Description
If you love extra crispy chicken tenders, we think you’ll love this recipe. These light and crispy fried chicken tenders are a definite crowd-pleaser and they don’t weigh you down like the ‘neighborhood’ restaurant version. In fact, these chicken tenders are so crispy that you can actually tap on them with the back of a spoon and it sounds like glass (really). If you love spicy chicken tenders, add a little cayenne pepper (we love them like this).
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 to 2 pounds chicken breast tenders, filets, or chunks (450-900g)
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (128g) (+ more for dredging fish in prior to coating with batter)
- 1 1/4 cup light beer or ale (311g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (4g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste (6g)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) (5-6g)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional) (1/2 -1g)
- neutral oil for frying
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Blot the chicken with paper towels to remove excess moisture then dredge each piece in the flour to coat all sides. Shake off the excess flour and set chicken aside in a single layer until ready to dip it into the batter and fry.
- While you make the batter, preheat a skillet or dutch oven to 350°F/176°C with approximately 1 inch (2.5cm) of oil in it.
- Make the batter. In a medium bowl, add 1 cup + 1 T flour (128g), baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder, and whisk to combine. Add the beer and whisk gently just until there are no large lumps of flour visible in the batter. *don’t whisk too vigorously
- Fry the chicken. Working quickly and in batches, dip the chicken pieces into the beer batter, gently shake off any excess batter by tapping the chicken on the side of the bowl, and carefully place each piece into the hot oil making sure not to overcrowd the skillet. Fry the chicken turning over occasionally to ensure all pieces are evenly browned, remove to a paper towel-lined platter or onto a cooling rack, and Enjoy!
Notes
- For a non-alcoholic batter, substitute sparkling water, seltzer water, or sparkling apple cider for the beer.
- When adding battered chicken to the hot oil, place it into the oil in a direction away from your body so that if it splatters, it’s less likely to hit you.
- Use wooden chopsticks or tongs to move the chicken around in the hot oil. This is less likely to puncture a hole in the batter which ensures the batter stays crispy and the chicken moist.
- Do not dip the chicken into the batter until you are ready to fry them. Dip one piece at a time and get them directly into the hot oil after you’ve tapped off the excess batter.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Meat + Chicken
- Method: Deep Fried or Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 to 3 chicken tenders
