Honey Sesame Fried Chicken Tenders
Super crispy honey sesame fried chicken tenders! These are brined in buttermilk, deep fried then glazed with honey, sesame, sriracha & lime.
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Honey Sesame Fried Chicken Tenders
For this recipe, we’re taking a batch of classic chicken tenders & cooking them fried chicken style! This includes brining them in buttermilk, dredging in flour then deep frying.
These fried chicken tenders are incredibly crispy, the meat is perfectly cooked and to make them even better, we’re finishing them with a honey & sesame glaze! They’re crispy, sticky & full of flavour. What’s not to like?
If you’re looking for a side to serve with these chicken tenders, take a look at our collection of side dish recipes. Personally, I’d go for some Asian slaw & batch of triple cooked chips!
What You’ll Need
- Chicken Fillets – Also called tenderloins. These come off the breast & can be found in most supermarkets & butchers. If you can’t get any, you can cut chicken breasts into 2-3 cm wide strips.
- Buttermilk Brine – Using a buttermilk brine makes the best fried chicken! There’s not really a substitute for buttermilk in this recipe but it is available in most supermarkets. We’re flavouring ours with smoked paprika, sesame oil, garlic & onion granules and salt.
- Flour Dredge – Before frying, the chicken is coated in a flour dredge. This consists of plain flour, cornflour, smoked paprika, dried oregano & salt and pepper.
- Honey Sesame Glaze – Our glaze is made with toasted sesame seeds, butter, runny honey, sriracha & lime juice. This is made on the stove & comes together in a matter of minutes!
Recipe Breakdown
The full, printable recipe card for these chicken tenders can be found at the bottom of this post!
- Brining The Chicken Fillets – Here, we make a brine with buttermilk, sesame oil, paprika, onion & garlic granules & salt then add in the chicken. This is left in the fridge, to marinate for at least 4 hours.
- Flour Dredge – A super quick & easy dredge consisting of plain flour, cornflour, paprika & dried oregano. These are all simply whisked together.
- Honey Sesame Glaze – To make our glaze, we first toast sesame seeds in a saucepan then add in butter, honey, sriracha & the juice of 1 lime. We cook the glaze until it has thickened slightly, which will take a minute or two. This is then set aside & reheated later on.
- Frying The Chicken Tenders – To cook the tenders, we first remove them from the buttermilk then toss in the flour dredge, to coat completely. Next, we fry the chicken in a deep fat fryer, until it is golden brown, crispy & the internal temperature is at least 75°c/167°f (a digital food probe comes in handy here!). This will take roughly 5 minutes. Once cooked, the chicken is drained on kitchen paper & seasoned with sea salt.
- Glazing The Fried Chicken – Before glazing, we need to reheat the glaze over a low heat. We then place the fried chicken into a large mixing bowl, pour the warm glaze all over & toss gently, to coat. The chicken is now ready & can be transferred to plates & served!
What To Serve With Fried Chicken Tenders
You can serve these fried chicken tenders with pretty much anything you like! Although they would go especially well with our Asian slaw & triple cooked chips (or our duck fat oven chips!).
If you’re a fan of a fried chicken sandwich, we recently released a fried chicken katsu sandwich recipe, which can be found here. This one features a buttermilk fried chicken thigh, tonkatsu sauce, slaw & Kewpie mayo, all served in a homemade bun. It’s a belter!
Fried Chicken Tips & Tricks
- Brine your chicken in buttermilk overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
- Use a deep fat fryer to fry the chicken until it’s golden brown & super crispy.
- For perfectly cooked chicken, check the internal temperature with a digital food probe.
- Drain the fried chicken on a piece of kitchen roll to stop it going soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, you’ll need to use chicken fillets/tenderloins, that come from the breast. If you can’t get these, you can slice chicken breasts into 3-4cm wide strips.
For this type of fried chicken, yes you will need to use buttermilk. This is available in almost every supermarket.
Ideally the chicken should be brined overnight (around 12 hours). A short, 4 hour brine will work & you can also brine for up to 24 hours.
For the best fried chicken, you will need a deep fat fryer. You could also use a pan of oil, heated up to 180°c/356°f on the stove. Make sure to do this really carefully though!
Once cooked, the chicken tenders will be golden brown & crispy. I’d also recommend taking the internal temperature with a digital food probe. It should be at least 75°c/167°f.
Equipment Used
Please note that these are affiliate links & I may make a small commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you. For more information, click here.
More Recipes To Try!
- Asian Slaw With Sesame & Lime Dressing
- Fried Chicken Katsu Sandwich
- Beer Battered Fish Sandwich
- Deep Fried Camembert
- Deep Fried Brie Bites
- Duck Fat Oven Chips
- Smoked Pork Belly
- Shepherd’s Pie With Cheesy Garlic Mash
If you have enjoyed this honey sesame fried chicken tender recipe, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating!
Honey Sesame Fried Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Deep Fat Fryer
- Digital Food Probe
- Small Saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 400 g Chicken Fillets See Notes
Buttermilk Brine
- 285 ml Buttermilk
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Garlic Granules
- ½ tsp Onion Granules
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
Flour Dredge
- 170 g Plain Flour
- 30 g Cornflour
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
Honey Sesame Glaze
- 2 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 40 g Butter
- 2 tbsp Runny Honey
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
- 1 Lime, Juiced
To Serve
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
Buttermilk Brine
- Place all of the brine ingredients into a mixing bowl & whisk together.
- Add in the chicken fillets then mix well, to fully coat each piece.
- Cover & refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 24 hours. I find that 12 hours works best!
Flour Dredge
- Place the flour, cornflour, paprika & oregano into a mixing bowl. Season with salt & pepper then whisk together. Set aside until ready to use.
Honey Sesame Glaze
- Add the sesame seeds into a small saucepan then place over a medium heat.
- Toast the seeds, stirring regularly, until they are golden brown then add in the butter.
- Once melted, stir in the honey, sriracha & lime juice then cook the glaze until it has thickened slightly. This will take a couple of minutes.If your glaze thickens too much, thin it out with a splash of water.
- Take the glaze off the heat & set aside until needed.
Cooking
- Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°c/356°f.
- Take 3-4 chicken fillets out of the buttermilk then toss in the flour dredge, making sure that they are fully coated. Don't worry about letting the buttermilk drain off the chicken!
- Carefully place the dredged chicken into the hot oil & cook until golden, crispy & cooked through. This will take around 5 minutes. If you take the internal temperature with a digital food probe, it should be above 75°c/167°f.Repeat the dredging & frying process with the remaining chicken fillets.Depending on the size of your fryer, you might be able to cook several chicken tenders at a time. Make sure not to overcrowd the fryer though! Keep the chicken warm in an oven between batches or serve straight away.
- Once cooked, transfer the fried chicken to a plate lined with kitchen roll/paper then season with sea salt.
Glazing
- Whilst your chicken is frying, place the pan of glaze over a low heat, to warm through.
- To glaze, place the fried chicken tenders into a large mixing bowl then pour the glaze all over.
- Gently toss the bowl, to coat the chicken in glaze then transfer to plates & serve immediately with a wedge of lime.
