Chicken Tenders

Quick answer

Total time: 35 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Chicken tenders season chicken tenderloins with salt and paprika, then triple-coat them in flour, egg-milk wash, and breadcrumbs before frying at 170 degrees Celsius until golden and crisp.

Tenderloins have a fine grain that stays soft even with brief frying, avoiding the dryness that breast meat can develop. Mixing milk into the egg wash produces a smoother coating that clings more evenly, and pressing the breadcrumbs firmly by hand prevents them from falling off in the oil. Four to five minutes of frying is enough to crisp the exterior to a deep gold while keeping the interior moist, and draining on paper towels immediately after removes excess oil to maintain crunch. A second fry hardens the crust further, keeping it crisp even as the tenders cool.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

chicken tenderloins500 gg

salt1 tsptsp

paprika powder1 tsptsp

flour100 gg

egg2 eaea

breadcrumbs170 gg

milk60 mlml

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Pat 500 g chicken tenderloins dry, and trim any thick visible tendon if needed.

Season evenly with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp paprika, then rest for 10 minutes so the surface absorbs the seasoning.
2

Prep

Set out three shallow bowls with 100 g flour, 2 eggs beaten with 60 ml milk, and 170 g breadcrumbs.

Whisk the egg-milk wash until smooth so it coats without clumps.
3

Prep

Coat each tenderloin lightly in flour, then shake off the excess so the crust is not pasty.

Dip it in the egg wash, then press breadcrumbs firmly onto every side to prevent the coating from slipping in the oil.
4

Heat

Heat the oil to 170C, or until a breadcrumb dropped in bubbles immediately.

Fry in batches without crowding the pan, because too many pieces lower the oil temperature and make the coating absorb oil.
5

Heat

Keep the heat around medium and fry for 4-5 minutes, until the crust turns deep golden and the bubbling around the edges calms down. Turn each piece only once midway so the coating stays attached and the inside cooks evenly.
6

Finish

Move the fried tenders to paper towels and drain the surface oil right away.

Serve immediately while the coating is crisp.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Tenderloins triple-coated in flour, egg-milk wash, and breadcrumbs fry at 170 degrees Celsius for a crisp, even crust.
Finish cue: Keep the heat around medium and fry for 4-5 minutes, until the crust turns deep golden and the bubbling around the edges calms down.