Making KFC Hot Chicken Tenders At Home | But Better
KFC has already been defeated on but better and now they want to try to conquer Nashville hot chicken? How you going to do Nashville like that?! Papa will not allow it.
Joshua Weissman•
Aug 29, 2025
Ingredients (22)
Spicy Oil
Hot Chicken Tenders
Assembly
Directions
Spicy Oil
In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the cayenne (4 Tbsp), smoked paprika (1 Tbsp), garlic powder (1 Tbsp), salt (1 Tbsp), MSG (1 Tbsp) and brown sugar (2 Tbsp). Set aside to use immediately after the chicken is fried.
Hot Chicken Tenders
Cut the chicken breasts (5–6) lengthwise into strips, to look like tenders, and place on a quarter-size baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of kosher salt (2 Tbsp) and 2 teaspoons MSG (2 tsp), then season the chicken tenders (5–6) on both sides with the MSG-salt (you won’t use all of it). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour up to overnight.
Fill a 7-8 quart heavy bottomed pot just over halfway with the vegetable oil (3 ½ quarts). Heat to 335°F. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack and place that next to the hot oil.
To make the dredge, in a large bowl whisk together the flour (3 cups), smoked paprika (1 Tbsp), garlic powder (1 Tbsp), white pepper (2 tsp), onion powder (2 tsp), remaining 1 tablespoon of saltsalt and the remaining 2 teaspoons of MSGMSG. Set aside.
For the buttermilk dip, in a separate, large bowl with the beaten eggs (2 large), gradually whisk in the buttermilk (2 cups), hot sauce (3 Tbsp), pickle juice (2 Tbsp) and; optionally, a good pinch of the leftover MSG-salt used to season the chicken.
Drizzle a small amount of the buttermilk dip into the seasoned flour and stir vigorously to form little nuggets of dredge.
Sprinkle a thin layer of the dredge onto a baking sheet and set next to the dredging station.
To dredge: add the chicken tenders (5–6) into the seasoned flour to fully coat, leaving no bare spots. Shake off the excess flour and then add into the buttermilk dip to submerge. Add back into the flour and press the chicken to completely cover, every crevice, in a thick coating of flour. Transfer to the prepared, flour-dusted baking sheet. Repeat the dredging with all of the chicken tenders.
To fry, carefully lay 3-4 tenders into the hot oil and fry for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature reads 165°F. Remove the chicken from the oil onto the prepared cooling rack to drain of excess oil.
Once all of the chicken is fried, immediately and carefully add 1.5 cups of the hot fry oil (1 ½ cups) into the reserved cayenne spice mixture.
Dunk the chicken into the spicy oil to thoroughly coat then return to the cooling rack to drain.
Assembly
To serve, place a slice of white bread onto a plate.
Top the bread with 2-3 hot chicken tenders and finish with a pickle.
