Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Buffalo Chicken Tenders made with a classic buttermilk soaked extra crispy chicken tender dredged in homemade buffalo sauce.

Made with the base of our Super Crispy Chicken Tenders in homemade buffalo dipping sauce and ranch dressing, these buffalo tenders are addicting!

 Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Buffalo Chicken Tenders were my go to order when I was in high school and we’d all go out to eat together. I somehow felt more like an adult ordering them because they weren’t like regular chicken strips.

Truth be told most people I know now don’t actually coat their chicken strips, they dip regular chicken strips into buffalo sauce, then in ranch dressing because then all of their strips aren’t getting soggy while they’re eating.

BUT the best part of buffalo chicken strips are when the sauce soaks into the coating a tiny bit making it both crispy and juicy, so a full dip is highly recommended here. If you are going to have any time in between cooking these and serving these I do not recommend coating them until you are just ready to serve though.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Tenders for a Crowd:

Don’t forget if you are making these in a big batch and need to keep them crispy or if you’re making them with any more than 5 minutes before serving, you can keep them warm and crisp in an oven heated to 250 degrees. Keep a cookie sheet in there and add the chicken tenders, single layer, not crowded to the pan as you finish cooking them.

We use a super crispy coating on the chicken tenders here because it gives the buffalo sauce more edges to adhere to. The recipe is easy but tastes like the best restaurant chicken tenders you’ve ever had.

Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe

• 2/3 cup Franks Red Hot pepper sauce
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a saucepan while whisking.  Once boiling and incorporated turn off the heat.

Ranch Dressing Recipe:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

How to make baked buffalo chicken tenders? (Healthy Buffalo Chicken Tenders)

After the buttermilk marinade add the spices to breadcrumbs instead of flour. Dredge the chicken from the buttermilk into the breadcrumbs then add to a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Toss with the sauce ingredients just before serving.

Looking for some more fun fried chicken and sides?

• KFC Potato Wedges (Copycat)
• KFC Coleslaw (Copycat)
• KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)
• Chick-fil-A Nuggets (Copycat)

Tools Used In This Buffalo Chicken Tenders Recipe:
Deep Fryer: Easy for keeping temperature on point and kind of fun to use!
Accent Seasoning: The x factor in the original KFC copycat recipe (this is MSG, I did not use it in my recipe, so use at your discretion).
Pigtail Flipper: I LOVE this tool for frying. I am able to drop and pick up pieces without removing any breading at all thanks to this awesome tool.

5 from 9 votes

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Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Buffalo Chicken Tenders made with a classic buttermilk soaked extra crispy chicken tender dredged in homemade buffalo sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 16 Servings

Calories 139 kcal

Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts boneless skinless
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• canola oil for frying

BUFFALO WING SAUCE

• 2/3 cup Franks Red Hot pepper sauce
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into four tenders each and soak them in a bowl with the buttermilk and hot sauce for 30 minutes.

2. Add the eggs to one bowl and the flour and spices to a second bowl.
3. Dip each piece of chicken from the buttermilk bowl to the flour mixture.
4. Dip it into the eggs then back into the flour mixture.
5. Shake excess flour gently off and put the chicken onto a baking sheet.
6. Repeat with all the pieces.
7. Heat the oil (three inches deep) in a dutch oven on medium high heat to 350 degrees.

8. Fry the chicken in small batches for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

9. To make the buffalo wing sauce add the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil while whisking.
10. Dip the tenders into the sauce and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Amount Per Serving

Calories 139 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Cholesterol 58mg19%

Sodium 460mg20%

Potassium 256mg7%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 80IU2%

Vitamin C 0.8mg1%

Calcium 27mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.