Fried Chicken Tenders Recipe Without Buttermilk
This fried chicken tenders recipe without buttermilk is finger-lickin’-good! Unbelievably crispy and juicy, these homemade fried chicken strips are coated in a seasoned flour mixture and then fried in a cast iron skillet until the inside is juicy and tender and the outside is perfectly crisp and crunchy!
This recipe is completely dairy free and these delicious deep fried chicken tenders are kid-friendly and soooo good served with your favorite dipping sauces. Check out my other dairy-free chicken recipes – like Fried Chicken without Buttermilk, Fried Chicken Nuggets, and Crispy Dairy-Free Chicken Fried Chicken.
If you are dairy free or simply prefer the taste of fried chicken without buttermilk (like we do!) this recipe is for you! It’s totally possible to make fried chicken strips from scratch without any dairy that still tastes tender and juicy.
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Buttermilk is often used to tenderize the chicken so it will be more tender and flavorful as it cooks, but my family and I find that this step is not needed and we actually prefer the taste of the chicken without it!
Instead of buttermilk, we coat the chicken three times to ensure it stays juicy while frying. First, dip the chicken in flour, then egg, and then back into the flour mixture to create that crispy outer crust that we all love.
Egg helps to keep the chicken moist and you won’t even miss the extra step of marinating the chicken first in buttermilk because these chicken tenders are so so so good!
Fried chicken tenders recipe ingredients
Chicken – You’ll need 2lb of chicken tenders or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch strips. If the chicken strips are too thick(over 1 inch) use a meat mallet to pound them a little thinner so everything fries evenly.
Breading – All-purpose flour, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, dried thyme, and dried oregano. It’s important to add most of the salt to the chicken tenders before breading because no one wants unsalted chicken strips!
Eggs – Used to bind the breading onto the chicken and keep it moist and juicy while frying. I like to use the Happy Eggs brand because they have sooo much flavor and a rich orange-colored yolk.
Vegetable oil – For frying the chicken strips. I used cold-pressed organic avocado oil, but any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point will work!
How to Make Fried Chicken Strips Without Buttermilk
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step one. Start by setting up your drenching stations. Have a shallow bowl or plate for the egg wash, a plate for the chicken, and a large bowl for the seasoned flour mix. Also, have two wire racks on top of baking sheets nearby.
Step two. Rinse and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. If using whole chicken breasts, cut them into long strips 1 inch wide. Then sprinkle with salt, and mix to coat.
Step three. Then using a pair of tongs or gloved hands coat one piece of chicken in the flour mixture shaking off any excess. Then dip it into the egg mixture, and finally back into the flour one more time. Transfer the coated chicken to the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
Step four. Heat a large a large dutch oven or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat until hot then add 2 – 3 inches of vegetable oil. Once hot(you can use a pinch of flour to check it should sizzle and bubble), add the chicken pieces gently into the hot oil away from you so the oil doesn’t splatter.
Step five. Fry chicken for 2 – 3 minutes per side or until golden brown all around. Make sure to flip halfway through the cooking time.
Step six. Using a fork or slotted spoon transfer to the second sheet pan to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken strips.
Step seven. Serve these crispy fried chicken tenders with your favorite dipping sauce and sides. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
Honey hot sauce dip
Honey mustard
Buffalo wing sauce
Homemade french fries
Garden side salad
Recommended Tools
Sheet pans with wire racks, one for cooked chicken and one for uncooked chicken.
Large cast iron skillet or cast iron Dutch oven, use cast iron because your chicken will come out crispier.
2 pairs of tongs or plastic gloves so your hands can stay clean. I like to use silicone so it doesn’t mess up the breading on the chicken too much.
Shallow dish or bowl, for the eggs
Large bowl, for the flour mixture
Slotted spoon or fork for getting the chicken out of the oil
Pro Tips
How to test if the oil is hot enough, use a chunk of potato or carrot inside the cooking oil to keep it clean, and when it sizzles a lot your oil is ready! You can also sprinkle a pinch of flour into the oil. If it sizzles and bubbles a lot then the oil is ready for the chicken.
Drain the fried chicken tenders on a wire rack instead of paper towels. The paper towels will absorb the oil and steam the chicken underneath causing the chicken to reabsorb the oil and get soggy.
Use tongs or gloves to drench the chicken. I prefer to use two pairs of tongs – one for the flour steps and one for the egg steps. You don’t have to touch raw meat and avoid your hands from getting caked in flour and egg.
Season the chicken before drenching. Sprinkling the chicken with salt before coating it in the flour and egg mixtures will keep your chicken from tasting bland underneath the breading. And no one wants that!
Use a meat mallet, if your chicken breasts are large and too thick you can pound them with a meat mallet so your chicken strips cook quickly and evenly.
How To Store/ Reheat
Storing. After the chicken has cooled, place them in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for several weeks.
Reheating. Reheat chicken tenders at 400 degrees for 5 – 10 minutes or until heated through. If you have the quick bake setting on your oven use that and they will turn out extra crispy!
Frequently Asked Questions —
Yes! Eggs are a great alternative to buttermilk. It keeps the chicken juicy and tender without the use of dairy.
Buttermilk is often used to tenderize the chicken and keep it moist and juicy while frying.
Pounding the chicken with a meat mallet before battering and frying it will help to tenderize it without having to use buttermilk.
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Fried Chicken Tenders Recipe Without Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch strips or 2lbs chicken tenders
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs beaten
Breading and seasonings
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Vegetable oil for frying I used avocado oil
- Carrot to keep the oil clean when frying
- Sauces for dipping. Ketchup barbecue sauce, or honey mustard
Instructions
- Set up drenching stations before getting started because this will make drenching and frying the chicken much easier. Eggs whisked in a shallow bowl. Sheet pans with wire racks on top, one for raw chicken and one for cooked chicken.
- Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then cut them into 1-inch strips. If your strips are larger than 1-inch thick pound them with a meat mallet so they cook evenly and quickly. Place cut strips into a large bowl with salt. Mix to coat.
- In a large bowl add the flour and the seasonings - ground black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, ground paprika, dried thyme, dried oregano, and onion powder. Mix until combined.
- Dip one piece of chicken into the flour mixture using a pair of tongs or gloved hands. Mix to completely coat then dip into the egg mixture, then finally back into the flour mixture, then set on a wire rack. (I like to use separate tongs for the dry and wet steps)
- Repeat with the remaining chicken until they all are coated in both the egg and flour mixtures.
- In a large cast iron skillet or cast iron Dutch oven heat vegetable oil until hot, then add 2 - 3 inches of vegetable oil. Add carrot if using. Once the carrot is sizzled (you can also sprinkle a pinch of flour into the oil to check) carefully add the tenders into the oil away from you so it doesn’t splatter. Add as many tenders as you can but don’t overlap.
- Fry tenders for 3 minutes per side or until the crust is a nice golden brown color all around.
- Remove cooked chicken from the oil using a slotted spoon or fork to a wire rack to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Serve and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauces!
Notes
- Storing. After the chicken has cooled, place them in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for several weeks.
- Reheating. Reheat chicken tenders at 400 degrees for 5 - 10 minutes or until heated through. If you have the quick bake setting on your oven use that and they will turn out extra crispy!
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
Phenomenal chicken!!
Thank you so much, Claribel!
This was a great base recipe; thank you for sharing! My husband and I did teamwork at our dredging station. We thought that when dredging our chicken tenders, the salt was washed off in the egg so, I dipped the tenders in the seasoned flour and then in the egg. Then my husband would salt the strips before the final dredge in the seasoned flour. I also added a pinch of baking powder to the flour mixture which made the breading even crispier. We tried your recipe as written first, and then we made adjustments to fit our tastes. We had fun setting up a dredging station together and testing your recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe as it is just my husband and I at home now and we would just end up throwing away any leftover buttermilk – that’s just not something we have in our refrigerator, like, ever. Thank you!
Hi Lory, thank you so much for sharing and leaving a review! I love the teamwork, it sounds like you guys had a fun experience and the baking powder idea sounds excellent. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!