KFC Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken Tenders
User Reviews
4.9
174 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
40 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
465 kcal
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Course
Dinner
KFC Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken Tenders
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Crunchy and perfectly seasoned, it really does taste like KFC! It is a mash up of my own recipe, the "11 Secret Herbs and Spices" from the Homemade KFC recipe by Every Nook & Cranny, and the coating recipe from this Best Baked "Fried" Chicken by Carlsbad Cravings.. Marinating makes the chicken extra juicy but if you don't have time to marinate, this is still worth making! (See Note 3) PS I know it looks like a lot of salt but it's not overly salty, it's KFC level salty. Reduce salt and/or celery salt if desired.
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Ingredients
KFC Spice Mix
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp celery salt (Note 1)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 2 tbsp paprika (not smoked, use sweet or plain)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or ground pure chili (optional - for KFC "Zinger" flavour!)
Chicken
- 1.2 - 1.4 lb / 600 - 700 g chicken tenderloin (10 - 12 pieces) (Note 2)
- 1 cup buttermilk OR 1/3 cup plain yoghurt + 2/3 cup milk (Note 3)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup cornmeal (Note 4)
- 2 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- Oil spray
Instructions
- Combine the Spice Mix in a bowl.
- Place 1 tbsp of Spice Mix in a ziplock bag with the chicken and buttermilk. Set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 but ideally overnight.
To Cook
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
- Place the butter and oil on a large rimmed baking tray. Place in the oven for a few minutes until the butter is just melted. Remove and tip the tray to spread the oil and butter all over.
- Combine the remaining Spice Mix, flour, panko and cornmeal in a bowl and mix. Place half in a large ziplock bag.
- Drain the chicken of excess marinade using a colander.
- Transfer half the chicken into the ziplock bag, seal in air so it is puffed like a balloon, then shake to coat the chicken in the seasoning. Press through the bag so the coating is firmly stuck onto the chicken. Place the chicken onto the baking tray.
- Place the remaining coating into the ziplock bag and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Spray the top with oil and place in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn, spray and bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Don't bake more than 25 minutes, otherwise the chicken will dry out!
- Serve with your favourite dipping sauce. I used Honey Mustard Sauce (Note 7).
Notes
- Celery salt is common in America but not so well known in Australia. But you can find it in the herb section of Coles and Woolworths! It is also easy to make your own - just bake celery leaves until just dried (not burnt), crumble and combine equal amounts of the celery leaf dust and salt in a jar.
- If you can't find celery salt, just substitute with 3/4 tbsp ordinary salt.
- You can substitute with chicken breast cut into chicken tenderloin size strips. It will also work with small boneless thigh fillets - around 100g/3.5 oz each - or any other cut of chicken that will cook in 20 to 25 minutes.
- If you don't have time to marinate, use 1 to 2 eggs instead (just enough to coat all the chicken). Add 1 tbsp of the Spice Mix, dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, then drain and follow the recipe directions.
- Cornmeal are small, fine yellow grains and is also known as yellow corn. It's also sold as "polenta" at supermarkets though that is not technically correct because polenta is actually a dish that cornmeal is used to make! The cornmeal adds extra crunch to the coating but if you can't find it, then it's ok to skip it, it's still quite crunchy.
- I find that using a bit of oil (instead of all butter) stops the butter from browning and burning which can sometimes happen, depending on the strength of your oven.
- This does not have the wrinkly, thick, craggy coating like deep fried KFC and southern fried chicken. To achieve that, you need to deep fry or bake in loads of oil! But the crust of this is pretty close! It's crunchy and really does taste just like KFC!
- Honey Mustard Dipping sauce - whisk together equal amounts of Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and honey, plus salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
229g
Calories
465cal
(23%)
Carbohydrates
25.4g
(8%)
Protein
53.4g
(107%)
Fat
16.5g
(25%)
Saturated Fat
4.2g
(21%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
12.3g
Cholesterol
145mg
(48%)
Sodium
563mg
(23%)
Fiber
2.7g
(11%)
Sugar
2.7g
(5%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 465 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 229g | |
| Calories | 465cal | 23% |
| Carbohydrates | 25.4g | 8% |
| Protein | 53.4g | 107% |
| Fat | 16.5g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 4.2g | 21% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 12.3g | 72% |
| Cholesterol | 145mg | 48% |
| Sodium | 563mg | 23% |
| Fiber | 2.7g | 11% |
| Sugar | 2.7g | 5% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
174 reviews
Excellent
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