These 15-Minute Crispy Chicken Tenders have a crunchy, golden coating and juicy chicken inside. The tenders are coated in a flavorful buttermilk and egg mixture seasoned with ginger and garlic paste, chili sauce, black pepper, and red chili powder, then covered in a seasoned flour and cornstarch mixture.
The secret to the extra-crispy texture is the double-coating method. After the first flour coating, the chicken is briefly dipped in chilled water and coated in the flour mixture again. This creates small flakes and ridges on the surface that become wonderfully crisp when fried.
If you enjoy crispy chicken recipes, you may also like our Fried Chicken. For a creamy, spicy dipping sauce, serve these tenders with our Habanero Yogurt Dip.
Ready in just 15 minutes, these homemade chicken tenders are an easy option for lunch, dinner, or a quick snack and pair well with your favorite dipping sauce or sides.
15-Minute Crispy Chicken Tenders | Easy Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Flour Mixture
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Chicken Marinade
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1½ tsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1½ tsp chili sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ lb chicken tenders
For Coating and Frying
- Chilled water as needed
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Prepare the flour mixture
- Add the flour, cornstarch, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and salt to a bowl. Mix well.
Prepare the marinade
- In a separate bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk, ginger and garlic paste, chili sauce, black pepper, red chili powder, and salt. Mix well.
Marinate the Chicken
- Add the chicken tenders to the marinade and mix well to coat.
First coating
- Coat each chicken tender thoroughly in the flour mixture.
Dip in chilled water
- Briefly dip each coated chicken tender in chilled water.
Second coating
- Coat the chicken tenders again in the flour mixture.
Fry
- Fry over medium heat for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden, crispy, and cooked through.
Serve
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.