Crispy Garlic Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Ranch
Crispy garlic buffalo chicken tenders: buttermilk-marinated, shallow-fried and brushed with a garlicky butter hot sauce. Ready in about 75 minutes.
These garlic buffalo chicken tenders are marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, dredged in seasoned flour, shallow-fried in a cast iron skillet and brushed with a garlic butter buffalo sauce just before serving. Fry at 175°C (350°F), sauce at the last minute, and the crust stays crunchy.
The garlic goes into the sauce fresh, not as powder. Cooked briefly in warm butter, it tastes sharper and rounder, and it clings to the crust in little pale flecks. The hot sauce to butter ratio is a little over 2.5 to 1, so the sauce is properly hot. A spoonful of ranch on the side cools it down.
They suit game day, a party appetizer or a quick dinner with celery and fries. Most of the work happens while the chicken marinates, and frying takes about 20 minutes in batches.
Why these garlic buffalo chicken tenders stay crunchy
- The floured tenders rest on a wire rack before frying, so the coating sets and sticks.
- The oil stays at a steady temperature and the pan is never crowded.
- The sauce is brushed on at the end, not tossed in a bowl, so the underside never sits in liquid.
Crispy Garlic Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Ranch
Crispy garlic buffalo chicken tenders: buttermilk-marinated, shallow-fried and brushed with a garlicky butter hot sauce. Ready in about 75 minutes.
Ingredients
Tick the ingredients as you go
For the chicken
For the coating and frying
For the garlic buffalo sauce
To serve
Instructions
- 1
Marinate the chicken
Whisk the buttermilk, 3 tbsp hot sauce and 1 tbsp of the seasoning blend in a large bowl, then add the chicken. Turn the pieces with tongs until every tender is evenly coated, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (up to 4 hours).
- 2
Season the flour
Whisk the flour with the remaining 1 tbsp seasoning blend in a wide, shallow bowl. Set a wire rack over a tray next to it.
- 3
Dredge the tenders
Lift each tender out with tongs and let the excess marinade drip off for a few seconds. Press it firmly into the flour on all sides until it looks thickly coated and a little shaggy, then lay it on the rack. Discard the leftover marinade, since it touched raw chicken and must not be reused as a sauce.
- 4
Rest the coating
Leave the breaded tenders on the rack for 10 minutes. The flour should turn slightly damp and pasty, which helps it hold on in the oil.
- 5
Heat the oil
Pour the oil into a 28 cm cast iron skillet (about 1 cm deep) and heat over medium until it reaches 175°C (350°F). A pinch of flour should sizzle steadily without darkening instantly. Heat the oven to 120°C (250°F) for holding finished batches.
- 6
Fry the first side
Lower 3 or 4 tenders into the oil, laying them away from you so the oil doesn't splash toward your hands. Fry for about 3 minutes, until the underside is deep golden and the oil bubbles steadily around the edges.
- 7
Flip and finish
Turn the tenders with tongs and fry another 2 to 3 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and a thermometer in the thickest piece reads 74°C (165°F). Move them to a clean wire rack, keep warm in the oven, and let the oil climb back to 175°C (350°F) before the next batch.
- 8
Melt the butter
Put the butter in a 26 cm pan over low heat. Let it melt for about 1 minute, until it forms a clear yellow puddle and the foam begins to settle.
- 9
Soften the garlic
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, just until it smells sweet and sharp and still looks pale. If it turns brown, it will taste bitter, so lift the pan off the heat.
- 10
Build the sauce
Pour in 1/2 cup hot sauce and stir with a wooden spoon. Simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce is glossy, bright orange-red and smooth with no butter streaks, with the garlic bits suspended in it.
- 11
Brush and serve
With all the tenders on the rack, brush the sauce generously over the tops and into every crevice just before serving. Plate them with a small bowl of ranch and serve right away.
Tips & tricks
- Use a thermometer. Oil temperature decides whether the crust is crisp or greasy: too cool and it soaks up oil, too hot and it burns before the chicken cooks. Aim for 175°C (350°F) and check it between batches. Oil above about 200°C (400°F) smokes and burns.
- Fry in small batches. Crowding drops the oil temperature fast and leads to pale, soggy tenders. Three or four per batch in a 28 cm skillet is plenty.
- Judge doneness by temperature, not color. A golden crust does not guarantee a cooked center, so check the thickest tender at 74°C (165°F).
- Press the flour on firmly. For a thicker crust, dip the tenders in beaten egg and dredge a second time, as many recipes do. This recipe works without it.
- Add the garlic to warm butter, not hot. Cook it for 30 to 45 seconds, just until fragrant. Brown garlic turns bitter.
- Sauce at the very end. Brush the sauce on right before serving, and hold finished tenders on a wire rack, not on paper towels, so steam can escape from underneath.
- Make it milder or hotter. The classic buffalo ratio is 2 parts hot sauce to 1 part butter, and equal parts gives a mild sauce. This recipe is a little hotter than classic. More butter (up to equal parts with the hot sauce) calms the heat, and less butter makes it sharper.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk -> 1 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar, rested for 5 minutes.
- Chicken tenders -> chicken breast sliced into strips about 1.5 cm thick. Check the thickest piece with a thermometer, as cooking time may differ slightly.
- Seasoning blend -> for about 2 tbsp, mix 2 tsp each of paprika, garlic powder and fine salt, plus 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- Ranch dressing -> blue cheese dressing, with celery sticks on the side.
- Shallow frying -> air fryer at 200°C (400°F) for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway, or oven at 220°C (425°F) on a wire rack over a baking sheet, until the thickest piece reads 74°C (165°F). Spray the coating with oil first, as it will not brown without it.
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate leftover tenders in an airtight container for up to 3 days, keeping extra sauce separate if you can. They freeze for up to 2 months, but the coating is a little less crisp after thawing. Reheat on a wire rack in a 200°C (400°F) oven or in an air fryer for 8 to 10 minutes until hot through and crisp. Avoid the microwave, which makes the coating soggy. To make ahead, fry the tenders, warm them in the oven and brush on freshly warmed sauce just before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 470
- Fat
- 29 g
- Saturated fat
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Protein
- 32 g
- Sodium
- 1600 mg
- Serving size
- 2 to 3 tenders with sauce and ranch
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the ingredients and may vary with brands and portion sizes.
Fresh & Fusion · https://freshandfusion.com/recipes/crispy-garlic-buffalo-chicken-tenders-with-ranch
Frequently asked questions
What oil temperature and how long for chicken tenders?
Aim for 175°C (350°F). In a shallow skillet, expect about 3 minutes on the first side and 2 to 3 on the second, until the thickest piece reads 74°C (165°F).
How do I keep buffalo chicken tenders crispy after adding sauce?
Cool and hold them on a wire rack, keep them warm in a low oven at about 120°C (250°F), and brush the sauce on only at the last minute. Letting sauced tenders sit softens the underside.
What is the difference between chicken tenders and chicken strips?
Tenders are cut from the tenderloin, a small muscle that is naturally more tender because it does less work. Strips are usually sliced from the breast, which is a little firmer but works fine here.
Do I need buttermilk, and how long should I marinate?
Buttermilk gives the best tang, but milk with a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar works. Recipes range from 15 minutes to overnight. This one needs 30 minutes and can go up to 4 hours.
Can I make garlic buffalo chicken tenders in an air fryer or oven?
Yes. Air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway, or bake at 220°C (425°F) on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Spray the coating with oil first so it browns.
How do I make garlic buffalo sauce less spicy?
Add more melted butter, up to equal parts with the hot sauce, and simmer for a minute. Serving with ranch also tones down the heat.
Can I freeze the tenders, and how do I reheat them?
Yes, for up to 2 months, though the coating is a little less crisp after thawing. Reheat on a wire rack in a 200°C (400°F) oven or in an air fryer. The microwave makes the coating soggy.
What should I serve with buffalo chicken tenders?
Ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery sticks are the classic partners. Fries make it a full dinner.
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