Table of Contents
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
2 lb chicken breast tenderloins or chicken strips
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
About 30 dashes Tabasco
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Breading
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper — see seasoning note below
Salt and black pepper — the source lists “½ teaspoon salt and black pepper”; confirm whether this means each or combined
Hot sauce and serving
1 cup hot frying oil (or separately heated avocado or olive oil; melted butter is also offered by the creator)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or less for a milder sauce
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
Avocado or peanut oil for frying
Pickles, to serve
Seasoning note: The breading lists both an incomplete “2 cayenne pepper” line and “2 tsp cayenne pepper.” The amount above retains the fully specified line, not an extra dose; confirm this typo before cooking.
Tools
Frying pan or pot
Baking sheet
Whisk
Food thermometer (for the added safety check below)
Preparation
Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, Tabasco, salt and black pepper together. Coat the chicken in this marinade, cover and marinate for at least 2 hours. Keep it refrigerated.
Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and breading seasonings in a separate bowl, after resolving the seasoning note.
Lift each tender from the marinade. Coat in flour mixture, shake off the excess, dip back into the marinade, then coat in flour mixture again. Set on the baking sheet and repeat. Rest the breaded chicken for at least 10 minutes.
Mix the brown sugar and hot-sauce seasonings in a heatproof bowl.
Cooking
Heat the frying oil until hot. The creator gives no numerical oil temperature; do not treat the stated frying time as a doneness guarantee.
Fry the tenders for about 5 minutes, or until fully cooked, then drain on paper towels. Added USDA safety check: verify 165°F (74°C) inside the chicken with a food thermometer.
After the first batch is cooked, carefully measure 1 cup of the hot frying oil into the sauce seasonings and stir. Alternatively, use the separately heated oil or melted-butter option listed above.
Dip the cooked tenders in the sauce and spoon more over them if desired. Stir the sauce again before each serving. Add pickles and serve immediately.
