Nashville chicken tenders are delicious, crispy fried chicken strips marinated with various spices, then drizzled with an extra-hot spiced oil for a meal that will titillate your taste buds.
Hot chicken tenders are usually served with white bread and pickles in Nashville. Do the same for an authentic Tennessee experience – or pair it with a nice green salad and/or baked potatoes for a terrific family dinner.
Ingredients
- 300g boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Cajun spice
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 300ml buttermilk
- oil for deep frying
For the flour mix
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the spiced oil
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Method
- Place the chicken strips in a bowl. Add cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun spice, oregano, salt, pepper and buttermilk.
- Mix well and marinade for four hours in the fridge.
- Combine the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl, and stir to combine well. Set aside.
- After four hours, transfer the chicken strips into the bowl with the flour mixture and combine well, making sure the strips are well coated.
- Place the chicken strips on a plate and let them sit for 20 minutes at room temperature until the coating is absorbed.
- After resting, dip the chicken in the flour mixture one more time before frying.
- Heat the cooking oil to between 175°C and 190°C in a pan. Deep-fry the chicken for two minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Transfer the fried chicken onto a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Drizzle the spiced oil over the fried chicken and serve immediately.
For the spiced oil
- After frying the chicken tenders, let the remaining oil in the pan cool down for 10 minutes. Combine one tablespoon of the frying oil with cayenne pepper and paprika, whisk well, and drizzle over the chicken.
Tip: If you don’t wish to use buttermilk, mix one cup of milk with one teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar as a substitute. Set aside for five-10 minutes before adding it to the marinade ingredients.
This recipe can be found in Rasa Malaysia.
Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.