Are you looking for a simple meal everyone in your family will love? You can’t do better than these Piada-inspired chicken tenders. These buttermilk marinated tenders are reminiscent of the best-fried chicken you’ve ever had but take much less time to cook, making this recipe ideal for weekday dinners.
What makes these tenders so special is the quick buttermilk marinade that ensures juicy, tender meat with just a hint of tang, combined with a seasoned cake flour coating that creates an incredibly light and crispy crust. This homemade version is so easy and inexpensive that you’ll never want to repurchase frozen chicken tenders.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
The secret to these incredible Piada-style chicken tenders lies in the combination of buttermilk marinade and cake flour coating. The buttermilk tenderizes the meat while adding a subtle tang, and the enzymes break down proteins for maximum juiciness. Cake flour contains less gluten than all-purpose flour, creating a lighter, more delicate crust that stays crispy longer. The addition of cornstarch further enhances the crunch factor, while the fresh parsley adds color and a hint of freshness that elevates the overall flavor profile.
Homemade chicken tender ingredients
For the Chicken and Marinade
- Chicken tenderloins – Naturally tender cut that cooks quickly and stays juicy throughout the process
- Buttermilk – Tenderizes the meat while adding a subtle tang and helping the coating adhere perfectly
- Fresh parsley – Adds color, freshness, and mild herb flavor to the coating
For the Coating
- Cake flour – Creates the lightest, crispiest crust due to lower gluten content than all-purpose flour
- Cornstarch – Enhances crispiness and helps create that signature light, crunchy texture
- Salt – Enhances flavor and helps draw moisture for better coating adhesion
- Freshly ground black pepper – Adds subtle heat and classic seasoning without overpowering
- Vegetable oil – Provides neutral flavor and high smoke point perfect for deep frying
For the lightest and crispiest crust, don’t substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour.
How to make chicken tenders
To prep the chicken tenders:
- Trim the chicken tenders to remove any excess fat.
- Place the trimmed chicken tenders in a sealable container or large bowl and pour in the buttermilk to cover.
- Seal the container in the fridge for about an hour to marinate. While the chicken tenders are marinating, you have time to prepare the coating.
To prepare the coating for the chicken tenders:
- Finely chop the fresh parsley.
- Combine the cake flour, cornstarch, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and fresh parsley.
- Spread the coating on a plate.
To coat the buttermilk chicken tenders:
- Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking tray.
- Remove the chicken tender from the buttermilk marinade and shake it gently.
- Dip both sides of the chicken tender into the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
- Put the coated chicken tender on the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Allow the chicken to rest for at least five minutes before frying. If you want to prepare the chicken in advance, you can cover the tray with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for up to a day.Â
To finish the fried chicken tenders recipe:
- Place a clean wire rack on a rimmed baking tray and place it close to the stove.
- Preheat at least three inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Attach a deep-frying thermometer to the pot’s side and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F.Â
- Carefully add two to three tenders to the hot oil to cook the chicken in batches. Do not overcrowd.
- Fry until the chicken is golden brown, about four minutes.
- Carefully remove the cooked chicken from the oil and place it on the wire rack to drain.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.
Sauces that go well with buttermilk chicken tenders
Sweet, heat, or anything in between, sauce can transform these chicken tenders. Make one of the following sauces or leave your favorite dipping sauce in the comment section for others to try:
- Hot Mustard Sauce. This Hot Mustard Sauce, inspired by the one they used to serve at McDonald’s, is sweet and spicy. It will give your chicken tenders a real kick.
- Zax Sauce. Zaxby’s Zax Sauce is rich and creamy with just enough of a zip to keep things interesting.
- Bourbon BBQ Sauce. You aren’t going to find BBQ sauce this delicious at your local fast-food restaurant. This Bourbon BBQ Sauce recipe has a complex flavor profile but is still simple to make at home.
What to serve with homemade chicken tenders
All of your favorite fried chicken sides work with this dish. Here are three great choices:
- Mashed potatoes. Go traditional with this easy KFC Mashed Potatoes recipe, or try something new with the Irish Champ or Colcannon versions.Â
- Mac and Cheese. Warm and creamy mac and cheese is a perfect pairing. Outback Steakhouse Mac and Cheese is a giant step up from the stuff in the blue box.
- Green beans. Get your veggies with Texas Roadhouse Green Beans. This unique recipe simmers the beans with ham stock, bacon, and onions for a super flavorful side dish.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Freezing:Â Freeze uncooked coated tenders on a baking sheet, then transfer them to freezer bags for up to 1 month. Thaw before frying.
- Refrigerator Storage: Store cooled tenders in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheating Method: Reheat in 375°F air fryer for 5 minutes or oven at 375°F for 12-15 minutes on a wire rack, turning halfway through. Avoid microwaves to prevent soggy coating.
More copycat chicken recipes
- Burger King Chicken Fries
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets
- Cracker Barrel Fried Chicken Tenders
- KFC Fried Chicken
- Long John Silvers Chicken Planks
- Olive Garden Chicken Parmesan
- Panda Express Spicy Orange Chicken
- Planet Hollywood Captain Crunch Chicken
- Texas Roadhouse Herb Crusted Chicken
- Whataburger Chicken Strips
Favorite fast food sauces for chicken
Check out my easy recipes for chicken and the best copycat fast food recipes here on CopyKat!
Piada Chicken Tenders – Easy Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 2 cups buttermilk
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders and buttermilk into a gallon-sized zip-top bag or other container and marinate for about 1 hour.
- In a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil to 350°F.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the cake flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Mix well.
- Remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk and dredge thoroughly in the flour. Shake off the excess. Place the breaded chicken on a wire rack for about 2 minutes before cooking to ensure that the coating adheres to the chicken.
- Fry the chicken in the hot oil until lightly golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the fryer.
Another trick to keep the batter holding to the chicken is to place the battered pieces in the freezer for about 15 min then directly into the hot oil. Works like a charm and it cuts way down on the excess batter floating around in the oil afterwards. You need to add an extra minute to the frying time because the pieces are cold.
Great tip, I will have to give this a try. I haven’t ever done it before.
Works great on any fried food but mushrooms will prove my point. I have always had trouble holding batter on mushrooms until I used the freezer trick.
In the recipe you mention cake flour as an ingredient which kind white or yellow?
Cake flour as in finely milled flour. I use Wondra, White Swan, or King Arthur brands.
Have only used Wondra when making gravy but since we are doing the chicken strips tonight, Wondra it is.
Turned out great. Frying time closer to 3 min than 5 min. I pounded chicken breasts into rather thin strips. Dipped in DIY Chili’s Honey Mustard Sauce.
I bet they were really good. I love the use of parsley in this batter. It is colorful and it adds a nice touch.
Cake flour isn’t just finely milled. There are other differences, cake flour has less protein (which effects the gluten makeup) is made with a softer kind of wheat,and sometimes contains cornstarch or baking powder depending on the brand.
I am very much interested in making this delicious dish but my only question is what kind of cake flour are you using – thanks fort the share.
I have been using “Chicken Tenders” for some time rather than cutting a perfectly good breast. Used them in a variety of dishes including salads.
This sound delicious, look forward to trying it.
Carl
I don’t like to cut up a chicken breast for these either.
I am the father of 5, 3 of which are now married, I started making rice pudding 66 years ago and do virtually all the cooking in my household. being from the deep south I do a lot of frying, for my deep frying I use peanut oil to the exclusion of any other Pan frying I will use lard (best flavor: esp: when used for pie crusts and tamales) olive oil, pecan oil, sesame oil, and butter depending on which flavor I want to achieve, when deep frying I use a 4 gallon dedicated fry/sauce pan and 3 gal peanut oil, I have a 6 gal stock pot I filter my oil into after 1 or 2 uses. I have a collapsible steel frame that holds a fiber filter cone into which I put 2 disposable filter cones disposing of the innermost one each use or 2 and placing a new one outside of the one left. The frame, inner filter and disposable filters can be purchased from a restaurant supply store/house or online. One must be EXTREMELY careful when pouring the oil from the pan through the filters into the stockpot, (which I always have placed in the sink). This solution works for me and is economically easier on me than a restaurant sized fryer which is what it would take to do a fried fish/shrimp/hushpuppy dinner/supper for 10 to 14 people and even with this set-up it can take a while. The smaller auto fry pans/pots work for cooks preparing for a smaller group, and I suppose there are kitchens where commercial fryers are in use, but as a marginally middle class income earner this is a good compromise. With my 5 kids and their college expenses there is no such thing as more money than month. Y’all have a good day.
You have this down. I am completely amazed. My Mom has an outdoor fryer that she has used in the past, I personally think that is the way to go. I live in the South, and you can use this a large part of the year. I think if you can keep that oil clean you can use it a few times without a problem. My first job in high school was at a Dairy Queen, we had to move the hot oil around, we filtered it, and then had to tote it outside for disposal in a disposal can for oil. That was hard dangerous work.
Stephanie,
Thank you for this recipe and the introduction to Piada. I have often wished that I had a fryer and I now want to make the investment. Can you tell me which one you have? The filter aspect appeals to me.
I have two, the Grand Pappy, no filter, they are priced reasonably, but they offer great heat stability, no filtration. I just got a T-Fal fryer with a filter. Still looking to try this one out. I have learned don’t use your regular pots the oil splatters and then gets caked onto the pans. You will spend a lot of time scrubbing your pots. It works ok once in awhile in a pinch.
When is the best time to filter oil? Should it be filtered immediately after use or should it cool to room temperature?