I have mentioned on my blog a few times that I love making fried chicken at home. Today I am showing how to make chicken fingers (or tenders) that have the 11 herbs-and-spices recipe that you will find in the popular KFC chain of restaurants. The fresh way that I prepare it below will be much better than what you find at a fast-food restaurant, however.

Chicken fingers were first made and named by the owners of a restaurant named Spanky’s in Savannah, Georgia. Chicken fingers have since become extremely popular, especially among those who want to enjoy fried chicken but don’t want to deal with bones.

Chicken fingers are prepared by coating breast meat in a breading mixture and then deep frying in hot oil. Another approach is to bake them in the oven or pan fry them in a hot skillet, which might be healthier. I prefer frying in oil for the richest taste. You cannot beat homemade chicken fingers that were marinated using the special recipe below, and fried to a crispy golden brown. These are pretty easy to prepare.

This recipe is kid friendly and will be loved by just about anyone who isn’t a vegetarian. You can serve this as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce.  

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 large chicken breast cut into strips
• 4 cups canola oil to fry

Buttermilk marinade

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tsp. each garlic powder and salt
• 1 tsp. each poultry seasoning, paprika, onion powder, hot sauce
• 1 egg

Dredge for chicken

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. each dried thyme, oregano, basil, paprika, poultry seasoning, white pepper powder, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, celery seed

Instructions

Buttermilk marinade

Thoroughly whisk all marinade ingredients in a large rectangular casserole dish. Add chicken pieces to the mix and cover. Place in the fridge to marinate overnight.

Make sure to bring the chicken out from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before you’re ready to cook.

Dredge for chicken

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a separate large casserole dish, combine all dredge ingredients. Drizzle 3-4 tbsp. of the buttermilk marinade into the dredge mixture. Use a fork to mix.

Taking 1 piece of chicken at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture. Press the flour on the top chicken to form a thick crust. Transfer the chicken to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

To fry

Heat oil in a large deep pot or wok at 350 degrees. Working in small batches, flipping in between several times for even browning, cook the chicken until golden brown for around 3-5 minutes and when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken pieces.

Serves 6-8

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram