Easy Pan Seared Chicken Tenders Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to sear chicken in oil or butter? ›

Can you cook chicken with butter instead of oil? You have to cook chicken at a lower temperature if you bake or pan-fry chicken using butter instead of oil. This is because butter has a lower scorching temperature. Your chicken will cook more slowly, but it's also likely to be juicier and full of more flavor.

Chicken tenders are beloved by everyone from ages two to 92, and that's because they're juicy and flavorful, but still lean. Tenderloins are found under either side of the breastbone, and, just like chicken breast, this thin sliver of meat is low in calories and high in protein.

Make sure to rest chicken breasts for 3-5 minutes once they are done cooking. If you slice into the breast right away, the juices inside are boiling and they will leak out of the breast and make it tough. You also have to make sure to allow the chicken breast to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking.

Seasonings: Keep it simple. Garlic powder, salt, pepper and paprika is all it really takes to flavor the flour for the chicken's coating. Oil: A neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point is what you want for frying chicken tenders. The best oils for frying include canola, vegetable and peanut.

Start with a hot pan over mediumhigh heat and a small amount of cooking oil. Season the chicken and add it to the pan. Let the meat sear for several minutes on one side before flipping. A chicken cutlet is ready to flip when it releases easily from the pan and has a nice, golden-brown sear.

Some people think that chicken tenders are just strips cut from the breast of the chicken. But in fact, the tender or tenderloin is an independent secondary muscle that lies directly under the breast. Sometimes, the whole breast is removed, which includes the tender; sometimes they are removed separately.

It can be left in and cooked, however it is more pleasant to eat if removed.

Overcooking chicken and buying woody chicken breast are two of the main causes behind rubbery chicken. You can stop this from happening by: buying “slow-growing” chicken. cooking your chicken in moisture.

Fried Chicken Secret #1: A Salty Marinade = Juicier Meat

A standard brine is a solution of salt dissolved in water (around 6% salt by weight). As chicken sits in a brine, the salt dissolves proteins in the meat's muscle structure, loosening it and allowing it to retain more moisture as it cooks.

Oil will give the chicken breasts the perfect brown sear without burning over time while adding butter at the last minute gives the chicken that juicy, buttery flavor without burning. It's the best of both options!

How do you keep chicken tenders crispy? ›

The best way to keep fried foods crispy? Just place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. If you're frying multiple batches, throw the whole setup into a low oven to keep everything warm as you keep frying and adding to the rack.

Lastly, Popeyes® now sources palm oil (both directly sourced and for all branded food products with greater than 1% palm oil or palm kernel oil as an ingredient)which is RSPO Mass Balance certified or covered by RSPO certification or credits for its entire menu globally, per the brand's Palm Oil Sourcing Policy.

Sear it in hot oil in cast iron, flipping as often as you'd like. Add butter and aromatics. Keep flipping and basting. Rest.

Butter or olive oil: Your pick! I like the extra flavor that butter adds, but olive oil will also work well. Kosher Salt: An essential ingredient in our brine, and we will also use salt to season the chicken before baking.

Ideally, pan-fried chicken will come off the heat tender and juicy on the inside, and golden and crispy on the outside -- but the perfect crunchy skin won't happen in just any cooking fat. If you want a tasty flavor, go with butter, but if you want your ideal texture, opt for a cooking oil instead.