INGREDIENTS
1.5 pounds chicken tenders, cut in half, make sure you remove the small tendon
(if you prefer, you may use whole chicken breasts cut into strips, but I find the texture of the tenders is much better)
1 large (48 oz) bottle vegetable oil, for frying
For breading:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 TSP Kosher salt
¼ TSP black pepper
1 TSP smoked paprika (you can substitute plain paprika)
1 TSP garlic powder
1 TSP onion powder
¼ TSP cayenne pepper
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
For Sauce:
½ cup hot sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
2 TB unsalted butter
Optional garnish - celery sticks and ranch dressing
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, peppers, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder.
In another bowl whisk the eggs and milk together.
Cover a rimmed baking sheet in parchment paper and set aside.
First dip each chicken tender in the egg mixture, followed by the flour mixture. Repeat steps.
You need to double coat each piece.
Place the chicken tender on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the pieces have been double coated. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
In a large Dutch oven heat the vegetable oil to 375˚ F. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and fry the pieces in small batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook about 5 minutes and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towel and a wire rack. (You may place them in a 250˚ F oven to keep them warm while the rest are being fried.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, place the hot sauce and butter in a small sauce pan and heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Whisk to combine.
To coat:
You may either pour the sauce into a large bowl and toss all the fried chicken with the sauce to evenly coat or my preferred method to control the spiciness: I pour a small amount of hot sauce mixture on each piece of chicken and serve with ranch dressing and celery sticks.