These Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are crispy and spicy on the outside and juicy and moist on the inside. They are sure to impress your family and friends and taste delicious! Serve with fries, as a chicken burger, sweet potato fries, salad and more.
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You’ve probably seen these Nashville tenders floating around Instagram and TikTok, along with the infamous TikTok Garlic Bread. Nashville hot chicken tenders are crispy, deep-fried chicken pieces marinated in a mix of spices.
Once the chicken is done, serve them as an appetizer or side. Some people coat the Nashville hot chicken strips in hot sauce, and others serve the sauce on the side, in burger buns, with Oven Baked Skin On Fries, Quick Crispy Air Fryer Carrot Chips, Green Goddess Salad with Dressing, and more.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- These chicken tenders are crispy, flavorful and moist on the inside.
- There are lots of different variations of this recipe. You can use Nashville hot sauce or any other hot sauce you choose.
- You can cook them in an air fryer or oven instead of frying.
- Double or triple the recipe to feed more people.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Chicken fillets: Use fresh or frozen chicken fillets for this recipe. If you use frozen chicken, allow it to thaw before preparing the tenders.
- Cayenne pepper: Cayenne pepper is essential for this recipe, so don't skip it.
- Paprika: Use regular or smoked paprika.
- Cajun powder: Cajun powder is a tasty spice blend that adds flavor to the chicken.
- Garlic powder: It's best to use garlic powder for this recipe, as combining it with flour is easier.
- Onion powder: The same goes for the onion powder. Use powder instead of fresh onion, as it is easier to mix with the flour.
- Black pepper: to taste
- Salt to taste: to taste
- Buttermilk: Soaking the chicken in buttermilk is essential as it is used to tenderize the chicken and make it extra juicy.
- Nashville hot sauce: The seasoned chicken fingers are soaked in Nashville hot sauce or your favorite red hot sauce with buttermilk to add extra spicy flavor. This process also gives the chicken tenders their notorious reddish-brown color.
- Sunflower or Vegetable Oil: For frying.
Tips and Substitutions
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is important in this recipe when marinating the chicken. It softens the chicken and allows the spices to be fully absorbed. You can substitute the buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to a cup (240ml/250ml) of milk and allowing it to sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Oil: The oil should be hot enough to fry the chicken. However, it should not be too hot, as you don't want the chicken pieces to burn. The ideal temperature of the oil should be between 350 and 365 F.
- Frying: The frying time of the chicken should be 6-8 minutes at 350 - 365 F.
- Deep fryer: This recipe can be made in a deep fryer. You need to set the temperature of the deep fryer before frying.
- Shallow frying: This method may not be suitable for this recipe, as the chicken needs to be cooked thoroughly, which may not be achieved with shallow frying.
How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
- First, cut the chicken vertically and place the pieces in a bowl.
- Add seasoning to the bowl.
- Next, rub the seasoning into the chicken well.
- Then pour buttermilk into the bowl.
- Then, pour hot sauce into the bowl.
- Mix the buttermilk and hot sauce with the chicken until well combined. Cover the chicken with cling film and leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge for 1- 4 hours.
- Next, prepare the flour mixture by adding flour, salt, cayenne pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to a bowl and mixing well.
- Once the chicken has marinated, toss them in the flour mixture
Tip: Do not add too much salt when seasoning the flour, as salt is already in the chicken.
9. Deep fry the chicken strips in hot oil for 6-8 minutes or until done.
10. Place the chicken tenders on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
11. Finally, serve Nashville chicken crispers as an appetizer or side alongside, sweet potato fries, wedges, burger buns or salad.
Recipe FAQs
Nashville tenders contain some cayenne pepper and sometimes some chili pepper, it is not particularly too spicy. It does have a bit of a kick in terms of spice but it’s bearable. The spice is at a medium level.
KFC Nashville hot tenders are a popular chicken dish served at most KFC stores. They are made by deep-frying chicken pieces which have been marinated in spices and buttermilk and coated with flour. It is usually served with hot sauce or Nashville hot sauce.
They are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. The spice mix includes cayenne pepper and/or chili pepper, which makes them a bit spicy. However, the spice level is usually tolerable for most people and can be adjusted to suit personal preference.
Serve them alongside delicious sides like red cabbage coleslaw, fries, baked beans, and corn on the cob. Alternatively, you can serve them on their own, with hot sauce, or with a dip of your choice.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 500 g of chicken fillets
- 2 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Paprika
- 1 teaspoon of Cajun powder
- ½ teaspoon of Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of Onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon of Black pepper
- 1.25 teaspoon or Salt to taste
- 1 cup of buttermilk
- ½ cup of Nashville hot sauce
Flour Mixture
- 2 cups plain flour
- ½ teaspoon of Paprika
- ½ teaspoon of Cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon of Garlic powder
- 1 tsp or salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop chicken fillets vertically into half then add them to a bowl. Add cayenne pepper, paprika, Cajun powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt and rub ingredients into the chicken.
- Next, pour buttermilk and hot sauce into the bowl and mix with the chicken until well combined. Leave the chicken to marinate for 1-4 hours.
- Meanwhile, prepare the flour mixture. Add flour, salt, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder to a bowl and mix well.
- Once the hot chicken tenders have finished marinating, coat them in the flour mixture. Heat oil in a deep fryer or pan and fry on both sides for 6-8 minutes. Place hot chicken tenders on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Serve as desired
Notes
- Oil: The oil temperature should be hot enough to fry the chicken. However, make sure it is not too hot as you don't want the chicken pieces to burn. The ideal temperature of the oil should be about 350 and 365 F.
- Frying: Frying time of the chicken should be for 6-8 minutes at 350 - 365 F.
- Deep fryer: This recipe can be made in a deep fryer. You will just need to set the temperature of the deep fryer before frying your chicken tenders.
Lilly
These chicken strips are SOO flavorful! I could not get enough. I made these for my family for dinner last night and everyone loved them!
Talara
I absolutely loved these chicken tenders! They were packed with flavor. One of the best parts was my kids asking for seconds!
Jen Sim
I'm glad the kids approved!
Kim
I've been wanting to make nashville chicken for awhile and came across this recipe. This was pure perfection! They were so flavorful and not super hot. Will definitely be making these again.
Marta
I don't know how those Nashville chicken tenders from tik tok taste, but I know these were FIRE! So juicy and crunchy at the same time. I'm totally making them again.
Crystal
These chicken tenders cleared my sinuses right up lol. I turned them into mini sliders for a gathering, adding a little ranch dressing to make that combo of cool heat. So good!
Robin
They were good as an entree but even better in a sandwich. My family was ecstatic.
Jessica
We loved these so much, I've already made them twice this week! The flavors and heat level are just perfect.
Kate
These chicken tenders were delicious! Juicy inside, crunchy outside and with just the perfect amount of heat. Thank you!
Jen Sim
Glad you enjoyed it Kate!
Suj
Incredible recipe. Have used it multiple times to huge success