Chicken Tenders
Published July 11, 2025
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes, plus 20 minutes’ marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2teaspoons onion powder
- 2teaspoons garlic powder
- 2teaspoons ground cayenne
- 2teaspoons black pepper
- 1egg
- 1tablespoon mustard (yellow, Dijon or honey mustard)
- 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (homemade or store-bought), divided
- 1½cups all-purpose flour
- 2cups frying oil (such as vegetable, canola or peanut)
- 2pounds chicken tenders
- Dipping sauce, such as barbecue or honey mustard, for serving
For the Spice Blend
For the Chicken
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
842 calories; 38 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 81 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 42 grams protein; 1188 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the spice blend: In a small bowl, whisk together onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and black pepper.
- Step 2
Marinate the chicken: Transfer 4 teaspoons of the spice blend to a large bowl and whisk in the egg, mustard, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and ¼ cup water. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature (or up to 24 hours in the fridge).
- Step 3
When ready to cook, in a large resealable bag, mix together the flour, remaining spice blend and remaining 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Transfer about 3 tablespoons of the chicken marinade into the bag with the flour and shake to combine (this will create a shaggy crackly crust when the chicken is fried).
- Step 4
Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, and dredge in the flour mixture, making sure the entire piece is coated. Transfer to a sheet of parchment and repeat with the remaining tenders.
- Step 5
Add oil to a large cast-iron skillet. Heat the oil to 375 degrees over medium-high and set a wire rack over a large sheet pan. Working in batches, fry the chicken tenders, turning them over occasionally, until golden brown all over and cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer the fried tenders to the wire rack. As you cook, keep track of the oil temperature, adjusting the heat to maintain it at about 350 degrees.
- Step 6
Serve chicken tenders immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Private Notes
Comments
This looks yummy! My son is back from college and lives on the frozen ones (outside of our regular healthy meals!). I do wish NYT (all recipe sites really) would start including air fryer directions along side deep/pan frying ones. I google it myself a lot, but air fryers are so ubiquitous now, I feel like it would be a great addition!
@Sally I haven’t made this particular recipe, but I have made similar in an air fryer with great results. If you have an air fryer, spray it with a light coating of nonstick spray, pre-heat it and try cooking at 380°F turning chicken every 8-10 minutes until golden.
Has anyone tried baking instead of frying? I know it won’t be identical in texture but my family needs to avoid fried food.
these were yummy. best tender recipe I've tried. I used sour cream in the marinade instead of water because I have a tub of sour cream I'm trying to use up. made the spices stick wonderfully to the chicken. also tenderized a bit. followed everything else in the recipe exactly. lovely. kids are it up.
I’m sorry…I’ve commented on this before, but I have to say again, this is just amazing. We love it so much we call it “Millie’s Chicken”! We make up the spice mix and use it on other items as well!
Easy and very delicious. The instructions for frying were precise and well conveyed. A weeknight hit!