Crispy Chicken Tenders

Welcome back to lockdown, and more importantly, welcome back to Bubs Grubs! It has been a hot MINUTE since I last posted, but fear not, your inboxes will soon return to being flooded with post notifications while I deliver the scrummiest, most stupendous recipes to keep you company in yet another NSW lockdown. On the menu tonight: crispy chicken tenders. These bad boys are crunchy and full of flavour on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside. There is absolutely no need to order an Ultimate Tender's Box when these are so damn easy to make, and in my most biased opinion, taste way better. *Colonel cries in the distance*

A teeny bit of preparation is required, as the chicken needs to soak in buttermilk for as long as possible - ideally overnight, but around 4 hours is enough to fully coat and tenderise the chicken. The trick to my eleven secret herbs and spices is that there are only six, and I can almost guarantee you already have these in your pantry. I use an equal blend of smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, but you can always add/subtract your own spices and quantities as you wish.

I like to serve these with shoestring fries and smoky BBQ sauce, but they also taste fantastic on a roll with some lettuce and mayo, and they're best served around 6:30pm on a Saturday night, when the footy is on.

Ingredients:

• 
  

• 4 Chicken Breasts, cut into strips about 1.5 inch wide

• 1 Cup Buttermilk

• 1 Cup Plain Flour

• 1 Tbs Smoked Paprika

• 1 Tbs Cayenne Pepper

• 1 Tbs Onion Powder

• 1 Tbs Garlic Powder

• 1 Tbs Salt

• 1 Tbs Pepper

• 1 Cup Rice Bran Oil, for frying

Let's Make These Tenders:

1. In a large bowl, add the chicken and buttermilk. Stir so all chicken pieces are well coated in the buttermilk, then cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum 4 hours.

2. In a large container, add the flour and all spices, place the lid on the container and shake well to combine.

3. Heat oil in a shallow fry pan on a low-medium heat, and place two pieces of the buttermilk coated chicken in the flour mixture. Replace the lid and shake well. Take the chicken pieces and gently place in the hot oil. Fry for around 5 minutes each side, or until golden brown. I like to transfer my cooked chicken to a paper towel lined baking tray and keep them in the oven on a low heat (around 150 Celsius) while I cook the rest of the chicken.

4. Repeat coating and frying the chicken in small batches, being careful not to overload the fry pan.

5. Once all chicken has been cooked, serve with fries and sauce of your choice.