PICKY EATER APPROVED (my stepson haha)
This is a recipe I've been perfecting and tweaking over the last 2 years. It's great no matter how you're eating your chicken, whether it's nuggets, tenders, or chicken sandwiches!
This is my GLUTEN FREE version, but honestly... It's super easy to tweak this if you don't have a gluten issue.
Look at how beautiful and yummy they look!!!
Also, we recently acquired a mini deep fryer, and honestly it made ALL THE DIFFERENCE! No sticking, no missed breading. Absolutely perfect chicken and super easy! (You can still pan fry these though if you don't have a fryer!) Oh, and yeah... KEEP YOUR GREASE!
INGREDIENTS:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/3 cup Buttermilk*
2 TBS Sriracha Sauce
1 egg
1/2 CUP Great Value Gluten Free Flour **
1/2 CUP Kentucky Kernel GF Seasoned Flour **
1/2 CUP GF Panko **
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1 TSP Onion Powder
1 TSP Smoked Paprika
1/2 TSP Salt
1/2 TSP Black Pepper
1/2 TSP Oregano
* You may need more, just to cover the chicken. Specifics in the instructions below. ** Again, you may need more to coat your chicken. ALSO, you can replace these equally (1:1) for the NON Gluten Free versions!
NOTE... We LOVE seasoning. You can always add more, but you can't take any away. You can probably be a little cautious on the seasonings for the first time if you're worried it may be too strong for you. We have family who literally can't even handle a dash of black pepper, so.. we understand haha
Some of the ingredients we used. Swap the gluten free items out for "normal" versions if you don't have a gluten sensitivity!
Seasoned buttermilk marinade. Ideally you'll want to let it soak overnight, but you can make do with about an hour in the fridge.
Seasoned flour mixture. Be sure to flip and evenly coat all sides of your chicken!
Fresh out of the fryer and oh-so perfect!
DIRECTIONS:
Slice your chicken breasts into tenders (or buy them pre-cut, but we don't cause it's more expensive!) Or half them and tenderize if you want to make sandwiches.
In a large bowl, whisk together an egg, your buttermilk, and a decent squirt of Sriracha sauce. You can also add in a sprinkle of the seasonings if you want.
Plop your chicken down in the buttermilk mixture. Make sure there's enough to completely submerge your chicken. Add more buttermilk if needed.
Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours (which is what we did). Aim for at least 1 hour minimum.
When you're ready to cook, go ahead and mix up your dry ingredients. You can do this on a plate, in a bowl, or in a ziploc bag... whatever method you like best! I've tried them all and I straight up hate each method. I always make a mess! Ughh.
Make sure your oil is hot, whether you're frying in a skillet or a deep fryer.
Using tongs, pick up each tender and thoroughly coat it in the flour mix.
Once your oil is up to temp, gently place your coated chicken strips in the oil. If you're using a fryer (like we did), drop the basket down and set the timer. We had success at setting the temp to around 350* and the timer between 7-10 minutes. Check it periodically!
If you're NOT using a fryer, be sure to flip your chicken half way through!
Once done, pull your chicken out and set it on a wire rack OR a plate with paper towels to absorb the oil. Let cool a few minutes and then....
ENJOY!!!
You can top yours or dip it in a sauce of your choice. We made Ranch dressing and used Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce to dip ours in. YUM!
Seriously the best chicken ever.