We’ve been experiencing a massive heat wave over the last few weeks in Ohio. The heat has a way of permeating through even the thickest walls of our home. This morning, I went for a quick morning walk, and in less than 5 minutes, my back was dripping with sweat. Typically, when it is this hot outside, I try to avoid using the oven or stove. Leaving the oven or stove on for even 20 minutes can warm up our home by 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit, which adds even more heat to the already warm home. I avoided the oven and stove for breakfast, but by lunch time, my cravings for chicken tenders led me back into the kitchen. I ended up turning on both the stove and the oven to make chicken tenders. Kevin is a huge fan of chicken tenders and would request some form of chicken tenders at least every other week. Actually, any fried food is on Kevin’s list of favorite dishes. Since I was in the mood for some chicken tenders this weekend, I decided to fry up a batch of crispy chicken tenders and served them with my favorite sriracha ketchup dip. I started off by making a flour mixture to use to coat the chicken tenders and some lightly whisked eggs to help the flour mixture adhere to the chicken tenders. I coated the chicken tenders in the flour mixture, lightly whisked eggs, and back in the flour mixture to create a nice coating. I then fried the chicken tenders in a Dutch oven pot for a minute on each side before finishing the chicken tenders in the oven. I like to fry and then bake the chicken tenders because the extra step gives the chicken tenders an even crisp all around. While these chicken tenders are absolutely wonderful on their own, I still like to dip them in some sriracha ketchup, one of my favorite go-to dipping sauces for fried foods. To round out the rest of my meal, I made a simple slaw (using precut packaged cabbage blend) and some iced hibiscus tea sweetened with honey. The simple lunch helped me stay fueled for the rest of the afternoon while I worked on some class projects and homework assignments. I am more than halfway through my digital photography certificate program and have been excited to apply the knowledge I learned to the photographs I take. For one of my assignments, I convinced some of Kevin’s close friends to dress up and pose for portrait shots. Working with the bright summer lights can be challenging, but I was able to take some good shots with my Canon camera. After the photo session, I headed back home to continue working on my other class assignments. In between projects and assignments, I’ve been immersed in recipe development (such as the recipe for these simple, but very tasty chicken tenders). Stay tuned for even better recipes and food photography in the very near future.
Chicken Tenders with Sriracha Ketchup Dip:
For the chicken tenders:
· 1½ cups vegetable oil
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· ¼ teaspoon paprika
· ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
· ¼ teaspoon chili powder
· 2 teaspoons hot sauce
· 2 large eggs
· 8 chicken tenders (or 2-3 chicken breasts cut into about eight strips)
For the sriracha ketchup:
· 3 tablespoons ketchup
· 1 tablespoon sriracha
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet. Set aside.
2) Heat a Dutch oven pot on medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Let the vegetable oil heat up before frying the chicken. The oil is ready when you see waves form in the oil.
3) In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and hot sauce. Use a fork to combine the ingredients. Set aside.
4) In another bowl, add the two eggs. Use a fork (or whisk) to lightly whisk the eggs. Set aside.
5) Use chopsticks (or tongs) to pick up one piece of chicken. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture. Turn the chicken to coat in the flour mixture. Dip the chicken in the whisked eggs and turn to coat the chicken in the whisked eggs. Dip the chicken back into the flour mixture. Turn to coat the chicken in more flour mixture. Remove the coated chicken to a plate. Continue this process with the rest of the chicken strips until all chicken pieces are coated.
6) Fry the chicken in the Dutch oven pot one at a time for about a minute per side until the chicken tenders are golden brown. Rest each piece of chicken tender over the wire rack to prevent the chicken from becoming soggy at the bottom. Continue this process with the rest of the chicken strips until all of the chicken strips are fried.
7) Place the fried chicken tenders resting on top of the wire rack into the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes to further crisp up the chicken tenders. Once time is up, remove the chicken tenders from the oven and let the chicken tenders rest for 10 minutes before serving.
8) To make the sriracha ketchup dip, combine the ketchup and sriracha in a bowl. Stir to combine.
Takeaways: These chicken tenders are wonderful served on their own. For another spin on chicken tenders and possible dipping sauces, check out my Parmigiano crusted chicken tenders.