# 375 Degree Oil? What setting for chicken tenders?



## Mylegsbig (Jan 23, 2006)

Hello there.  I'm going to try my buterrmilk marinated spicy chicken tenders again tonight and have a question regarding oil cooking temp.

They will be dipped in flour, then egg, then pank crumbs and lightly pan fried in oil, hopefully flipping them only once.  The size of the tenders is small.

I was told to use 375Degree oil for these tenders in this light pan fry.

Thing is, i dont have a thermometer for that, so can someone using their past knowledge and experiences or whatever, estimate to me what setting on their stove this would be?  

I was thinking around MEDIUM HIGH.  is this correct?  My skillet goes 2-4-6-8-HIGH, with little dashes in between.  So maybe oil on SEVENISH?

This is not a a precise answer i need just a general guideline and i will not hold it against you if you offer something wrong.  Just give me a ballpark on how high to heat this oil for frying up these tenders.

Also, i was thinking around 1/4 inch of oil?  What do you think?


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## mugsy27 (Jan 23, 2006)

my initial instinkt is the same as yours...7-ish.

a trick i learned a while back is to take a tiny drop of water and put it in the oil..it should pop a little and simmer nicely.  if you get a lil oil explosion..its too hot.  nothing happens, not hot enough.


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## GB (Jan 23, 2006)

This is a very tough question to answer as each and every stove is going to be different. If it were me, I would start at med-high and cook one piece and see if it works for you. It is going to take some trial and error on your part, but once you get it right then you will know what works right for your stove.


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## jennyema (Jan 23, 2006)

I'm with GB ... start at 7 and try a test piece and see what happens.

Once you think it's right, remember not to crowd the pan.  

Put buying a thermometer that goes up to at least 400 degrees on your to-do list.  You can use it for meat, oil, candy, etc.  You won't regret it.

Good Luck!

And be very careful adding water to hot oil!


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## Andy M. (Jan 23, 2006)

Instead of water drops, drop a bit of bread crumbs into the hot oil. They will start to bubble right away if the oil is hot. No bubbling - not hot enough.

Remember that the temp will drop as you add the chicken.  you may want to go up 1/2 a number higher when the pan is full of cooking chicken in order to maintain temperature.

Take notes on what works (and doesn't work) so you know how to repeat it next time.


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 23, 2006)

I'm not a big fan of tossing any amount of water into hot oil! 

Reading between the lines here, "_My skillet goes 2-4-6-8-HIGH, with little dashes in between_." I'm guessing you're using an electric skillet. A lot of times the manual that came with it will give you an idea of the temps for various settings. 

I agree with jennyema - a thermometer isn't very expensive (usually under $5). And, I agree with Andy M. - the temperature will drop when you add the food. For your application you need to make sure you leave a minimum of 1/2 inch between both the sides of the pan and each piece of chicken, and between each piece of chicken in the pan, so that you do not overcrowd the pan. 

Here is a way to guess at the temp using a one inch bread cube. It will brown in approximately 60 seconds at 365-370º F, 40 seconds at 375-380º F, and 20 second at 385-390º F


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 23, 2006)

thanks so much guys.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 23, 2006)

Yo, should i fry them for a couple minutes on each side or what?  Not sure how long i should cook these things.


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## Aurora (Jan 23, 2006)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> I'm not a big fan of tossing any amount of water into hot oil!


 
My trick is to take a wooden chopstick or a wooden handle spoon and when you think that the oil is hot enough, put the tip of a wooden chopstick or tip of wooden handle spoon into the oil vertically and watch the surface of the oil where the oil meets the chopstick.  If you see little bubbles coming from the wooden spoon, then the oil is hot enough to start cooking.

It works for me everytime.


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## Andy M. (Jan 23, 2006)

Fry them on the first side until they are a nice golden brown.  Then turn them over and repeat on the second side.  

If you have the oil at the right temperature, the color of the outside will tell you when the inside is done.  Go by the color.  It should take no more than a couple of minutes per side.


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