My super crispy Fried Chicken Fingers is an easy recipe in which chicken breasts are cut into tenders, marinated in buttermilk and then fried to perfection.
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Crispy Fried Chicken Fingers
Seriously, this dish is incredibly delicious! So crisp and crunchy on the outside but warm, moist, and filled with tenderness on the inside! When served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce, expect an excellent meal. Plus, this recipe is good for finger snacks!
This recipe has its own definition of convenience. If you ever need a quick lunch meal idea, this one is for you. It's quick and easy to make yet SO delicious.
Also, it works well with any flavor of dipping sauce! I'll let you a secret: this recipe doesn't even need dipping sauce to make it taste good!
Ah, I almost forgot. My children ADORE them with french fries.
Ingredients
Complete information on ingredients and quantities is in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Chicken Breast. I use chicken breast because it has a firmer texture than other chicken parts, so it will hold up well when breaded and fried. Plus, it's more uniform in shape and size, which will be easier to divide into four tenders for this recipe.
Buttermilk. If you are wondering why buttermilk? Because It has acid, and that acid tenderizes the meat of the chicken, giving you moist and juicy chicken. Buttermilk also encourages crispy coating when it interacts with baking powder in this recipe! If you marinate your chicken with buttermilk, expect it to have a moister interior with a crisp exterior.
Hot Sauce. Hot sauce is a great flavoring for your chicken breasts! It adds a tangy and spicy taste to the chicken .
Eggs. Eggs will make sure the breading stays even during the frying process.
All-Purpose Flour. All-purpose flour will provide a coating that will keep the chicken crispy. You can use whole wheat flour or cornstarch instead.
Seasonings: I used black pepper, salt, paprika and garlic powder.
Baking Powder. Both flour and baking powder ensure that fried chicken comes out crispy.
Vegetable Oil. I fry the chickens in well-heated vegetable oil.
How to Make Crispy Fried Chicken Fingers?
One: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then cut each chicken breast into four tenders.
Two: In a mixing bowl, mix together buttermilk and hot sauce, and then soak the chicken for 20-30 minutes.
Tip: Season the chicken tenders in buttermilk and hot sauce ahead of time— approximately the night before you fry them. This will give your chicken enough time to be well-seasoned, and the buttermilk will have more time to tenderize your chicken to be much tender and moist.
Three: In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and baking powder and in another small bowl, add the eggs.
Four: Now, take one piece of the chicken out of the buttermilk marinade and dip it into the flour mixture, then into eggs, and then back into the flour mixture. Gently shake off the excess flour. Repeat with the other chicken pieces.
Five: Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and fry the chicken in small batches for about 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Tip: Don't overcrowd the pan since doing so will cause the temperature of the oil to drop, resulting in soggy and not-so-crispy chicken fingers.
Six: Line a plate with a paper towel. Place the fried chicken in it so that they'll be drained of excess oil and viola!
Bake Them
Put the breaded chicken pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer, spray with cooking spray and bake in a pre heated oven at 210C / 420F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Variations
- Use breadcrumbs along with the flour for a more delicious crunch.
- If you love cheese and chicken, you can add grated parmesan to the breading mixture so that the chicken will come out crispy AND cheesy at the same time.
- If you don't want the mellow spice that paprika and black pepper give, you may use cayenne pepper or chili powder instead for an extremely hot and spicy chicken!
Storage
To store: I refrigerate them for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: Put leftovers in a ziploc bag in the freezer and freeze for 1-2 months.
More Chicken Recipes
- Chinese Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe
- Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Easy Lime Coconut Chicken
- Chicken Katsu Curry
- Panko Breaded Chicken Breast
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Recipe
Crispy Fried Chicken Fingers
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts , boneless skinless
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then cut each chicken breast into four tenders.4 chicken breasts
- In a mixing bowl, mix together buttermilk and hot sauce, and then soak the chicken for 20-30 minutes.1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and baking powder and in another small bowl, add the eggs.2 cups all purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon paprika, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 eggs
- Now, dip each piece of chicken into the flour mixture, then into eggs, and then back into the flour mixture. Gently shake off the excess flour.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and fry the chicken in small batches for about 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.½ cup vegetable oil
Suzie
Absolutely delicious!! I even used chicken thighs as I didn’t have breasts. A keeper!
Cari
So delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly, and they came out so perfect, juicy and crunchy!
Luann
I made the healthier version of this recipe, I baked the chicken fingers in the oven, and they were so crunchy and delicious.