Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (2024)

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Now you can make Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders at home. This easy copycat recipe is a crowd pleaser and perfect for dipping into your favorite sauce.

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (1)

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe:

The Chicken Tenders at Chick-Fil-A is one my favorite items at get at this popular fast food restaurant. This copycat recipe gives the same flavorful and juicy chicken that we love.

We prepare the chicken by seasoning it with easy ingredients. The chicken is then dipped in flour and egg to give a breading coating to fry in a skillet.

Making this copycat recipe saves me time and money and my kids love that I can make their favorite chicken at home.

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (2)

Ingredients:

  • Boneless Chicken Chicken Tenders
  • Dill Pickle Juice
  • Egg
  • Milk
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Paprika
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Pepper
  • Salt
  • Peanut Oil or Canola Oil for Frying

How to Make Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Strips:

  • Marinate Chicken in Pickle Juice – Combine the chicken and pickle juice in a medium size bowl. Cover and refrigerate to marinate the chicken in the pickle juice for 30 minutes to 60 minutes (or overnight).
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (3)
  • Drain Pickle Juice – Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and drain off the pickle juice.
  • Whisk Milk and Egg together – In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Then pour this mixture over the chicken.
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (4)
  • Add seasoning to zip lock bag – Then in a large ziplock bag, add the flour, sugar, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake to combine all the ingredients. For added flavor, you can add a teaspoon of onion powder or garlic powder.
  • Add Chicken to Bag – Drain the excess milk mixture off the chicken and place the chicken in the ziplock bag with the flour mixture.
  • Seal and Shake Bag – Seal the bag and then shake to thoroughly coat the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (5)
  • Heat Oil – Then heat the peanut oil or canola oil in a large pan over medium heat or in a fryer.
  • Cook Chicken – Working in batches, add the chicken to the hot oil and cook until the chicken is golden brown and crispy (approximately 3-5 minutes).
  • Place Chicken on Plate – Once cooked, move the chicken to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
  • Serve and Enjoy – Serve immediately while warm with your favorite dipping sauces!
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How to Fry Chick-Fil-A Tenders:

Peanut oil or Canola oil is best for frying chicken tenders. You need a cast iron skillet or fryer.

Once you heat the oil to medium heat, the tenders go in and take just 3 to 5 minutes to cook.

Another way to cook these chicken tenders, is to air fryer them. It easy to do and less clean up.

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (7)

What to Serve with Chicken Tenders:

  • Chick-Fil-A Polynesian Sauce Recipe
  • Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sauce Recipe
  • Chick-Fil-A Fruit Cup
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (8)

How to know when Chicken Tenders are done:

When making these chick-n-strips it is important to use a meat thermometer. This ensures that your chicken is done. Insert the thermometer in the chicken and it should have a reading of 165 degrees when chicken is done.

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Chicken Tender Tips:

  • Pickle Juice – Don’t skip the step soaking the chicken in the pickle juice. It gives the sandwich a lot of flavor. It also helps to make the chicken very tender and moist.
  • Fry Chicken – Once the chicken has been breaded, go ahead and fry it. If you wait, the chicken will be soggy and not the right texture.
  • Serve Immediately – The chicken is best served right away while hot. It will taste the most authentic and be the most crispy.

What is the Best Chicken to Use:

We used chicken tenders for this recipe but you can also use chicken breasts and slice it into strips as well.

How to Store Leftovers:

Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Print Recipe here for Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders:

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (11)

Review

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Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders

4.99 from 223 votes

Now you can make Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders at home. This copycat recipe is a crowd pleaser and perfect for dipping into your favorite sauce.

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 4

Cuisine American

Course Main Course

Calories 574

Author Carrie Barnard

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the chicken and pickle juice in a medium size bowl. Cover and refrigerate to marinate the chicken in the pickle juice for 30-60 minutes (or overnight).

  • Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and drain off the pickle juice.

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Then pour this mixture over the chicken.

  • Then in a large ziplock bag, add the flour, sugar, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake to combine all the ingredients.

  • Drain the excess milk mixture off the chicken and place the chicken in the ziplock bag with the flour mixture. Seal the bag and then shake to thoroughly coat the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.

  • Then heat the peanut oil or canola oil in a large pan over medium heat or in a fryer.

  • Working in batches, add the chicken to the hot oil and cook until the chicken is golden brown and crispy (approximately 3-5 minutes). Once cooked, move the chicken to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

  • Serve immediately while warm with your favorite dipping sauces!

Recipe Notes

Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

We used chicken tenders for this recipe but you can also use chicken breasts and slice it into strips as well.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 574kcal, Carbohydrates 34g, Protein 55g, Fat 23g, Saturated Fat 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat 6g, Monounsaturated Fat 9g, Trans Fat 1g, Cholesterol 193mg, Sodium 1772mg, Potassium 1018mg, Fiber 1g, Sugar 5g, Vitamin A 891IU, Vitamin C 3mg, Calcium 102mg, Iron 3mg

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More Copycat Chick-Fil-A Recipes:

  • Chick-Fil-A Spicy Nuggets
  • Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit
  • Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad Recipe
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (12)

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About the Author

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (17)

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

About Carrie Page
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How does Chick-fil-A get their chicken so tender? ›

A juicy Chick-fil-A sandwich is all about the brine

Many speculators have theorized that a pickle juice brine is to thank for the sandwich's unforgettable tenderness.

What are the ingredients in Chick-fil-A chicken strips? ›

Made from the most tender part of the chicken breast, our Spicy Chick-n-Strips™ are seasoned with a spicy blend of peppers, hand-breaded and cooked to perfection in 100% refined peanut oil. They are mouthwatering and generously portioned.

What is Chick-fil-A breading made of? ›

After we brined the chicken in milk, egg, and pickle juice, we set about making the flour mixture used to dredge the chicken. We knew from Chick-fil-A's ingredients list that the mixture contained flour, salt, sugar, MSG, nonfat milk powder, baking powder, and paprika.

What are the ingredients in Chick-fil-A chicken? ›

Ingredients: 100% natural whole breast filet, seasoning (salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika), seasoned coater (enriched bleached flour, [malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, nonfat milk, leavening [baking soda, sodium ...

What is the secret ingredient in Chick-fil-A chicken? ›

One Reddit user, who claims to be a former Chick-fil-A manager, says the chicken is marinated in pickle juice and then quickly dipped in buttermilk before breading. If that's the case, it would certainly make sense because Chick-fil-A's chicken does have a slightly tangy, vinegary flavor to it.

What does Chick-fil-A soak their chicken in? ›

Each ingredient is chosen for its unique contribution to the overall taste profile of the chicken. The primary ingredients used in Chick Fil A's chicken marination include a combination of salt, sugar, and a host of spices. These spices include garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper.

Are Chick-fil-A strips marinated? ›

"Made from the most tender part of the chicken breast, Chick-n-Strips™ are marinated in special seasonings, hand-breaded and pressure cooked to perfection in 100% refined peanut oil. They are mouth watering and generously portioned.

What oil does Chick-fil-A use? ›

Ever since our founder Truett Cathy created the Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich, we've been cooking our hand-breaded chicken exclusively in fully refined, heat-processed peanut oil.

How are Chick-fil-A strips cooked? ›

Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips™

Boneless chicken tenders seasoned to perfection, freshly breaded and pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil.

Does Chick-fil-A use pickle juice in their batter? ›

There are two crucial ingredients chick-fil-a uses that most recipes dont have- pickle juice and sugar. They also use MSG- but its also ok without it if you dont like it. Just cut up the breasts into chunks and follow recipe for nuggets.

Is Chick-fil-A chicken deep fried or baked? ›

A boneless breast of chicken seasoned to perfection, hand-breaded, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil. Nutrition information is calculated using standard product formulations and incorporates multiple data sources.

Is Chick-fil-A chicken real or processed? ›

Because chicken is at the center of our menu, we serve only real breast meat with no fillers, artificial preservatives, or steroids. Like other chicken in the United States, ours contains no added hormones. We source our chicken from farms in the U.S. in accordance with our Animal Wellbeing Standards.

How is Chick-fil-A chicken so moist? ›

So, the Chick-fil-A engineering team invented it. The patented high-tech grill cooks the chicken quickly and keeps it moist by locking in flavour. How? With a hydraulic system to lift the lid and lower it – but gently so it doesn't put too much pressure on the chicken and lose its juices.

Does Chick-fil-A pressure cook their chicken? ›

Made with quality ingredients

A boneless breast of chicken seasoned to perfection, freshly breaded, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil and served on a toasted, buttery bun with dill pickle chips.

What does soaking chicken in pickle juice do? ›

Marinating your chicken in pickle juice is the same as creating a brine for it. The pickle juice helps keep moisture in so it's super tender when cooked and doesn't dry out. It also adds flavor to your meat.

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