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Addictively spicy, these Hot Nashville Chicken Tenders are going to make you sweat, in a good way! Crispy golden-brown fried chicken tenders coated with a spicy but sweet sauce, are going to have your family wanting seconds. Crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside, these hot chicken tenders taste just like what you’d get at restaurants.
These Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are delicious crispy and spicy fried chicken that are bound to please your tastebuds. They are so juicy and tender thanks to the buttermilk in the marinade and they come together in less than an hour. It’s much easier than it looks and you won’t regret trying this recipe!
Did you know that you can strain the frying oil and reuse it later? Try making my Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken or Crispy Honey Chicken with the oil later in the week!
Why l Love This Recipe
- They’re super crispy. There’s no soggy chicken tenders here! Each bite is crispy and full of hot flavor. They’re crispier than ordering take-out as they lose their crisp on the journey home.
- They’re easy. All you have to do is marinade and coat the chicken before deep-frying them. Then simply coat them with the Nashville hot sauce.
- They’re a classic recipe. These chicken tenders are a type of fried chicken that is well known in Nashville, Tennessee created by the family who owns Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack.
Nashville Hot Tenders Ingredients
- Marinade: for the chicken marinade, you’ll need buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Chicken: I used chicken tenders but you can always slice up chicken breasts into thinner strips.
- Seasoned coating: you’ll need flour, corn starch, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to make the seasoned coating for the chicken tenders.
- Vegetable oil: make sure you are using vegetable oil or another oil with a high smoke point.
- Nashville hot sauce: for the hot sauce, you’ll need hot oil, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
- Crumbled feta cheese: optional to serve with the Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders.
How To Make Nashville Chicken Tenders
Step 1: Make the marinade: In a large bowl combine buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, black pepper, salt. Add in the chicken tenders, cover, and marinate for at least 2 hours.
Step 2: Prepare the coating: In a shallow bowl combine flour, corn starch, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder.
Step 3: Dredge the chicken: Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade and dredge each piece in the flour mixture and coat them evenly. Repeat the same with all the chicken pieces and set aside.
Step 4: Fry the chicken tenders in oil: In a large deep pot heat oil on a medium flame to fry the chicken pieces. Once the oil is hot enough, slowly add the chicken pieces and fry for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the outer is crispy and golden. Place over paper towel until you prepare the sauce.
Step 5: Make the Nashville sauce: Combining the hot oil (remaining oil from the chicken fried), brown sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
Step 6: Coat the chicken tenders: Brush the prepared Nashville hot sauce over the fried chicken pieces or pour the sauce over the chicken and toss it until evenly coated.
Step 7: Garnish and serve: Serve the Nashville chicken tenders with a touch of feta cheese on top and ranch as a dipping sauce
Tips to Make the Best Chicken Tenders Recipe
- A cast-iron Dutch oven retains heat well, so it’s perfect for frying. Try to make sure to use a pot that has high edges to prevent oil splatter.
- Do not add too many pieces of chicken to the oil at once as it’ll lower the temperature of the oil.
- As the chicken is being fried in batches, place the cooked chicken into a 250 degrees F oven to keep the tenders warm and crispy.
- Don’t skip the buttermilk! Buttermilk is great for tenderizing chicken so the chicken tenders will melt in your mouth.
- Be sure the temperature of the oil reaches at least 350F. If the chicken is added to the oil too early on, the chicken will be greasy as it absorbs a lot more oil.
- This dish is best eaten immediately as the chicken does lose its crispiness over time due to the sauce. Leftovers are still just as delicious, just not as crispy!
Storing and Reheating
Storing: To store, place leftover hot chicken tenders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1-2 days. Due to the sauce, the chicken tenders will lose some of their crispiness, but you can always reheat in the oven or air fryer to crisp them up instead of the microwave.
Freezing: Make sure they are fully cooled first then place in a freezer bag and place them in the freezer for up to about 1 month. Thaw the tenders overnight in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven or air fryer.
Reheating: You can reheat these tender in the microwave but I prefer reheating them in the oven or in the air fryer at 360 degrees or using the reheat method for 3-4 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own. Combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes to allow the milk to curdle like buttermilk.
Bread and pickles are a popular choice to serve with Nashville tenders but you can also serve them with Crispy Air Fryer French Fries, Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, Cheesy Popovers or Quick Homemade Masked Potatoes.
Yes, as this chicken tender recipe uses hot sauce and lots of cayenne pepper, the chicken is quite spicy.
You can, however chicken tenderloins are a lot juicier than the actual chicken breast. Be sure to tenderize the chicken for extra time if you use breast instead of tenderloins.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
- Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast
- Crispy Oven Baked Popcorn Chicken
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Homemade Popcorn Chicken
Nashville Hot Chicken gained widespread acclaim for it’s irresistible flavor. But the dish has a funny story to it! Legend has it that Thornton Prince, seeking revenge on his lover for a suspected affair, attempted to make her breakfast one morning with an extra dose of heat. Little did he know that the fiery chicken he cooked would become a local favorite.
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KFC Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
To marinate the chicken
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup pickle brine
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
To make coating
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
To make Nashville sauce
- ½ cup hot oil, use the chicken fried oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Other
- Vegetable oil, to deep fry
- Crumbled feta cheese, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the marinade; buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and black pepper. Add in the chicken tenders, cover and marinate for at least 2 hours.
- In a shallow bowl combine the ingredients to make the coating; flour, corn starch, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder.
- Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade and dredge each piece in the flour mixture and coat them evenly. Repeat the same with all the chicken pieces and set aside.
- In a large deep pot heat oil on a medium flame to fry the chicken pieces. Once the oil is hot enough, slowly add the chicken pieces and fry for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the outer is crispy and golden.
- Prepare the Nashville sauce by combining the mentioned ingredients; In a small bowl whisk hot oil (remaining oil from the chicken fried), brown sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder and salt.
- Brush the prepared Nashville hot sauce over the fried chicken pieces or pour the sauce over the chicken and toss it until evenly coated.
- Serve the Nashville chicken tenders with a touch of feta cheese on top and ranch as a dipping sauce.
Notes
-
- A cast-iron Dutch oven retains heat well, so it’s perfect for frying. Try to make sure to use a pot that has high edges to prevent oil splatter.
- Do not add too many pieces of chicken to the oil at once as it’ll lower the temperature of the oil.
- As the chicken is being fried in batches, place the cooked chicken into a 250 degrees F oven to keep the tenders warm and crispy.
- Don’t skip the buttermilk! Buttermilk is great for tenderizing chicken so the chicken tenders will melt in your mouth.
- Be sure the temperature of the oil reaches at least 350F. If the chicken is added to the oil too early on, the chicken will be greasy as it absorbs a lot more oil.
- This dish is best eaten immediately as the chicken does lose its crispiness over time due to the sauce. Leftovers are still just as delicious, just not as crispy!
