Bigly Chicken Tenders Plate
Prep
25m
Cook
15m
Total
40m
Bigly says
Tenders. TENDERS! The food of kings, the food of children, the food of grown adults who finally stopped pretending they wanted a salad. I have a friend — a brilliant man, a food chemist, the PhD type, the smartest, took him 90 minutes to explain protein bonding to me and worth every second — and he says chicken tenders are scientifically the most loved food on Earth. Statisticians have run the numbers. Pizza is close, sure, pizza will get its own recipe, but the tenderloin? The tenderloin is the people's champion. Always has been. Always will be.
And most tenders out there are TRAGIC. Truly tragic. You walk into a place — and I won't name names because they know who they are, they know — and they bring out four sad little frozen sticks that have been microwaved into rubbery submarines, and they charge you fourteen dollars, and they expect you to smile. An outrage. A national outrage. The tender situation in this country is a CRISIS and nobody is talking about it. Most chefs are afraid to do this right. They cut the corner. They use the freezer bag. Embarrassing.
My tenders, the BIGLY tenders, are different. Real tenderloins, brined in tangy buttermilk, double-dipped — and I'll tell you why in a minute — fried to a deep golden crunch that makes a sound you can FEEL in your chest. Served with three sauces, three, because one sauce is for cowards and two sauces is for people who don't fully commit, plus a pile of pickles on the side. They are the platonic ideal. The form from which all other tenders descend. Food chemists agree. Scientists agree. The smart people agree. Hands down.
Ingredients
- 2 lbchicken tenderloins(real tenderloins, the little strips — not sliced breast meat pretending)
- 2 cupsbuttermilk
- 2 tbsphot sauce (Frank's or similar)
- 1.5 tspkosher salt
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1/2 cupcornstarch
- 1 tspbaking powder
- 1 tbspsmoked paprika
- 1 tbspgarlic powder
- 1 tsponion powder
- 1 tspblack pepper
- 4 cupsneutral oil for frying
- 1 cupdill pickle chips (for serving)
- 1/2 cupmayonnaise (for ranch)
- 1/4 cupsour cream (for ranch)
- 1 clovegarlic, finely grated (for ranch)
- 1 tbspfresh dill, chopped (for ranch)
- 1 tbspfresh chives, chopped (for ranch)
- 1 tsplemon juice (for ranch)
- 1/2 cup, dividedhoney (for hot honey and mustard)
- 3 tbspDijon mustard (for honey mustard)
- 1 tbspyellow mustard (for honey mustard)
- 1 tspapple cider vinegar (for honey mustard)
- 1 tspcrushed red pepper flakes (for hot honey)
- 1 tspapple cider vinegar (for hot honey)
Steps
- 1
Whisk buttermilk, hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally 4.
- 2
Make the garlic ranch: whisk the mayo, sour cream, grated garlic, dill, chives, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate.
- 3
Make the honey mustard: whisk 1/4 cup honey with both mustards and the cider vinegar in a small bowl.
- 4
Make the hot honey: warm the remaining 1/4 cup honey in a small saucepan over low heat with the red pepper flakes for 2 minutes (do not boil). Stir in the cider vinegar and remove from heat.
- 5
In a wide shallow dish, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.
- 6
Working one at a time, lift a tender from the buttermilk (let excess drip), press firmly into the seasoned flour, then dip back into the buttermilk and press into the flour a second time. Place on a wire rack. Repeat with all tenders.
- 7
Heat oil in a heavy Dutch oven or deep skillet to 350°F.
- 8
Fry tenders in batches (4-5 at a time, don't crowd), 4-5 minutes total, turning once, until deep golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Drain on a wire rack — never paper towels.
- 9
Season the hot tenders immediately with a light pinch of salt. Arrange on a platter with the pickle chips and all three sauces in small bowls.
One more thing
Three sauces. THREE. Honey mustard for the classicists, hot honey for the people who know what's good, garlic ranch for the absolute legends. You dip, you crunch, you smile. Set the platter in the middle of the table and watch the family fight over the last tender — and they WILL fight, polite people turn into animals, it's beautiful — and you sit back, you let it happen, you've done your job. The best tenders. The greatest of all time. Not even close. Tremendous.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about Bigly Chicken Tenders Plate.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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