Make the perfect duo for dinner with our homemade chicken tenders and fries recipe. Both can be pan fried Beer Batter Fries with strips, air fried or baked in the oven. Get our a few boneless skinless breasts and potatoes so we can get started step by step.
Chicken Tenders and Fries Air Fryer
Frozen Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer
and Frozen French Fries Air Fryer
Pan Fried Chicken Strips and Fries
Can You Cook Chicken Tenders and Fries Together?
Can you use the same oil to fry chicken and fries?
How to Fry Chicken Tenders and if you want to make skillet fries right after you could.
Chicken Strips and Fries Recipe
We have explained here with step by step photos How to Make Chicken Tenders. I would highly recommend that you bread them in at least egg and crumbs. If you wanted to skip the flour the outside would not be as thick. If you want more of a Kentucky Fried Chicken outcome you need it thicker and could even do a double breading if you wanted it to really be caked on.
Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into tender size strips, or you can buy them already this size at the store. I mean you could even use thighs but those are thinner and harder to get into strips.
- All purpose flour will coat the outside initially to create a crispy crunchy coating on the outside like KFC a bit. You could use a gluten-free variety with 1:1 ratio if need be.
- Garlic salt and pepper will be used for seasonings but you can use whatever you’d like. I often times will use Old Bay even, or red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
- Egg wash will allow the crumbs to stick and create a coating that will fry up to crispy. Other options are to brush mayonnaise or Greek yogurt if you need an alternative.
- Italian breadcrumbs are traditionally used for the outsides but you could use crushed crackers, croutons or even rice cakes too
- Vegetable oil for frying is ideal.
Step 1: Start to heat your oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat about halfway full.
Step 2: Cut breasts into tender size strips. Blot dry with a paper towel. Mix seasonings with flour on a plate. Whisk egg in another shallow dish and breadcrumbs in a 3rd.
Step 3: One at a time bread chicken by dipping into flour, then egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. Set on a plate or sheet pan until they are all done. You should never fry foods until the olive oil or vegetable base is hot enough or the outsides will get soft and meat will absorb it.
Step 4: How Hot Should Oil be for Fried Chicken? Oil should reach 360 degrees F consistently place each one into pan without overlapping. Fry 4 minutes or so and then carefully flip to the other side for 4-5 minutes until thickest part is 165 F., outsides are golden brown and juices run clear. Cover with paper towels to keep warm if cooking fries next.
Step 5: If you want to pan fry fries, lay on paper towels and press to absorb water from outsides of cut and soaked potatoes. Drop into hot oil, not overlapping and fry for about 5 minutes until crispy. Remove and lay on paper towels, season with salt immediately.
Is there a healthy way to make chicken strips and fries?
I mean you could Boil Chicken Tenders without the breading at all, and just toss with sauce instead. If you bake the potato strips that is healthier than frying in oil obviously so that route will still do the trick and get you the same taste but in a lighter way.
Can you use something other than breadcrumbs to make chicken tenders?
Yes!! There are a number of ways to coat and bread meat to fry or bake like Cheese It Chicken Tenders are probably favorites amongst kids for sure. Any crackers will work though just smash them so it is sand-like so it sticks well on the outsides and doesn’t fall off.
What are the best dipping sauces to serve with chicken?
You can go with the regulars like ketchup or ranch but there are so many other options. Really any salad dressings can be used to mix things up. With crispy chicken pieces like this I will make Spicy Chicken Nugget Dipping Sauce.
What to make with leftover tenders?
If you have leftovers you can dice the meat up next day and throw into Easy Crockpot Chicken Casserole. You can use just like regular pieces of chicken diced up smaller and tossed with pasta with a creamy sauce. Nobody will know it was originally strips.
Chicken Tenders and Fries Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pan for frying
- 1 sheet pan if you want to bake fries
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless skinless cut into tender size strips
- 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
- 3/4-1 c Italian breadcrumbs
- oil, for frying
Instructions
- Baked Chicken Strips and Fries – For baked our Oven Baked Chicken Tenders are great, you can cook French Fries Recipe in Oven at the same time too.
- Pan Fried Chicken Tenders and Fries – Start to heat your oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat about halfway full.
- Cut breasts into tender size strips. Blot dry with a paper towel. Mix seasonings with flour on a plate. Whisk egg in another shallow dish and breadcrumbs in a 3rd. One at a time dip into flour, then egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. Set on a plate until they are all done.
- Once oil reaches 360 degrees F consistently place each one into pan without overlapping. Fry 4 minutes or so and then carefully flip to the other side for 4-5 minutes until thickest part is 165 F. and juices run clear.
- If you want to pan fry fries, lay on paper towels and press to absorb water from outsides. Drop into hot oil, not overlapping and fry for about 5 minutes until crispy. Remove and lay on paper towels, season with salt immediately.
- Set on paper towels to absorb excess oil and serve together.
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders and Fries – Preheat to 350F for 5 minutes while you bread your strips. Lay in one layer and spray tops with olive oil. Cook for 14 minutes flipping halfway thru or until 165F in thickest part. If cooking fries this way increase temp to 390F and follow Ninja Foodi French Fries
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These tenders and fries were the perfect hit at our daughter’s birthday gathering! The kids kept coming back for seconds!
These turned out so well! The chicken tenders were crispy on the outside, and perfectly cooked on the inside, and tasted so much better than takeout!
The chicken was juicy and crisp and the fries were perfect. Very easy to follow steps and I can’t wait to make this again.
I love this recipe so much, it’s a great dinner for weeknights when I want something filling and satisfying that won’t take too long to make! And it’s even better than fast food. Thanks for sharing!