Chili’s Chicken Crispers (Copycat)

Chili’s Chicken Crispers copycat with the delicious shatteringly crispy crust that Chili’s crispers famously have, but made at home! So easy to make and also a great batter for fish too!

Chili's Chicken Crispers
Chili’s Chicken Crispers

Back to Chili’s today for one of my kids’ favorite chicken tenders of all time. The original Chicken Crispers with that sort of fish and chips texture that’s super different from most chicken tender recipes.

Most chicken tenders have a crispier, more  texture, but these are more of a cross between a tempura texture and a fish and chips texture, smoother, lighter batter and the edges, with the super crispy just batter that fried up is so light in texture you’ll find yourself sneaking pieces of it while cooking.

Does Chili’s use MSG?

Yes, the original recipe does call for MSG, but the copycat recipe swaps out the Accent Seasoning for chicken broth, per Todd Wilbur. In this swap it works well to emulate the same flavors.

Chili's Chicken Crispers on plate

What to serve with Chili’s Chicken Crispers?

Classic chicken tenders are best served with KFC Potato WedgesKFC ColeslawCrispy Sweet Potato Fries or even your favorite potato salads.

Let’s discuss the dipping sauces! There’s two that are our absolute favorites at Chili’s and they’re both so EASY to make.

Chili’s Honey Chipotle Sauce Recipe

  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Add the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Cook, whisking, for two minutes before turning off the heat.
  3. Cool the sauce before serving as a dip or toss the chicken crisper in the warm sauce if serving fully dipped.

Chili’s Honey Mustard Sauce Recipe

  • 1/4 cup dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup honey
  1. Mix all the ingredients together.
  2. Chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving.

Chicken Tenders from Chili's

Tools Used In This Recipe:
Deep Fryer: Easy for keeping temperature on point and kind of fun to use!
Chicken Base: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.
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.

Chili's Chicken Crispers
5 from 17 votes
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Chili's Chicken Crispers

Chili's Chicken Crispers with the delicious shatteringly crispy crust that Chili's crispers famously have, but made at home! So easy to make and also a great batter for fish and chips!  
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Chili's Chicken Crispers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 149 kcal
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup self rising flour
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins
  • canola oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a dutch oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the egg, milk, chicken broth, salt and pepper until well combined.
  3. Add in the self rising flour.
  4. In a second bowl add 1 cup of flour.
  5. Dip each piece of chicken into the batter, then into the flour.
  6. Add the chicken to the oil in small batches and fry for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Nutrition Facts
Chili's Chicken Crispers
Amount Per Serving
Calories 149 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Cholesterol 50mg17%
Sodium 418mg18%
Potassium 254mg7%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 45IU1%
Vitamin C 1.7mg2%
Calcium 15mg2%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Chicken Tenders from Chili's
Chili's Chicken Crispers Tenders Copycat

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I just finished making these and they were a huge hit with my family! The only thing I changed was that I used seasoned salt instead of regular salt. We will be making these a lot! Thank you!!

  2. Wow! Just wow. This recipe is amazing! Tastes just like the crispers. I’m a plain Jane so I like mine with no sauces, however, my husband only eats these with the honey chipotle sauce. He made this for his & he’s blown away. His first statement was “we never have to go back to chili’s!” which of course we will (I can’t get enough of their chili or that chicken bacon ranch quesadilla). We love this recipe & I’m sure it will become a frequent of ours. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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