These Crispy Chicken Tenders Marinated then pan-fried to crispy perfection. This is a meal the whole family can enjoy, even your picky eater!
Like most kids mine love kid-food. Often I will use it as bribery, like a trip to Chik fil-A, you know sometimes it works! The best part of that restaurant is the sauce, I can scarf down tenders and chick fil-A sauce in the 5 minutes it takes to drive home, ha! Rather than hitting up the drive-thru its nice just to whip up some tenders at home.
This recipe is simple, my secret marinade ingredient is pickle juice, yep that’s right, pickle juice!! I marinate the tenders for 2+ hours, coat them, then pan fry them in my cast iron skillet till crispy perfection! Chicken tenders are not just for kids, everyone loves them. You can serve them with various sides or over a salad.
How to Make Crispy Chicken Tenders
For this recipe, I used a marinade that consists of milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt. They will need to marinate for a minimum of 2 hours. This marinade keeps the chicken so tender and juicy! Once the chicken has been marinated you will then toss it in a flour mixture. Next, you will fry it up to crispy perfection. I find the chicken fries best in a cast-iron skillet.
Love chicken dishes also try Mexican Orange Chipotle Chicken, Hibachi Style Chicken, and Teriyaki Chicken Skewers.
Crispy Chicken Tenders
TheseCrispy Chicken Tenders Marinated then pan-fried to crispy perfection. This is a meal the whole family can enjoy, even your picky eater!
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup pickle juice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Flour mixture
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- pinch cayenne
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp saltÂ
- 2 lbs chicken tenders
Instructions
- Combine milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Let sit for 1 minute until the milk curdles.
- Place the tenders in a large ziplock bag or shallow dish and pour milk mixture over the tenders. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- In a separate zip lock bag place the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and salt. Add chicken tenders to the bag and discard the rest of the marinade. Shake the bag to coat the chicken, dust off the excess.
- In a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add oil about 3/4-inch depth. Heat oil till shimmering, 350°.
- Add in chicken pieces a few at a time. Fry tenders for 10-12 minutes flipping occasionally until golden and crispy. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temp of 165°.
- Place cooked tenders on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Enjoy
