# Buttermilk Marinated Chicken Tenders?



## Mylegsbig (Jan 14, 2006)

Hello there..i want to make some DELICIOUS Buttermilk marinated chicken tenders.  I want to marinate them in buttermilk over night and then bake or fry them.

I need some ideas as to how to put these together.  Any recipes or tips you can offer me?

Ideas for different breading would be a great start, and what to dip them in.

Since they are marinated in buttermilk, do i just dip them in the breading and thats it and then cook them?  Ive heard of people like dipping them in buttermlik, then flour, then buttermilk again, or something like that?  Dipping multiple times in batter?

Would this be good with those Japanese breadcrumbs?  What are they called PANKO?  

Any tips would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance.

I will be serving these with a honeymustard dressing.
The chicken will be pre cut tenderloin strips.

Thanks in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Constance (Jan 14, 2006)

My husband makes the best ones...in fact, that's what my little grandson Jesse requested for his birthday meal.
He doesn't use buttermilk, though. He just seasons the breasts and the flour with S&P, dips the chicken in the flour, then and egg & milk mixture, then the flour again, and fries in 1" of 375 degree oil until golden on each side. Do NOT overcook.


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## Gretchen (Jan 14, 2006)

Overnight is too long. An hour is long enough. Put inthe buttermilk, then seasoned flour with a bit of baking powder, then fry in shallow oil.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 14, 2006)

thanks for the replies guys keep coming


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## corazon (Jan 14, 2006)

Found this on food network http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_12913,00.html
and this one 
http://www.cooksrecipes.com/poultry/buttermilk-fried-chicken-recipe.html


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 14, 2006)

I Love that first recipe especially.  But it calls for a whole chicken, what changes would need to be made to make that about a pound and a half of chicken tenders?  (boneless skinless)


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## Andy M. (Jan 14, 2006)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> I Love that first recipe especially. But it calls for a whole chicken, what changes would need to be made to make that about a pound and a half of chicken tenders? (boneless skinless)


 
I'd cook them at a higher temperature for less time.  375F until the crust is the right color should do the trick.  The tenders are a lot thinner and have no bones or skin, that's why the temp and time are different.

Because you'd be using a higher temp, you cannot use shortening.  Its smoke point is too low.  Use corn or canola oil.  Peanut oil will also work but is generally more expensive.


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## corazon (Jan 15, 2006)

I found this for panko buttermilk chicken:
http://www.murrayhill5.net/blog/inmykitchenblog/archives/000196.html

and here is one that is baked, not fried
http://www.deliciouslivingmag.com/recipes/index.cfm?fuseaction=recipedetails&recipeid=717

If you still like that first recipe, I'd say just half everything.  It calls for a 3lb chicken, cut up and you said you have about 1 1/2 lbs of tenders.  Seems like it would work to me.


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## marmalady (Jan 15, 2006)

Season your buttermilk with s/p, garlic powder, onion powder, and as much cayenne as you like!  

And panko crumbs would be great on this - I use them for everything breaded!


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## clasens (Jan 15, 2006)

*buttermilk chicken tenders*

seasoned bread crumbs with parmesan cheese is execellent!


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 15, 2006)

im gonna light fry the strips in almond oil in a skillet, what temperature should i put them on?

Medium high or so?  1 minute each side then throw them into 400 degree oven for like 7 minutes or something?

thanks


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## licia (Jan 15, 2006)

When I use flour for the breading, I like to add a couple of tablespoons of corn meal.  It changes the taste a bit and makes for a very crispy crust.


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## Aurora (Jan 15, 2006)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> im gonna light fry the strips in almond oil in a skillet, what temperature should i put them on?
> 
> Medium high or so? 1 minute each side then throw them into 400 degree oven for like 7 minutes or something?
> 
> thanks


 
Nut oils are best for cold dishes which will allow the subtle flavors to be savored.  Heat destroys the delicate flavors of nut oils and so you may not accomplish the transfer of the uncooked almond oil to your cooked food.

Almond oil has a smoke point of nearly 500 degrees F. and so there is no problem with cooking at high temperatures but you will probably defeat your flavor objective.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 15, 2006)

okay substitute that for vegetable oil... what temperature is best for these things in light fry in the skillet?


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## Alix (Jan 15, 2006)

I agree with overnight being too long. An hour or so is lots. I put chile flakes in my buttermilk and salt too. Nice flavour that way. The one thing I will suggest is that after you coat your chicken with either seasoned flour or breadcrumbs that you set it on a rack and let it rest for 5 - 15 minutes. For some reason this seems to set the coating better than putting it directly onto the heat, and seals the flavours too. Good luck, let us know how they turn out.


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## Aurora (Jan 15, 2006)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> okay substitute that for vegetable oil... what temperature is best for these things in light fry in the skillet?


 
I assumed that when you said you were going to fry in a skillet for only a minute or so that you were going to pan fry and not deep fry. Generally a temperature is associated only with deep frying.

The purpose of pan frying before oven frying is to brown and/or sear or seal the surface of the food being cooked.  You will need to do this on a rather high temperature to ensure that the food is sealed so that it does not absorb oil during the oven frying stage.

I would use a minimal amount of oil in the pan while on the stovetop and when browned on all sides move it into the oven.  You will probably not need more than a minute on each side to brown.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 15, 2006)

Aurora so maybe MEDIUM HIGH on my skillet? Couple tablespoons of oil?

 Or is that too hot? Maybe i should go MEDIUM?

These are going to be the little pre cut chicken tenderloin pieces coating in panko crumbs.


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## kitchenelf (Jan 15, 2006)

If the temperature isn't hot enough your tenders will soak up too much oil.  I vote for medium high.  Also, I have marinated chicken breasts for up to 3 days in buttermilk and they have turned out extemely tender.  The acid really makes them tender.  So...overnight didn't seem too long to me unless the tenders are, along with skinny also thin - then I'd say a few hours would do the trick.

You could also add some chopped fresh rosemary to your batter.  I also like to use equal parts beer and flour - set on counter for 3 hours then dip tenders into batter and deep fry.  I usually deep fry at 375.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 15, 2006)

Okay i got some Panko Breadscrubs. I'm goign to soak the chicken tenders  in buttermilk for a few hours today and cook them tonight.

Okay, so i remove the tenders from buttermilk, do i roll them in the panko-seasoning-mixture right away?

or do i take them out of buttermilk, rub them in flour, then buttermilk again, then roll them in panko crumbs?

Not sure how i should do this.

Thanks in advance


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## corazon (Jan 15, 2006)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> Okay i got some Panko Breadscrubs. I'm goign to soak the chicken tenders in buttermilk for a few hours today and cook them tonight.
> 
> Okay, so i remove the tenders from buttermilk, do i roll them in the panko-seasoning-mixture right away?
> 
> ...


 
I think you could probably go either way.  I'd probably coat them in flour then dip in egg and then into the panko.  I'm not sure what the reason behind coating them in flour first is but that's what I was told to do.  Maybe experiment?  Do a few with flour and panko, then some with just panko.  Let us know what difference you find.


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## Andy M. (Jan 15, 2006)

I'd skip the oven and just fry the tenders in hot oil in the pan.  put 1/4" of oil in the pan, get it hot at med high and cook until golden brown.  Tenders are so thin, they will cook in a minute or two. 

If you're not sure how long to cook them, take one out and cut it in half to see if it's done.


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## corazon (Jan 17, 2006)

Have you made them yet?  I'm curious as to how they turned out and what you decided to do with how you made them.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 17, 2006)

I made them and while they were delicious, i think they could be tweaked quite a bit. i fried them in like 1/4 inch of almond oil, and i had them in buttermilk, then put them in flour.  then egg wash, then the panko crumbs.  I fried for like 1 minute on each side, then put them in 400 degree oven for like 7 minutes

they came out with a cool crust on top, but no bottom, they were very soggy.  I don't know why. I had them baking in a pan with foil on it.

Next time, im going to only fry them in the oil.

how can i make them crispier?  was it sitting in the oven that ruined the crust?


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## corazon (Jan 17, 2006)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> they came out with a cool crust on top, but no bottom, they were very soggy. I don't know why. I had them baking in a pan with foil on it.
> 
> Next time, im going to only fry them in the oil.
> 
> how can i make them crispier? was it sitting in the oven that ruined the crust?


I think you're right about the oven ruining the crisp crust.  That has happened to me before with breaded chicken that I finished in the oven.  Soggy bottom but crispy top.


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## jennyema (Jan 17, 2006)

Question one: why fry in almond oil?  You pay $$ for the taste which is destroyed by the heat of frying.

I make these all the time. Made a huge batch on Sunday.

IMO you don't need to fry then bake. I'd do one or the other. I usually do the other.  

I brine them first (similar to buttermilking them).

Then I dredge in seasoned flour. Dip in seasoned egg wash and then coat with crushed melba toast crumbs that I have seasoned.

I coat a baking sheet with maybe 2T of peanut oil, lay the tenders on it, spritz the top of the chicken with oil (in a pinch I use PAM, though I don't care for the propellants).

Put in 425-50 oven for about 25 minutes. *NO FOIL -- that'll make them soggy because they will steam.*

Sometimes I turn them halfway through sometimes I don't. I have also oiled each side of the tenders and baked on a wire rack over the baking sheet. This is supposed to make them crispier, but I'm not certain if that works.

When I don't turn them sometimes the bottom is a bit less crispy than the top. But the high heat i use pretty much guarantees crispiness.

My family special requests these. I made about 5 dozen tenders the last time so they could freeze them.

Make sure you season the egg wash and the panko.


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## marmalady (Jan 17, 2006)

Another thing you can do if you're going to bake them rather than fry them, is to place a cooling rack inside a cookie sheet, coat it with cooking spray, then put the chicken pieces on that.  Guarantee the crust will get crispy all 'round!


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## pckouris (Jan 18, 2006)

Put the _*moisture*_ on the chicken first; then the flour; then what ever. 
But the first should be the seasoning(s) and the "moisture" so things stick! Then (flour or whatever) and the bread crumbs (outside coatings. Could be coconut and lots of other things also) last.  
Moisture first and then whatever and leave the bread crumbs for last. 
Deep frying is the best way. 375 with a fryer and basket.
But you can do it in a deep pan also.
Oils: Sunflower is the best. Peanut next. Others fall in line.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 18, 2006)

Used almond oil because i dunno, i thought they would taste better than just vegetable oil..

Say i put some oil in the pan, not quite a deep fry, as i would have turn them halfway through the cooking.  Like a pan fry.  They are normal sized chicken tenders you see in the butcher.

About how many minutes should i cook them each side on MEDIUM HIGH?  Maybe 3 minutes on each side?


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## jennyema (Jan 18, 2006)

I'd suggest using peanut oil or some other vegetable oil with a high smoke point but is cheaper than almond oil.  Almond oil's taste is really nice but delicate -- you can't really taste it in something fried.  It's used more in uncooked preparations like salad dressings.

The key to pan frying is to make sure the oil is hot enough -- but not too hot, so don't go by "medium high," try a thermometer to make sure the oil is around 375.

The timing depends on the size of the pieces of chicken.  The thinner they are the less time you'll need to cook them.  Really thin pieces may only need a minute on each side.

You might try a little experiment "oven frying" few pieces at the same time you pan fry the other pieces and see which ones you like better.  And which way is easier.  Just crank the oven up and start the oven-cooked ones first.

Big -- I love your great attitude toward cooking.   Someday you'll probablyhave your own show!


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 19, 2006)

thanks for all of the wonderful advice

can i get an accurate gauge of how hot the oil is on just a pan fry?( in other words will there be enough oil in there)

 i need to buy a thermometer ASAP.


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## Andy M. (Jan 19, 2006)

For frying in a fry pan, you need enough oil for the food to be approximately half submerged.  Keep in mind that, as you add food, the oil level rises.  So if the food is 1" thick you don't have to start with 1/2" of oil.

When you think the oil is ready, drop a small bit of bread crumbs into the oil.  It should start bubbling right away.  If it does, you can start adding the tenders.  

Don't crowd the pan.  When the bottom is the right color, turn them over.  When the second side is the right color, take them out.  With tenders, this shouldn't take more than a minute or two on each side.  They should be done at that point.  Cut one open to be sure.


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