These buttermilk fried chicken tenders are super crispy and crunchy on the outside while still being juicy and tender on the inside. The buttermilk marinade and seasoned breading help you achieve the most flavorful fried tenders at home! I've also included the recipe for my easy, homemade buttermilk ranch but you can serve these tenders with your favorite dipping sauce.
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Why You'll Love These Buttermilk Chicken Tenders!
Marinating the chicken in buttermilk not only adds a ton of flavor, but also tenderizes the chicken so you have the most flavorful, tender, juicy fried chicken tenders!
While deep frying chicken tenders may sound intimidating, it's actually surprisingly easy to make restaurant quality chicken tenders at home!
These buttermilk chicken tenders are perfect for a variety of occasions! Serve them as a game-day appetizer (I always make them for the Super Bowl) or a fun weekend dinner!
You might also like these potato chip crusted chicken tenders or these cast iron chicken breasts!
Ingredient Notes
Chicken - I personally like to buy chicken tenderloins for chicken tenders because it's less work. Not only do chicken tenderloins come in a pretty uniform size (making them perfect for frying because they'll cook evenly), but they're also the most tender part of the breast! If you don't want to pay extra for tenderloins, you can use whole chicken breasts and just cut them into smaller chicken strip sized pieces (just be sure to get them as close to the same size as possible).
Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk you can use either regular whole milk or sour cream! You can also make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk!
Cornstarch - Adding a little bit of cornstarch to the flour breading mixture is a great trick for extra crispy chicken! It helps absorb moisture and prevent gluten formation so that you don't end up with soggy or gluey breading.
Spices - We don't skimp on seasoning around here! A mistake I see in many fried chicken recipes is that there isn't enough seasoning in the marinade or the breading, so you end up with bland chicken tenders. You want to make sure both the marinade and breading are well seasoned so that you end up with the most flavorful chicken tenders! But feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste. [Don't like smoked paprika? just leave it out!]
Oil for frying - I typically have canola oil or vegetable oil at home so that's what I use, but peanut oil is also a really delicious option (as long as you aren't allergic of course). You just want to make sure you're using with a high smoke point that is intended for frying.
Ranch - There's nothing I love more than a tangy buttermilk ranch! I've included my recipe for how to make it, but you can just use your favorite!
Variations
For extra tang - Add about ¼ cup of pickle juice to the chicken marinade!
Add some heat - If you like hot chicken, add 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce to the buttermilk marinade! Franks is a great choice!
How to Make Buttermilk Ranch
This recipe makes quite a bit of ranch so feel free to halve the recipe if desired!
In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the buttermilk until fully combined and smooth. It will be very thick.
Then slowly whisk in the buttermilk until your desired consistency is reached! I think ½ cup buttermilk is perfect for dipping, but you can use a little less for thicker ranch or a little extra for a thinner dressing.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!
How to Make Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade. Then add in the chicken tenderloins and massage gently into the marinade, making sure each piece is fully coated.
Cover tightly and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours but up to 24 hours. I like to marinate the chicken overnight for the best flavor!
Pour 2-4 cups of vegetable oil (you want it to be at least 2-3 inches deep) into a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375°F. [I love this thermometer because it clips to the pot.] Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and position it next to your stove.
While the oil is heating, bread the chicken tenders. On a large plate, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
Remove the chicken tenderloins from the marinade and gently shake off any excess (you still want them to be wet so the flour sticks). Then generously coat in the breading until it starts to look textured and clumpy.
Once the oil is 375°F, add 3-4 tenders at a time (be sure not to overcrowd the pot) and fry for 7-9 minutes or until the chicken reaches 160°F in the center. They will be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on the wire rack to let the excess oil drip off. Repeat with the remaining tenders.
Note: I like to fry a single tender first and cut it in half after about 7 minutes to make sure the timing is right. Use an instant thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches 160°F in the center because it will continue to cook once you remove it from the oil.
Once fried, you can keep the tenders nice and crispy by transferring the baking sheet/wire rack to a 200°F oven. The low temperature ensures the chicken doesn't overcook but the heat helps keep the breading from getting soggy.
Serve the buttermilk chicken tenders immediately with your homemade ranch!
I also love to serve these potato chip chicken tenders with my homemade fried okra or fried pickles!
Recipe FAQ's
The chicken tenders are best eaten immediately. But will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Place the tenders on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 400°F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. This keeps them more crispy than if they were reheated in the microwave.
In my house the only thing to serve with tenders is french fries and dipping sauce! I've included my recipe for homemade buttermilk ranch, but these tenders are also delicious with homemade honey mustard, ketchup, hot honey, buffalo sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce!
Yes but with some variations! You can bake them with the flour breading, but I find that baked tenders taste better with breadcrumbs instead. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet (this helps air circulate for crispy tenders) and preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare the tenders according to the recipe (but swap out breadcrumbs for flour), then lightly spray with cooking spray or olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flip and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until they are golden brown and reach an internal temp of 160°F. Note: I don't recommend frying the tenders in breadcrumbs as they will burn too quickly. So just remember frying=flour and baking=breadcrumbs.
For best results marinate the chicken overnight (8-12 hours) and up to 24 hours. You can leave the chicken in a buttermilk marinade for a max of 48 hours but I recommend using it within the first 24.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders with Homemade Ranch
Special Equipment
- 2-4 cups canola oil for frying
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning, optional
Breading
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Buttermilk Ranch
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
Buttermilk Ranch
- This recipe makes quite a bit of ranch so feel free to halve the recipe if desired!
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the buttermilk until fully combined and smooth. It will be very thick.
- Then slowly whisk in the buttermilk until your desired consistency is reached! I think ½ cup buttermilk is perfect for dipping, but you can use a little less for thicker ranch or a little extra for a thinner dressing.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!
Marinate
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade. Then add in the chicken tenderloins and massage gently into the marinade, making sure each piece is fully coated.
- Cover tightly and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours but up to 24 hours. I like to marinate the chicken overnight for the best flavor!
Frying
- Pour 2-4 cups of vegetable oil (you want it to be at least 2-3 inches deep) into a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375°F. [I love this thermometer because it clips to the pot.] Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and position it next to your stove.
- While the oil is heating, bread the chicken tenders. On a large plate, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
- Remove the chicken tenderloins from the marinade and gently shake off any excess (you still want them to be wet so the flour sticks). Then generously coat in the breading until it starts to look textured and clumpy.
- Once the oil is 375°F, add 3-4 tenders at a time (be sure not to overcrowd the pot) and fry for 7-9 minutes or until the chicken reaches 160°F in the center. They will be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on the wire rack to let the excess oil drip off. Repeat with the remaining tenders.
- Note: I like to fry a single tender first and cut it in half after about 7 minutes to make sure the timing is right. Use an instant thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches 160°F in the center because it will continue to cook once you remove it from the oil.
- Once fried, you can keep the tenders nice and crispy by transferring the baking sheet/wire rack to a 200°F oven. The low temperature ensures the chicken doesn't overcook but the heat helps keep the breading from getting soggy.
- Serve the buttermilk chicken tenders immediately with your homemade ranch!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Amanda says
Delicious
Anagha M says
This recipe is the first time I felt like I wouldn’t miss restaurant-made chicken tenders one bit! It was crispy and so so flavourful - def worth marinating it overnight because the flavour profile was immense!!
Amanda says
These were very good! I like how seasoned the marinade and breading was. The ranch was awesome too! The only thing I would suggest is to double bread the chicken (meaning, take out of marinade, coat in flour, dip in marinade again, and put the double coat of flour on.) Great recipe! My go-to crowd pleaser.
Melieni says
The ranch is 100/10
Charlotte says
Came out great! I loved it
Madelyn says
I loveeeeed this recipe❤️
Lisa says
So, so, so good!!!!
Tiffany says
Best fried chicken recipe EVER! Came out great. Ive been trying so long to get my chicken crispy like some of the restaurants. This is the one! I did add a little Tony's to my batter, other than that, I wouldn't change a thing!
Sammi says
Second time making them, favorite dinner to make, love making chicken sandwiches with it.
elise says
these seriously taste better than restaurant tenders! i added hot sauce to the marinade and it was so good!
Kaylee says
AMAZING 100% recommend
Jackie says
Flavor was on point!! I may try to double dredge the tenders next time to get more flaky breading. Def using this recipe again. I was also only able to marinate the chicken for 2 hours and it turned out great!
Jenny says
Delicious! And simple!
Angelina says
Just made this recipe, it is delicious! Very crispy
jessa says
all i can say is WOW! these honestly taste even better than restaurant chicken tenders!