Chicken Tenders

First thing you’ll need to do is cut the chicken breasts into tender pieces, if you didn’t buy your chicken already cut into tenders like I did, they were on sale the other week, score! After the chicken is cut, you’ll brine the chicken. Brine chicken in the pickle juice, egg and milk minimum 1 hour minimum, best overnight in the fridge.

Next you’ll make the flour mixture and place it in a plastic bag to shake the chicken in. Even parts corn starch and flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and cayenne pepper (if making them spicy).

When you’re ready to start cooking, heat the canola oil in a heavy pot (I didn’t use a large one because I don’t like frying food in my fancy pots) over MEDIUM heat. While the oil is heating, start flouring the chicken.

Place 3-4 chicken tenders at a time into the plastic bag with the flour and spices and gently shake to coat the chicken. Place the chicken that’s been breaded on a wire rack if you have one. Shake all the tenders in the flour in the batches at one time, this gives the flour the option to stick to the chicken.

When the oil has reached 350°-375°F add 2-4 chicken pieces to the oil and fry. Do not crowd the pan, give the chicken room to fry. Fry chicken for anywhere to 4-7 minutes till internal chicken temperature reaches 165°f. If the chicken gets too dark before chicken is cooked, the oil is too hot, lower stove temperature and allow oil to cool a bit, then continue cooking the chicken.

When the chicken is done cooking, place on a plate with paper towels to absorb the extra oil. I recommend serving the chicken tenders with my homemade honey mustard sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2-2 lbs of chicken strips

• 3 cups canola oil for frying

  Chicken brine

• 1 1/2 cups dill pickle juice

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 2 eggs

  Chicken flour/breading

• 1 1/2 cup corn starch

• 1 1/2 cup flour

• 4 teaspoons garlic powder

• 4 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 pinches cayenne pepper (optional)