Dredged in beer batter and double-dipped in a seasoned flour coating, these exceptionally crispy beer battered chicken tenders will leave you craving more. Serve with a variety of sauces to fit any tastes and you'll be in deep fried heaven.
This recipe combines the exceptional flavor of a beer batter, with a classic fried chicken styled breading, creating the most incredibly crispy and flavorful fried chicken you've ever sunk your teeth into.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Chicken tenders - As the name implies, chicken tenders are more tender than using chicken breasts.
- Frying oil - A high temp oil such as canola or peanut oil works well.
- Flour - This is used in both dredging mixtures
- Seasonings - Salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne.
- Beer - Any cheap beer will work. I used Miller Lite.
- Egg - Egg makes the breading thicker and crispier, giving the fried chicken its classic craggy appearance.
Equipment Needed
You can certainly use a deep fryer if you have one available, however, for most home cooks a simple cast iron chicken fryer or other tall sided pan will work just fine. It is best to use a heavy pan, like cast iron because the thicker size protects better against temperature swings.
You will also want a digital thermometer to monitor the oil temperature. There is no need to rush out and buy a deep-frying thermometer, any digital kitchen thermometer will work fine.
How to make it
Set up a dredging station by combining the flour and seasonings in one large dish, and create the beer batter in the second dish by mixing together beer, flour, egg, salt, and pepper.
Dredge the chicken strips through the first flour mixture, then the beer batter, then again through the first mixture. Make sure to let the excess shake off after each dredge.
Heat your frying oil to 375 degrees then fry the chicken until golden brown. This will take approximately ten minutes. Be sure to flip the chicken as needed to ensure it cooks evenly.
Let the chicken cool slightly on a wire rack, or over paper towels, which will soak up any excess frying oil.
Dipping Sauces
Serving these chicken fingers with a variety of sauces will ensure everyone is able to enjoy these their way. I recommend the following sauces.
- Barbecue Sauce
- Comeback Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
- Hot Sauce
- Honey Mustard
Tips and Tricks
- This recipe calls for one pound of chicken tenders because they are typically sold in one-pound packages, however, the beer batter and flour mixture will easily bread up to two pounds of chicken.
- Chicken breasts can be substituted for the chicken tenders. They just need to be sliced into strips.
- You can transform these into Nashville Hot Chicken Fingers by painting them with leftover frying oil mixed with brown sugar and cayenne.
FAQs
Peanut oil and canola oil are my two favorite frying oils for chicken. These oils both have a high smoke point which makes them perfect for frying. Peanut oil has a stronger flavor many people enjoy, however, use canola oil instead if you want a neutral-tasting oil.
A cheap American lager works well in a beer batter. Examples include Miller, Bud, Busch, and Pabst.
This fried chicken is best reheated in the oven. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake until the chicken is hot and crispy, approximately ten minutes.
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Beer Battered Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- chicken fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders (see note*)
- oil for frying
Dredging Bowl #1
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
Dredging bowl #2
- ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups beer (see note***)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 egg (beaten)
Instructions
Dredging
- Add all ingredients for the first dredging bowl together in a large dish. Do the same with the second dredging bowl, ensuring the mixture is like a thin pancake batter. Add more beer as needed to thin it out.
- Dredge your chicken tenders in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, then into the beer batter. Let the excess batter drip off and then dredge in the flour mixture one more time.**
Frying
- Add two inches of frying oil to a tall-sided pan and heat to 375 degrees.
- Working in batches if needed, add breaded chicken strips to the frying oil and cook until golden brown. Flip the chicken as needed to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Remove chicken from the oil and let drain on a wire rack, or over paper towels.
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