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Buffalo and ranch; a flavor love story unfolding. We’re spicing up a comfort food favorite. These crispy chicken tenders are coated with tangy ranch seasoning, breaded and baked to golden crispy goodness. Each tender is generously drizzled with spicy buffalo sauce. A flavor combo that will keep you coming back for more.
These are best for serving at a patio party with friends or for whenever you’re craving something yummy and comforting. Grab the napkins, because things are about to get deliciously messy!
Looking for more dinner entreES? Check these out!
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Pretzel Crusted Hot Honey Chicken
Bacon Cheese and Chive Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Loaded Tex-Mex Sheet Pan Nachos
Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tenders
What You’ll Need
Chicken Tenders
Buffalo Sauce
- Chicken breasts
- Eggs
- Olive oil
- All purpose flour
- Panko bread crumbs
- Buttermilk powder
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Mustard powder
- Dried dill
- Dried parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
- Hot pepper sauce
- Vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Honey
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
Before you batter, you need to prep the chicken!
Start by slicing each chicken breast in half, lengthwise, to do a butterfly cut.
Then slice each half in half a second time. Once the chicken is cut, use a meat mallet or a wooden rolling pin to tenderize the chicken.
Last step is the most important step: tenderizing the chicken. Tenderizing the chicken, will break down the chicken fibers, making them cook evenly. There are several ways you can tenderize chicken, through enzymes or you can pound the chicken. This is our favorite way because it doesn’t take much time and works well. You can pound them until they are about 1/2 inch thick.
Tips for Battering Chicken
Dry chicken first.
If your chicken is not completely dry, the wet batter won’t stick to the chicken. So pat each chicken breast with a paper towel to remove all the moisture before battering. For extra measure, you can coat the chicken in a thin layer of flour.
Tenderize the chicken.
As mentioned above, you want to tenderize the chicken before battering. Tenderizing will give the chicken a softer texture and will cook more evenly.
Double batter for thicker crust!!
This is a must for us. Start Then dredge your chicken in the beaten egg, followed by the pretzel-flour mixture. Repeat this step another time for a thicker crust. Then transfer the chicken to a large plate or platter for frying.
How to pan fry chicken on the stove…
Don’t worry, we aren’t doing any deep frying here, it’s just a light fry on the outside before you finish cooking the chicken in the oven. This light fry step will cook the batter on the outside and the crust a super crunchy finish.
Here’s what you need to do…
- Start by adding 1/4 cup of olive oil to a cast iron pan and allow it to get hot.
- Next add a couple chicken pieces to the pan at a time. If you crowd the pan with too many pieces, the temperature of the oil will drop and it won’t cook as quickly.
- Fry each side of the chicken for 1-2 minutes and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue this step until all of your chicken pieces are fried. Once they are fried, you will bake them in the oven to cook through and get super crispy.
Why do you fry and bake the chicken tenders?
This two step cooking method of frying first and baking second is the secret to getting a super crispy crust while making sure your chicken is cooked through.
How do I know my chicken is done cooking?
Your chicken will be cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. You can check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Make sure you insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken.
What is in ranch seasoning?
Ranch seasoning is a tangy and herby seasoning that is super easy to make. And the great thing is that it can be used so many ways – for seasoning chicken, making ranch dip, sprinkled on fries or vegetables. The options are almost limitless because it pairs so well with so many things. Here’s what you need to make ranch seasoning.
- Buttermilk Powder
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Mustard powder
- Dried dill
- Dried parsley
- Salt and pepper
How to make homemade buffalo sauce…
Buffalo sauce is tangy, buttery sauce that can carry some heat. It is popularly used for coating chicken wings, but is very versatile. You can use buffalo sauce to make buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken pizza, as a dipping sauce or drizzle for extra flavor. The possibilities are endless!
Whip up homemade buffalo sauce in a couple minutes!
- Start by melting butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Once butter is melted, remove from heat and add in the rest of your sauce ingredients – hot pepper sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Stir mixture until combined. Now you’re ready to drizzle, dip or dunk!
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Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tenders
Description
We’re spicing up a comfort food favorite. These crispy chicken tenders are coated with tangy ranch seasoning, breaded and baked to golden crispy goodness. Each tender is generously drizzled with spicy buffalo sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (for light frying)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups panko bread crumbs, crushed
- 2 tbsp buttermilk powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- Salt and pepper to season
Buffalo Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup hot sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a skillet, preheat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium/high heat in the bottom of the pan.
- Slice chicken breasts in half like a butterfly cut. Slice each half into 4 chicken tenders. Lightly beat with a rolling pin to tenderize the strips.
- Prep your breading bowls. In one bowl, add the panko, flour and ranch seasonings to a large shallow bowl and stir to combine. In another bowl, beat eggs.
- Dredge the chicken tenders in the eggs and then in the pretzel crumb mixture. Repeat this step one more time for a thicker, crunchier crust. Then place the chicken on a plate to get ready to lightly fry.
- Place 3-4 chicken tenders in the pan at a time—you don’t want to overcrowd the pan because the temperature will drop. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the first side, then flip it over and cook for another 2 minutes. Then, transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet.
- After all chicken tenders have been cooked on the stovetop, drizzle with half of the buffalo sauce, and transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, flip them and bake for another 10 minutes on the other side. They will be cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Make buffalo sauce. In a pan over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat and add in hot sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir mixture until combined.
- Remove chicken tenders from oven and cool for a couple minutes, drizzle with extra buffalo and serve.
