What is the trick to frying chicken?

Essential Tips for Crispy, Juicy Fried Chicken Buy chicken pieces. Dry brine the chicken for juiciness. Make a strong spice mixture. Use egg whites, alcohol, and cornstarch for a crispy coating. Fry in a Dutch oven. Use two thermometers. Prevent overflow by using the Dutch oven. Set up a proper fry station. More items...

Why does the breading fall off my chicken strips?

You Don't Start Dry The first step to breading chicken is crucial; make sure the chicken is completely dry before starting the dredging process. Using a paper towel, pat the meat dry on all sides. Excess moisture will cause the flour to get soggy and thus will not adhere properly to the chicken.

Why is my fried chicken tenders not crispy?

One of the most common reasons why fried chicken doesn't turn out crispy is because the chicken isn't dry enough before it's fried . If the chicken is too wet, the moisture can create steam, which can prevent the skin from crisping up.

Why do you soak chicken in salt water before frying?

Submerging chicken in a brine bath seasons it inside out. Aside from injecting flavor, the brine breaks down the proteins of the poultry, retaining moisture in the cells . In 24 hours or less, the muscle fibers in the meat begin to separate and swell, resulting in a tender, juicy and flavorful meat.

How to keep batter from falling off chicken?

Remove the chicken from its packaging and pat the surface dry on both sides with paper towels. You can also leave the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator to dry it out. It sounds counterintuitive, but a dry surface will help the flour adhere evenly to the chicken.

How do you get seasoning to stick to fried chicken?

Acidic buttermilk tenderizes the chicken without making it too tough. Also, it helps the flour mixture stick to the chicken. All-purpose flour gives the buttermilk and seasonings something to stick to, while ensuring a wonderfully crispy crust.

Does milk help breading stick?

You could also try milk or yogurt. For heavier coatings (like panko or breadcrumbs), you might dust the fish with flour first. Once the floured fish is dipped in the butter or milk, it will get a little gummy and help the coating adhere better.

How does KFC get their chicken so crispy?

KFC deep fries its chicken for 15 minutes and then drains the oil off for another five minutes – 20 minutes in total . If you don't have a deep fryer, heat up plenty of oil in a large saucepan and do it that way.

Should you fry chicken on high or low heat?

A large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet will pan-fry your chicken without sticking. Using medium-high heat, wait until the skillet is hot before adding the chicken. Let it cook on one side, without turning, until properly browned. When the chicken releases from the pan without sticking, turn to cook the other side.

How do restaurants make fried chicken so fast?

Pressure frying is a method of cooking food under pressure in hot oil. It is commonly used in commercial kitchens to cook chicken and other foods quickly and evenly. The process involves placing food in a pressure fryer, which is filled with frying oil and sealed.

How do you fry chicken without it getting hard?

Most fried chicken places are brining the meat with buttermilk or salt brine solutions prior to frying for hours to keep the meat moist . You can also drop the temperature on the oil 25 degrees and cook a bit longer. Last you can use a wet batter instead of a dry batter.

How do you fry chicken without flour falling off?

Dip the flour-coated chicken into a bowl of beaten eggs . (If you prefer, you can also use buttermilk or add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard or a few drops of hot sauce to the mixture for a little kick.) You want the eggs to coat the flour thoroughly.

Easy Fried Chicken Strips Recipe (2024)

By Stacy Williams January 26, 2024

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Discover the easiest chicken strips recipe ever! Perfect for busy weeknights, these fried chicken strips will be a family favorite in no time. With minimal ingredients and easy instructions, you’ll enjoy a plate full of golden, extra crispy chicken goodness. Don’t believe us? Dive in to try it out!

JUMP TO RECIPE PRINT RECIPE

It doesn’t matter how healthy I eat normally, I will always go for a fried chicken strip or homemade chicken nuggets. They’ve always been a favorite of mine and that hasn’t changed in 41 years so I doubt it’s going to anytime soon.

But, what I don’t like are massive amounts of preservatives like you find in store-bought chicken strips. I’d rather make them myself and this easy chicken strips recipe is why. It leaves an amazingly crispy breading on each piece of chicken breast and has a flavor that simply can’t be matched by chicken tenderloins from a bag. They’re so good that both you and your kids will love them and of that I am 100% certain!

How to Get Extra Crispy Breading for Homemade Chicken Strips

I’ve seen this question asked on different fried chicken recipes before, so I wanted to address it here. The answer is a double dip. In the chicken fingers recipe below, you’ll notice that I tell you to dip the tenderloin into the flour and egg twice.

Why?

Because this is how you build a killer breading that fries golden brown and holds together instead of falling apart and leaving you with naked chicken breast. Since the breading holds together, you still get the flavor of the garlic powder, onion powder and other seasonings combined.

How to Save Money on Fresh Meat

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Can I Air Fry or Oven Bake Homemade Chicken Strips

Technically yes. I am a bit of a snob when it comes to them, but that’s because I adore the crunch the breading gives. However, if you prefer, you can cook them in the air fryer or bake chicken tenders in the oven. They are significantly healthier this way as you’re not getting the calories from the oil, but they won’t be as crispy once they’re done.

To air fry them, set your air fryer to 350° for 30-45 minutes depending on how thick your chickens tenders are and lay them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. To make easy baked chicken tenders, lay your chicken strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350° until they reach the desired temperature.

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How Do You Make Chicken Tenders Less Dry?

Dry chicken is a common problem for cooks; especially new cooks. The reason your chicken is dry is that you are overcooking it or you are cooking it at a temperature that is too high.

Chicken does need to be fully cooked, but it doesn’t need to be Cajun style unless you’re making an actual blackened recipe. Instead, cook your chicken only until the thickest part of it measures 165°F on a meat thermometer or an instant read thermometer.

What you’ll be left with is a pan of chicken that is fully cooked, but still moist and flavorful.

Why Baking Powder in a Chicken Finger Recipe?

You’ll notice that this recipe adds baking powder to the flour mixture. Don’t skip this unless you’re using self-rising flour. It helps the breading to set up to be more like a batter than a breading and helps the flour mixture to fluff.

Trust me, it’s worth it to use the baking powder.

What Do You Serve with Chicken Strips?

Chicken strips are such a versatile meal that they can be served with almost any side dish and fit right in. I personally like to serve them with a leafy salad or with a pasta salad such as my favorite macaroni salad recipe. They also pair well with French fries or macaroni and cheese!

And of course you can’t forget your favorite dipping sauce! Serve your chicken strips along side a bowl of ranch dressing, honey mustard sauce, a great bbq sauce recipe or even ketchup!

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Easy Chicken Strips

Discover the easiest chicken strips recipe ever! Perfect for busy weeknights, these chicken strips will be a family favorite in no time. With minimal ingredients and easy instructions, you'll enjoy a plate full of golden, crispy chicken goodness. Don't believe us? Dive in to try it out!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken, Freezer Cooking, Kid Friendly

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

3-4 large Boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 C. All-purpose flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. Seasoned salt
3 tsp. Poultry seasoning
½ tsp. Pepper
5 large Eggs
¼ C. Milk 2% or whole
Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs and the milk and beat with a wire whisk until they're combined.
5 large Eggs, 1/4 C. Milk
In another medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda and spices. Stir to combine.
2 C. All-purpose flour, 2 tsp. Baking powder, 1 Tbsp. Garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. Onion powder, 1 tsp. Seasoned salt, 3 tsp. Poultry seasoning, 1/2 tsp. Pepper
Next, use a meat mallet to pound each chicken breast thin.
Using a sharp kitchen knife, cut your chicken breasts into strips or nuggets.
3-4 large Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Heat the cooking oil over medium heat in a heavy bottom skillet. The oil is hot enough to cook when you can drop a pinch of the flour mixture into the skillet and it sizzles.
While your oil is heating, dip your chicken strips into the egg making sure to get a good, thick coating.
Canola Oil
Dip each strip into the flour and coat them well in the flour mixture. If you prefer an extra crispy coating, dip them back into the egg mixture then back into the flour again.
Once the oil is heated, add 3-4 chicken strips to the pot and fry until they're golden brown making sure they are not crowded and that you don't touch them for 60-90 seconds to allow the batter to set.
Flip each strip and allow the other side to set as well. Cook for another 5 minutes or so or until both sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
Drain on a paper towel (paper or otherwise) and serve hot.

Notes

Self rising flour can be used instead of all-purpose. If using self-rising, omit the baking powder from the ingredients list.
Nutrition information is auto-calculated and may not be correct. Please use discretion if you follow a special diet.
Cooked chicken strips may be frozen up to 3-months. Allow to cool fully before freezing in freezer bags. Cook from frozen to reheat.

Nutrition