Crispy golden chicken strips (Print Page)

Tender chicken strips with golden, crispy breading and flavorful spices, ideal for quick frying and dipping.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.1 lb chicken breast fillets, cut into strips

→ Marinade

02 - ½ cup buttermilk
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
05 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
06 - ½ teaspoon paprika

→ Breading

07 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
08 - 1 teaspoon salt
09 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
10 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

→ For Frying

13 - Vegetable oil, for deep frying

→ To Serve

14 - Barbecue sauce
15 - Honey-mustard sauce

# Directions:

01 - Whisk buttermilk, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a bowl. Add chicken strips, ensuring they are fully submerged. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours for enhanced tenderness.
02 - Arrange three shallow dishes: one with flour combined with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika; one with beaten eggs; and one with panko breadcrumbs.
03 - Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off. Dredge each strip in the seasoned flour, dip in beaten eggs, then fully coat with panko breadcrumbs.
04 - Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches in a deep skillet and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
05 - Fry the breaded chicken strips in batches, cooking each side for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels to remove excess oil.
06 - Serve the crispy tenders hot alongside barbecue and honey-mustard sauces for dipping.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're impossibly crispy outside and tender inside, with a marinade that actually makes a difference in texture and flavor.
  • Thirty minutes total means you can satisfy a craving without spending your whole evening in the kitchen.
  • Kids will devour them, but so will anyone who appreciates something genuinely delicious made at home.
02 -
  • Don't skip the marinating step thinking it won't matter—the buttermilk genuinely transforms the texture, making chicken stay juicy instead of turning dry and stringy.
  • Keep that oil temperature steady; I learned this by watching my tenders go from golden to burnt in seconds when the temperature spiked, and it was heartbreaking.
  • Panko breadcrumbs make all the difference in crispiness; regular breadcrumbs will give you a dense, dull coating that doesn't have any texture.
03 -
  • If you're marinating ahead of time, take the chicken out of the fridge 10 minutes before frying so it's not ice-cold when it hits the hot oil; cold chicken needs longer to cook through, which means the coating burns.
  • A meat thermometer is your safety net—155°C (170°F) internal temperature means they're fully cooked and safe, no guessing required.
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