Crispy Golden Chicken Strips (Printable)

Golden breaded chicken strips, crispy outside and tender inside. Perfect with dipping sauces.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.1 lb chicken breast fillets, cut into strips

→ Marinade

02 - ½ cup buttermilk
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
05 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
06 - ½ teaspoon paprika

→ Breading

07 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
08 - 1 teaspoon salt
09 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
10 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

→ For Frying

13 - Vegetable oil, for deep frying

→ To Serve

14 - Barbecue sauce
15 - Honey-mustard sauce

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk buttermilk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a bowl. Add chicken strips and marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours in refrigerator for enhanced tenderness.
02 - Arrange three shallow bowls: first with flour mixed with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika; second with beaten eggs; third with panko breadcrumbs.
03 - Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge each strip in flour mixture, dip in egg wash, then press into panko breadcrumbs to coat evenly.
04 - Pour 2 inches of vegetable oil into deep skillet and heat to 350°F.
05 - Fry chicken tenders in batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to wire rack or paper towels to drain.
06 - Serve immediately with barbecue sauce and honey-mustard sauce for dipping.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The buttermilk marinade makes the chicken impossibly tender, like the kind you get at restaurants but better
  • That triple coating process creates a crispy shell that stays crunchy even after the chicken cools down
  • These disappear faster than I can fry them, whether for dinner or a casual gathering with friends
02 -
  • Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature dramatically, leading to greasy chicken that takes forever to crisp up
  • Letting the chicken rest on a wire rack instead of paper towels preserves that crunch you worked so hard to achieve
03 -
  • Use your left hand for the dry ingredients and right hand for the wet to avoid the dreaded breading clump situation on your fingers
  • A cold water bath shock immediately after frying helps set the crust and keeps the chicken juicy inside
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