Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Author Notes

In the battle of game day appetizers, there are very few times when chicken wings don’t easily sweep the competition and land solidly in first place. This Buffalo Chicken Tender recipe is packed with flavor just like its bone-in counterpart, but is easier to eat and much more kid friendly. It all starts with a foolproof breading technique. The chicken tenders take turns dredging in flour, eggs, and then flour again. The second dip into flour is the most important—this is where you get your hands dirty, pressing the flour into all of the nooks and crannies of the chicken tenders. Some of the beaten egg will mix with the dry flour to create ragged bits of dough that become extra crispy in the fryer, giving you that classic chicken tender texture. This technique works the same with chicken breasts or thighs.

Another important step in achieving the crispiest chicken is how you drain it. As soon as you lift the tenders out of the hot oil, immediately place them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet or a layer of paper towels to drain. When you put anything fried directly onto paper towels to drain, the bottoms will begin to lose their crispiness almost immediately. Draining on top of a rack allows some air to circulate, which means your chicken tenders will stay crispy on all sides much longer.

What makes any buffalo chicken dish special is the sauce that it gets tossed in. Frank’s Red Hot is the hot sauce of choice in most recipes, and there is a clear reason. It is a near perfect combination of spiciness, acidity, and sweetness that provides that classic buffalo flavor that we all know and love. If you want to switch things up, try other glazes instead of buffalo. Mixtures of maple syrup and grainy mustard, sticky honey and ground cayenne, or hoisin sauce and sesame oil are all great ways to amp up flavor and try something a little different. Whichever sauce you choose, make sure you toss it with the chicken while it is still hot. This will ensure the chicken really soaks up all of the flavors. You could also keep it super simple and leave the chicken tenders “plain” and just serve them with ketchup, mustard, or mayo for dipping.

In theory, the chicken tenders are the stars of the show here, but I like to think the sour cream and blue cheese dip could hold its own in a fist fight. It is as simple as can be—just stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and crumbled blue cheese. The sauce can be made a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, so you can use it when you are ready. If you end up with some sauce leftover, use it in potato salad or as an indulgent wedge salad dressing. And in case you land on team ranch instead of blue cheese, fear not. I hear you. I see you. This is a safe space.
—Riley Wofford