lemon pepper chicken tenders
buttermilk soaked fried chicken strips dredged through a flour mixture and fried until golden and crispy tossed in a quick lemon pepper rub with lemon aioli on the side.
Ingredients
- boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to season
- vegetable oil for frying
lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 lemon, juiced + zest
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
- Combine buttermilk with first round of spices listed. Cut the chicken into strips and add to the buttermilk. Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat frying oil to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, spices and salt and pepper to form a dredge. Add the chicken tenders to the dredge tossing to fully coat both sides. Transfer to a wire rack or tray to rest for 5 minutes before frying.
- Fry until golden and crispy on both sides and in batches if needed. Roughly 4 minutes a side.
- Place on wire rack and season with salt immediately after frying.
- Bring the butter to a slow boil until completely clarified. About 10 minutes without stirring. Should be bright yellow and clear. Let stand a few minutes. If there is any foam or milk residue floating on top, remove with a spoon.
- Combine clarified butter with lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Place the chicken tenders in a large bowl and add a few tablespoons of the lemon pepper butter. Toss to coat and add additional lemon zest, salt or pepper if desired.
- Combine 2 tbsp of the remaining lemon pepper butter with mayonnaise. Mix well until combined to create a dipping sauce. Serve and enjoy!