Are you looking for a simple meal that everyone in your family will love? You can’t do better than Piada 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 fried chicken tenders recipe ideal for weekday dinner.
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What makes the Piada Chicken Tenders so good?
When it comes to fried chicken, tender meat and a big crunch is where it’s at! These Piada restaurant-inspired chicken tenders deliver incredible flavor in every bite!
It all starts with a quick marinate in buttermilk, ensuring the meat is always juicy and tender with just a bit of tang. Then, toss in seasoned cake flour for a light and crispy crust. The buttermilk marinade ensures the chicken is never dry and gives the meat a slight tang. And since seasonings are kept to a minimum, the flavor of the chicken shines through.
Why you will love this recipe
This homemade chicken tenders recipe is a real game changer. It’s so easy to make and inexpensive that you’ll never want to buy frozen chicken tenders again. The extra crunchy coating and juicy meat make these tenders perfect for dipping or to use as the star ingredient for a sandwich, salad, or wrap. Deliciously versatile, what more could you want?
Homemade chicken tenders ingredients
For this chicken tenders recipe, you’ll need:
- Chicken tenderloins
- Buttermilk
- Fresh parsley
- Cake flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil
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 and place it 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. At this point, you can cover the tray with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for up to a day if you want to prep the chicken in advance.
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 side of the pot and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F.
- 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 either the Irish Champ or Colcannon versions of the dish.
- 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.
How to store the leftovers
Let the fried chicken tenders cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. You can freeze uncooked chicken tenders on a baking dish and then transfer them to a freezer bag. They should be kept in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw before frying as above.
What is the best way to reheat buttermilk chicken tenders?
Five minutes in a preheated 375°F air fryer will warm up thawed chicken tenders and make the coating extra crunchy, but if you don’t have one, you can use an oven instead.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Reheat the chicken tenders on a wire rack over a baking tray in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the tenders halfway through the cooking time.
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 more of my easy recipes for chicken and the best copycat fast food recipes here on CopyKat!
Piada Chicken Tenders
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.
Baltisraul
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.
Stephanie
Great tip, I will have to give this a try. I haven’t ever done it before.
Baltisraul
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.
Jacquie
In the recipe you mention cake flour as an ingredient which kind white or yellow?
Stephanie
Cake flour as in finely milled flour. I use Wondra, White Swan, or King Arthur brands.
Baltisraul
Have only used Wondra when making gravy but since we are doing the chicken strips tonight, Wondra it is.
Baltisraul
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.
Stephanie
I bet they were really good. I love the use of parsley in this batter. It is colorful and it adds a nice touch.
Hlynn
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.
Jacquie
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.
Carl
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
Stephanie
I don’t like to cut up a chicken breast for these either.
George
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.
Stephanie
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.
Robert Stewart
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.
Stephanie
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.
Gil
When is the best time to filter oil? Should it be filtered immediately after use or should it cool to room temperature?