Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders

One-up your friends at the next get-together with these tasty Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders. Some may ask if you ordered these from a fancy restaurant (or KFC). But no, you didn't. You slaved over the these for a whopping 25 minutes and created an appetizer that was a hit. We won't tell anyone how easy it was. Go ahead and take a victory lap, master of the tenders.

THE INGREDIENTS

• 1 1⁄2 lbs chicken tenders
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 1⁄2 tbsp paprika, divided
• 1 1⁄2 tbsp cayenne, divided
• 3⁄4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp hot sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot)
• 1⁄4 cup pickle juice
• 1 egg
• 1 cup canola oil for frying
• 3 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper
• green onion, for garnish
• blue cheese or ranch, for dipping

THE STEPS

1. Remove the tendon from the tenders (you can use a fork to pull it out).
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp cayenne, and salt and pepper.
3. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce, pickle juice, and egg.
4. Dip the chicken in the dry batter first, then wet, then dry again, shaking off the excess between.
5. Add the cooking oil to your Stargazer 10.5-inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot.
6. Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken in batches of 4 to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Fry the chicken for about 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
7. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in 1⁄2 tbsp paprika, 1⁄2 tbsp cayenne and 1 tsp salt. Once combined, brush the sauce over your fried chicken tenders.
8. Garnish with green onion, serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Serves: 4-6