Crispy Chicken Strips
This recipe yields crispy pan-fried chicken strips. Chicken tenders are marinated in buttermilk, coated in a seasoned flour mixture with buttermilk clumps, and then pan-fried until golden and cooked through. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls One for buttermilk soak, one for flour mixture
- 1 Large Skillet For pan-frying
- 1 Slotted Spoon or Tongs For handling chicken in hot oil
- 1 Plate Lined with Paper Towels For draining fried chicken
Ingredients
Main
- 3 pounds raw chicken breast tenders
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 to 3 teaspoons seasoned salt such as Lawry's Seasoned Salt, or spices of your choosing
- Vegetable oil
- Dipping sauce for serving
Instructions
- Submerge the chicken strips in the buttermilk for 15 to 20 minutes (or longer if you'd like).
- In another bowl, combine the flour and seasoning salt (or other seasonings if you prefer). Mix this together well. Next, gradually drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the buttermilk into the flour mixture and stir lightly with a fork as you add it to achieve clumps.
- Heat about 1 inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat.
- Remove a few of the buttermilk-soaked chicken strips and place them in the flour mixture, turning them over to coat thoroughly. Place them on a plate. Continue coating the chicken strips until they are all ready to cook.
- When the oil is sufficiently heated, begin cooking the strips a few at a time. Cook them for about a minute and a half or so on each side. When golden and crispy and the chicken is done, remove them to a paper-towel-lined plate. Do not allow them to burn.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Yum!
Notes
Ensure the oil is at the correct temperature (medium-low to medium heat) to cook the chicken through without burning the crust. Overcrowding the pan will lower the oil temperature and result in soggy chicken; cook in batches. The buttermilk soak tenderizes the chicken and helps the flour coating adhere. Adding some buttermilk to the flour creates desirable clumps for extra crispiness. Experiment with different spice blends in the flour for varied flavor profiles.