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Best Homemade Chicken Tenders Ever

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Ingredients
  

For the Chicken Tenders:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 2 cups shortening or oil for frying; omit if baking

For the Marinade:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp. hot sauce
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the Crispy Tenders Coating:

  • 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup regular or Italian breadcrumbs 
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Instructions
 

How to prepare the chicken tenders:

  • This is one of the tips behind better chicken strips - To get a more tender strip, cut against the grain of the chicken. Don't just cut the chicken any way you like - notice where the grain lines are and be sure to cut opposite them. This makes the cooked fibers of the chicken shorter, so they tear apart easier. Cut strips as big or small as you like, just cut against the grain.

To prepare the marinade:

  • Place chicken in a zip lock bag and set aside.
  • Next, combine milk, lemon juice and sugar in a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup; whisk in the cornstarch. This is the 2nd tip - I first noticed Asian recipes calling for cornstarch in the marinade. Adding cornstarch to chicken, prior to cooking, gives it a protective coating that locks in juices. The trick is to not let it marinate for too long
  • Add in the hot sauce, as much as you like, and the pepper and whisk to combine.
  • Pour marinade in the zip lock, with the chicken, and gently shake until chicken is coated.
  • Place bag in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 20 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour.

To fry the chicken tenders:

  • In a frying pan, heat about 2 cups of oil to 365°F; frying the chicken in Crisco yields the crispiest tenders.
  • While the oil is heating, combine all ingredients for the coating in a shallow bowl.
  • Remove chicken pieces from bag, a few at a time, and place them in the breadcrumbs, then spoon some on the top of the chicken, then press the chicken down; flip and repeat the process; repeat until all chicken is coated.
  • Once oil is hot, fry chicken pieces for anywhere from 2 - 4 minutes per side, depending on how big they are.
  • Remove cooked chicken and place on a plate lined with a paper towel; repeat until all chicken is cooked.
  • Serve hot or cold.

To bake the chicken tenders:

  • Heat oven to 400°F degrees F.
  • Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and arrange chicken tenders.
  • Place in pre-heated oven and cook 12 -15 minutes, until tenders register 165°F on a meat thermometer; pay careful attention and check often as to not overcook.
  • Serve hot or cold.

Notes

Note that my recommendation is to fry these tenders (the photos are of fried tenders), but if you opt to bake them, they will look different as you are not submerging them in oil. To add a little moisture, spray the baked tenders with a little olive oil spray prior to baking, after you bread them. It's a lot less oil than frying but they will taste better that way.