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Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers are a mouthwatering twist on a classic favorite, boasting a zesty kick of citrusy flavor. These crispy, golden-brown delights are made by marinating tender chicken strips in a tangy blend of buttermilk and lemon zest, then coating them in a seasoned flour mixture before frying to perfection. Topped with a sweet honey sauce, these irresistible treats are sure to become a new family favorite.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers are not just lemony, they have a delightful crunch thanks to a generous flour coating. The buttermilk marinade ensures juicy chicken with a burst of citrus flavor with every bite. A simple honey sauce is perfect for coating or dipping and leaves your taste buds tingling. They make for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, a satisfying snack, or a delicious main course.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Ingredients
- How To Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers
- Tips For Making This Recipe
- What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers
- Storing and Reheating
- Alternative Cooking Methods
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Chicken Recipes
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make: With simple ingredients and straightforward instructions, this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or last-minute gatherings.
- It’s crunchy. These crispy fingers rival the best fast-food chicken and have a bright citrus flavor!
- It’s crowd-pleasing. Everyone is sure to love the crunchy texture and dippable nature of these chicken fingers.
- It’s perfect for gatherings. Whether it’s just your family at dinner or a larger gathering, these tenders are the perfect dish!
Lemon Pepper Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken tenders: You can buy these pre-cut or cut your own from chicken breasts.
- Buttermilk marinade: Combining buttermilk, lemon pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and hot sauce makes a citrusy marinade to create juicy chicken.
- Flour mixture: When the marinade combines with the flour mixture it creates a yummy buttermilk batter featuring garlic powder, paprika, flour, cornstarch, and baking soda.
- Honey sauce: For tossing (and a little spice), we have an exclusive honey sauce made with honey, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Oil for frying: Use an oil with a high smoke point and neutral or light flavor like vegetable oil or canola oil.
How To Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers
Step 1: Dry the chicken. Pat dry the chicken tenders with a kitchen towel and set them aside.
Step 2: Make the lemon sauce. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and hot sauce. Mix well.
Step 3: Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken tenders to the buttermilk mixture, ensuring they are completely coated. Allow the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4: Mix the breading In another bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, baking soda, and paprika. Mix well and set aside.
Step 5: Dredge the tenders. Remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk and immediately dredge them in the flour mixture, ensuring they are well coated. Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.
Step 6: Heat the frying oil. Heat a wok with oil for deep frying the chicken tenders.
Step 7: Fry the chicken. Once the oil is heated, carefully add the chicken tenders and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, crispy, and golden brown.
Step 8: Repeat in batches. Drain the oil and transfer the chicken tenders to a bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken tenders.
Step 10: Prep the honey sauce. Meanwhile, prepare the honey sauce: In a skillet, melt butter. Once melted, add garlic and fry for a minute. Stir in honey, lemon juice, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 11: Toss the chicken. Pour the prepared honey sauce over the fried chicken tenders and toss them well to coat.
Step 12: Garnish and serve. Garnish the lemon pepper chicken fingers with lemon zest and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Tips For Making This Recipe
- Pat the Chicken Dry: Before coating the chicken strips in the breadcrumb mixture, make sure to pat them dry with paper towels to ensure the coating adheres well.
- Marinate: Don’t skip the butter milk marination.
- Use Fresh Lemon Zest: For the best flavor, use freshly grated lemon zest rather than pre-packaged lemon zest.
- Oil Temperature: Make sure the oil is heated well before adding the chicken. Fry at medium heat or around 375 F.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: If frying the chicken fingers, make sure not to overcrowd the pan, as this can cause the chicken to steam instead of fry, resulting in a less crispy coating.
- Pair with Dipping Sauce: Serve the chicken fingers with your favorite dipping sauce, such as ranch dressing, honey mustard, or barbecue sauce, for added flavor.
What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers
You can serve Homemade Fries or Mashed Potatoes for a starchy side, accompanied by some fresh or steamed Mixed Vegetables to get a more balanced meal. A House Salad is an excellent choice with any meals, and you could even turn this into a Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad by chopping the chicken into pieces and serve on top of the salad.
Storing and Reheating
Storing: Let the fingers cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat: To revitalize the crispy outside, reheat the fingers in the oven or the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5-10 minutes, until warmed through and crispy again.
Freezing: To freeze, allow the fingers to cool completely after frying (without the honey glaze) and then flash freeze on a baking sheet until frozen through. Store in a zip top bag or other airtight container for 2-3 months. Reheat per instructions above except at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and coat with the honey glaze when ready to serve.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Bake: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet then follow steps 1 to 5 of the original recipe. Arrange the chicken in a single layer, on the baking sheet and make sure they don’t touch. Spritz the top of the chicken tenders lightly with cooking spray as this will help them get crispy in the oven. Bake the chicken tenders for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are cooked through and golden brown. Flip them halfway through to brown evenly. Proceed per the original recipe.
Air Fry: Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat the basket of your air fryer with oil so the chicken doesn’t stick, then follow steps 1 to 5 of the original recipe. Arrange the tenders spread out in a single layer to allow for proper air flow. Depending on the capacity of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches. To get crispy chicken, lightly coat the top of the tenders with oil. The chicken will be cooked through when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes depending on the size of your tenders. Continue with the original recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
To use chicken breast, slice the chicken into long, thinner portions.
You can make your own if you have lemons around by zesting 1-2 lemons and mixing it with black pepper and a little bit of salt.
To substitute for buttermilk, you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar OR lemon juice (not both) to 1 cup of milk. Mix it together and let it sit for 5 minutes. This is the closest method for a substitution.
To make this gluten free, simply replace regular flour with an all-purpose gluten free flour blend.
More Chicken Recipes
- Baked Panko Chicken Tenders
- KFC Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
- Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Strips
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Whether served as an appetizer, a snack, or a main course, these Crispy Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser at any gathering. With their easy preparation and irresistible flavor, they’re the perfect dish to satisfy your cravings for a delicious and satisfying meal.
If you try this recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave a star rating in the comment section below because I love hearing from my readers. Also follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM |PINTEREST for all of my latest social posts and recipes.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken tenders
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasonings, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Oil, for frying
For the Honey Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken tenders with a kitchen towel and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and hot sauce. Mix well.
- Add the chicken tenders to the buttermilk mixture, ensuring they are completely coated. Allow the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk for at least 30 minutes.
- In another bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, baking soda, and paprika. Mix well and set aside.
- Remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk and immediately dredge them in the flour mixture, ensuring they are well coated. Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.
- Heat a wok with oil for deep frying the chicken tenders.
- Once the oil is heated, carefully add the chicken tenders and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, crispy, and golden brown.
- Drain the oil and transfer the chicken tenders to a bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken tenders.
- Meanwhile, prepare the honey sauce: In a skillet, melt butter. Once melted, add garlic and fry for a minute. Stir in honey, lemon juice, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Pour the prepared honey sauce over the fried chicken tenders and toss them well to coat.
- Garnish the lemon pepper chicken fingers with lemon zest and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- Pat the Chicken Dry: Before coating the chicken strips in the breadcrumb mixture, make sure to pat them dry with paper towels to ensure the coating adheres well.
- Marinate: Don’t skip the butter milk marination.
- Oil Temperature: Make sure the oil is heated well before adding the chicken. Fry at medium heat or around 375 F.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: If frying the chicken fingers, make sure not to overcrowd the pan, as this can cause the chicken to steam instead of fry, resulting in a less crispy coating.
