Homemade Beer Battered Chicken Tenders

Fried beer battered chicken tenders for dinner is a cheap family friendly meal we love. Dipped into a light 3 ingredient tempura batter with lager and served with dips for dunking, kids will love this finger food.

How to Make Chicken Tenders with Beer Batter

This is a popular batter used in cooking to create a crispy and flavorful coating for various fried foods, such as fish, seafood, like our Beer Battered Shrimp, vegetables, tenderloins and even desserts like fried ice cream. The addition of beer not only contributes to the crispy texture but also gives them a unique flavor. Just dip and fry!

You can serve these with Beer Batter Fries to make a full meal your kiddos will love. Skip the baking sheet and oven heating up your entire house. Instead, cook them on the stove at home and enjoy with a bunch of different dipping sauces for dinner.

How to Make Beer Battered Chicken Nuggets

Yes you can of course cut the strips or breasts into smaller chunks like we did with our Tempura Chicken Nuggets. The smaller the pieces are the faster they will cook so you will need to watch them closely so they don’t get too browned and dry out.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken tenders
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• Baking powder
• Salt and black pepper if you like
• 1/3 tsp Italian seasoning and coriander
• Garlic powder
• 1/3 c beer
• Oil for frying, canola is best
• Cast iron pan with high sides or Dutch Oven works well

Let’s talk about getting the ideal end result and texture for a moment shall we? How Hot Should Oil be for Fried Chicken? You want the hot oil to reach an ideal temperature of 350 – 370 degrees F. Canola oil is best. Having a thermometer is handy to ensure it it hot enough before adding any of your pieces.

Want this to be a bit spicy? NO problem, just whisk in some cayenne pepper or Sriracha for an added wow to this dish. You can adjust the heat to your liking this way, or sprinkle it on when done with some salt and pepper to spice things up a bit for you and your guests. We do this with our sauce for Oven Baked Chicken Tenders No Breading too.

How to Batter Chicken Tenders

As opposed to How to Make Chicken Tenders with bread crumbs, this one is wet so you will need to make sure your oil is heated to 155-160 degrees F and ready to go so you can submerge right away.

• Mix half the flour and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, egg, coriander, dried herbs, granulated garlic, baking powder, and beer. Beat until combined.
• Add oil into pot and heat over medium high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.
• Dredge chicken tenders in flour and salt mix.
• Dip chicken tenders into large bowl filled with the batter until completely coated, lift up and allow excess to fall off.
• Transfer the battered tenders to the hot oil or deep fryer.
• Cook for about 6-7 minutes, turning to ensure even cooking to a golden brown. Internal temperature should reach 165 F inside thickest part of sliced chicken breasts.
• Transfer the chicken to paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve with French fries and enjoy your crispy chicken strips together with some honey mustard sauce.

Of course ketchup can be paired with these too, but that is kinda’ boring. I personally love tartar for dunking these and our Fried Beer Battered Halibut if I am going all the way with the YUM. You can cook these in batches until you have enough to feed everyone. If you are making a larger batch I would recommend setting your oven to warm.

Side dish with beer

If you wanted to make a side with these, with the same beer I would suggest making our 3 Ingredient Beer Bread. Once it is baking you can heat the oil so it is hot enough to submerge once ready. You do not want to add it until it sizzles immediately or your food will absorb too much oil and it won’t get crispy.

How to reheat leftovers

Set paper towels on a baking sheet and set them inside until they are all ready and you are ready to serve your crowd. That way they will all stay hot and everyone can eat at the same time together during a party. If you have leftovers save in a freezer bag in the fridge and Reheating Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer is the best way.

Other Fried Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

We will share below how to deep fry chicken wings, boneless breasts or even legs this way. Larger pieces of course will take longer, and bone-in takes more time as well. A great way to switch things up a bit though with flavor and a crunchy texture for any cut.

I’m telling you, once you make these you will want to make other versions, and there are a ton of them. If you use just a bit of oil in a pan you can coat with crushed cereal, or make Cheese It Chicken Tenders which are cheesy and delish.

Air Fryer Beer Battered Fish is another option with poultry or seafood, but healthier, though we make that dip a lot thicker so it doesn’t slide off. A healthier option of course but the texture is different. You will get a crisp but not as intense as fried in vegetable oil.