buttermilk chicken tenders

My sister is awesome. Like fried chicken awesome. In fact, while I was staying with her this last week, she fried chicken. Seeing as I have never deep-fried anything in my life (and neither has my mother, that I know of), I was impressed. You could even say ‘deep-fried’ impressed. Too much?

In any case, she got her recipe from the Pioneer Woman (here), and with a few little adjustments, we enjoyed a fantastic meal and I have possibly conceded that I will follow the Pioneer Woman’s blog in the future. Only for the recipes, mind you. I am also planning further adventures in deep-frying. Aren’t beignets and donuts fried? YUM.

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

INGREDIENTS

½ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cumin

5 boneless chicken breasts flattened and sliced, or a package of pre-cut meat (if you don’t want to pound the chicken breasts flat with a rolling pin and then slice them thin like my sister did)

1 cup buttermilk

2 egg whites

2 cups flour

Vegetable oil (enough to be one inch deep in the pan)

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken meat in a bowl with buttermilk and let soak for at least 15 minutes.

Combine spices and flour in a separate bowl, and drizzle in the egg whites. I think you could probably use the whole egg, but we were experimenting (after I’d separated one egg, my sister handed me the shell with the yolk still in it and told me to ‘go raise a baby chicken.’ hilarious, that one.). The flour mixture is the right consistency when it’s clumpy, but not damp.

Heat one inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. While oil is heating, place buttermilk-soaked chicken in flour mixture and turn to coat thoroughly. When covered, place on plate to await its turn in the frying pan.

After all strips are covered and oil is heated, drop one or two chicken strips in at a time. HELPFUL WARNING: Wear an apron. Oil jumps out of the pan like nobody’s business! Cook for one to two minutes on each side. You’ll know when to turn them because they’ll fry up crispy and brown.

When strips are fully cooked, remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Serve with barbeque sauce, ranch, bleu cheese dressing…whatever flavor you prefer.

If you have any doubts about the recipe or frying, just go over to the Pioneer Woman’s blog post. She has even more details and hints and step-by-step photos, and she makes it look easy. Le sigh.

Recommended for: a special night at home with an all-American menu, the perfect meal to dig into while you watch the game, or classic summer picnic fare. Also taste-tested for cold breakfast the next morning. Verdict? Addictive!