Description
Crispy Fried Chicken brings Southern comfort straight to your dinner table with golden, crackling perfection. Seasoned breading and a simple technique guarantee a delightful crunch that makes family meals memorable.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 pound chicken tenders
Breading:
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Plunge chicken tenders into buttermilk and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 8 hours, allowing deep flavor absorption.
- Heat oven to 425°F and position empty sheet pan inside for precise 10-minute preheating.
- Combine ¾ cup flour, ¼ cup cornmeal, 1 cup panko, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp smoked paprika in a wide shallow dish.
- Extract each tender from buttermilk, drain excess liquid, then thoroughly coat with seasoned flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure complete coverage.
- Carefully remove hot sheet pan and melt 4 tablespoons butter, tilting to distribute evenly across surface.
- Arrange coated chicken tenders in single layer over melted butter, ensuring pieces do not touch each other.
- Roast chicken for 10 minutes at 425°F, then carefully flip each piece.
- Continue baking another 8 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Switch oven to broil and cook 2-3 minutes to achieve golden, crispy exterior.
- Let chicken rest 3-5 minutes before serving, garnishing with fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- Buttermilk tenderizes the chicken, so don’t skip this marinating step for the most succulent results.
- Preheating the sheet pan creates an instant crispy bottom, giving your chicken that perfect golden crunch without deep frying.
- For gluten-free diets, swap regular flour with almond flour or a gluten-free blend to maintain the same crispy texture.
- Experiment with spice blends in your coating mixture to customize the flavor profile – try adding cayenne for heat or dried herbs for extra complexity.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 23-24 minutes
- Category: Oven-Fried
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 430 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg