Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers

Tender, juicy chicken tenders with the perfect, flavorful, crispy breading on the outside.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Marinade Time 2

Total Time 2 35

Servings

Calories 985kcal

Author Brandie Skibinski

Ingredients

1 large egg
1 ½ cups buttermilk
5 teaspoons kosher salt (divided use)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (divide use)
2 pounds chicken tenderloins
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
peanut oil or vegetable oil, for frying

Cane’s Sauce

¾ cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Start by making Cane's Sauce. Add 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 3 Tablespoons ketchup, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Once mixed, cover the bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve the sauce later.
Next up is the marinade. Grab a large bowl, add 1 large egg, 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Whisk to combine.
Place 2 pounds chicken tenderloins in the marinade to coat in the mixture. Gently stir them around in the marinade. Cover the marinade bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Pop this bowl in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight).
When the chicken has finished marinading, move on to this step.
Grab a large shallow bowl or pie pan to make the breading in. Add 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 3 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to one of the bowls and then whisk to mix together.
Take out a large, deep skillet and pour in 2 inches of peanut oil. Heat the oil up until it reaches 350F. I like to use my big cast iron skillet but this can also be done with an electric fryer if you’re more comfortable using that instead.
Set out a baking sheet and add a wire rack on top. Set this to the side and you'll use it for draining the fingers after frying. Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge (don't toss the marinade.)
Work piece by piece and dredge each piece of chicken through the flour mixture. Then dip back into the buttermilk marinade and finish each piece by dredging it back into the flour mixture. Finish coating all of the pieces.
Once the oil is hot enough, place the breaded fingers (working in small batches) in the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until the fingers are nice and golden brown. They're cooked once the internal temp reaches 165°F inside when measured with a meat thermometer.
After you've fried the chicken fingers, place them carefully on the wire rack to help them drain off any excess oil and continue with frying the rest of the chicken fingers.
Using the rack helps keep the coating crispy while they cool.
Serve the chicken fingers with your homemade Cane's sauce and crinkle fries!

Notes

Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.

Nutrition