If you’ve never yoinked your car out of the fast lane and into a gas station parking lot so your suddenly-hungry toddler can gobble up some crispy chicken tenders, have you truly lived? Personally, I’ve been there done that many times at this point and while I’m grateful for every kids’ menu and gas station-with-a-heat-lamp out there, the best chicken tenders are the ones I make at home!
These homemade tenders (sometimes called chicken strips) are golden and crispy on the outside, juicy and tender chicken on the inside, and my recipe is super easy to make. Even if you’ve never fried anything at home before, trust me, you’ve got this. After you’ve made these, you might try homemade chicken nuggets, too! And if you really want a baked recipe instead, check out this baked chicken tenders recipe.
Key Ingredients For The Crispiest Chicken Tenders
- Chicken: You can usually find chicken pieces labeled just for this use! If you can’t find them, boneless, skinless chicken breast works fine. Just cut it up into smaller pieces.
- Flour: You’ll season this with lots of spices, so the crispy coating is delicious.
- Egg: Egg helps the flour stick to the chicken.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Oil for frying: Peanut is a classic frying oil, but vegetable oil works, too.
Tips for The Best Homemade Chicken Tenders
- Make sure your chicken pieces are really nice and dry when you begin to coat them in the flour / egg / flour mixture. That will help the crispy fried crust cling to the chicken through the frying process.
- If you have time, it helps the coating to stick to the surface of the chicken if you let them sit for a few minutes before frying.
- The thermometer is essential for frying. I know it’s annoying to have to buy something new, but they’re cheap (here’s my go-to) and you can use it for all your chicken tenders for years to come!
- Don’t crowd your pan! When you’re frying, you need to keep the oil temperature steady. Each piece you add will drop the temperature a little bit, and you really want to see that 325°F. I only fry five tenders at a time at the most.
- Flip the chicken half way through frying (usually after about four minutes) for even browning.
How I Serve Chicken Tenders
My kids are older now (unfortunately for my wallet, we’ve outgrown the kids’ menu) but we still often make crispy chicken strips at home! Fries and a side of ranch is the most nostalgic, classic way to serve chicken tenders, but we often eat them on top of Caesar salad, with some basic broccoli or corn on the cob on the side, or rolled up into a wrap when we’ve got a busy evening ahead. They’d even be nice with waffles as a breakfast-for-dinner vibe.
More Easy & Quick Crispy Chicken Recipes
Crispy, Tender, Easy Comfort
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