Nashville Hot Chicken is like fried chicken but on spicy steroids. It’s not for the faint of heart because it packs a punch. Even though it burns my mouth off, I still happen to love it. The great thing about making it at home is that you can make it as spicy or mild as you’d like. Whenever I get the idea to fry chicken at home, I find that it’s really time consuming. It takes all of my strength and energy. Plus it also takes a while to cook if you use bone-in chicken, so I decided to take classic Nashville Hot Chicken and make it easier for everyone by turning it into Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders. This just means that they’ll cook up faster for you, which in turn means you can eat homemade fried chicken tenders even faster. And after all, isn’t this what we’re all looking for? To be able to eat fried chicken as simply and as fast as possible? I think so.

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Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders

These Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are so much easier to make than the original, but taste just as amazing! They're great for lunch, dinner or a snack!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Chilling Time:3

Total Time3 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken, Dinner, Main Dishes

Servings: 4

Author: Jonathan Melendez

Equipment

Mixing bowls
Baking sheet
Wire rack
Skillet
Deep-fry thermometer

Ingredients

Chicken:

2 pounds boneless chicken breast tenders
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons hot sauce
3 cups all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Sauce:

6 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
white bread slices and pickles for serving

Instructions

In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, salt, black pepper and 1 tablespoon hot sauce until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or over night.
Fill a dutch oven with about 4-inches of oil and bring to about 360°F with a deep-fry thermometer.
Pour the flour into a shallow dish. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and remaining tablespoon of hot sauce in a separate shallow dish. To dredge the chicken, toss each piece in the flour, then into the buttermilk mixture, and then back into the flour. If you want super crunchy crispy chicken, then you can pass the chicken through the buttermilk and flour once more. Transfer the breaded chicken to a baking sheet in a single layer, and let air dry for about 10 minutes.
Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken tenders in batches, a few at a time, until crispy and golden brown, about 6 minutes total. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Continue frying the remaining chicken, keeping the already fried chicken warm in a 250°F oven.
To make the hot spicy sauce, whisk together the spices, brown sugar, and 1 cup of the hot frying oil until dissolved and evenly combined. Immediately pour it over the fried chicken tenders and serve with white bread slices and pickles. Enjoy!