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. BBQ sauce
- splash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice
Instructions
- If making the optional dipping sauce, mix ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Stir before serving.
Chicken Tenders
- Mix pickle juice, milk and egg in a large bowl. Add chicken tenders and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients in a plastic bag.
- Place tenders in plastic bag, 6 at a time. Seal bag and shake.
- Remove tenders and place on a rack. Repeat with remaining tenders.
- Heat oil to 350-375 degrees.
- Fry tenders, 5 at a time, for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.
- Place cooked tenders on a paper towel lined platter.
Pam6622 says
This came out deliciously! Coating was crisp, chucked was juicy. I made a honey mustard that was really good with it. Thanks!
Brandy says
I’m so glad!!
Sandy says
Hello which pickle juice do you use? Sweet or dill?
Brandy says
Dill
beth says
They were so tender and juicy!!!
Brandy says
Yay! So glad to hear!
Sarah says
I tried it and it was delicious the best chicken fingers I ever tasted thanks for the recipe and the sauce was delicious too.
Brandy says
Thank you for letting me know. I'm so glad you like them!
Lisa says
I’ve been searching for the perfect chicken tender recipe and thus is it! Batter stays in the chicken, very crisp and flavorful.
Brandy says
Yay! I'm so glad!
Marianne says
This came out so good. I had heard of brining the chicken but never tried it before. We've been trying to get good crunchies on our chicken and finally got them!! Thanks for sharing.
Brandy says
This made my day! So glad to hear!!
Cydney says
Made this chicken last night for dinner, and it was a HIT! No complaining from the kids at all (which is a big deal in our house)! I also made the tangy sauce, and it was loved all around! My 6 year old refuses any and all condiments but LOVED this sauce. Which brings me to my question- if I made a large batch of this sauce and stored in a condiment bottle, how long do you think it would last?
Brandy says
Hi Cydney! This made my day! So we've made the sauce and kept it in the refrigerator for about 5 days before we finished it. I haven't tested it any longer than that. Sorry I'm not more help!
Donna says
Abolutely THE BEST chicken I have ever made!!! My family LOVES it!! I'm so glad I found this recipe on Pinterest!!!
Brandy says
Oh, I'm so glad! It is our favorite, too!
Janillia says
Maybe try popping the battered chicken strips in the fridge for a bit. Haven't tried it with this recipe but it has worked for others.
Monica says
Made these tonight and they were AMAZING!! Boyfriend says they were the best chicken tenders he's ever eaten in his life. I doctored the sauce just a bit but it was perfection!!!
Brandy says
Monica, that is AWESOME. I'm so glad they worked out for you and that he loved them so much! They are a favorite over here with our family. We like using the same technique to make nuggets, too!
Beth says
I made this last night. Very good and moist. Husband said this is a recipe to do again. It wasn’t KFC crispy, different but good. Guess it was the corn starch.
Brandy says
Yes, I have yet to figure out KFC, but we do like this recipe! Crispy and has a bit of a tang from the pickles! Glad you guys liked it, too!
Gail Patterson says
I think you'll have to double dip for the extra crispness. I haven't tried these yet, but the recipe looks like the best I've seen. I'll let you know how double dipping goes!
Laurie says
Do you think this would work in an air fryer?
Brandy says
Hi Laurie! I'm still new to air frying so I'm not sure what the time/temperature would be for making these. I'm sure you could though!
Stephanie says
Made these tonight and we Loved them! I marinated the chicken all day. And I found a chick fil a sauce recipe to dip them in 🥰😋 perfection!!!! Thanks for sharing.
Brandy says
Yay! And I'm going to need to find that Chick fil A sauce recipe for dipping!
Jennifer says
Do you use sweet pickle juice or dill pickle juice?
Brandy says
I like using dill. 🙂
Don says
Do you make your pickle juice, or pour it off of dill pickles?
Brandy says
Hi Don! Yep! I pour it off the pickles. There is always pickle juice left in the jar from store bought pickles so I save it for making this recipe.
Stephenie says
Delicious! Marinade kept it super moist, and such a good idea to use pickle juice 😄 Didnt try the sauce because we’re suckers for buffalo sauce.
Brandy says
So glad you liked it! And the pickle juice adds such great flavor, right?