Fried Turkey Tenders With Cranberry Hot Honey
These festive turkey tenders are brined in buttermilk, deep fried until crispy then finished with a sweet & spicy, cranberry hot honey glaze.
Servings: 4 People
Equipment
- Deep Fat Fryer
- Digital Food Probe
- Mixing Bowl
- Small Saucepan
Ingredients
- 400 g Turkey Breast (Cut Into 1½ cm Thick Strips - See Notes)
Buttermilk Brine
- 300 g Buttermilk
- 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
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
Cranberry Hot Honey
- 100 g Honey
- 75 g Cranberry Sauce
- 30 g Unsalted Butter
- 25 g Sriracha
- A Pinch Of Salt (Or Used Salted Butter)
Instructions
Buttermilk Brine
- Add the buttermilk, paprika, onion granules, garlic granules & salt into a mixing bowl then whisk together.
- Add in the turkey strips then mix well, to coat completely.
- 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 & salt into a mixing bowl then whisk together. Set aside until you're ready to cook the tenders.
Cranberry Hot Honey
- Add the honey, cranberry sauce, butter, sriracha & salt into a small saucepan then set over a medium heat.
- Cook the glaze, stirring regularly until the butter has melted then bring to a simmer & cook for another 3-4 minutes, until thick.
- Take the glaze off the heat & set aside until needed.You can make the glaze just before cooking the tenders or make it in advance & reheat on the stove when needed.
Frying
- Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°c/356°f.
- Take 3-4 turkey tenders 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 turkey!
- Carefully place the dredged turkey into the hot oil & cook until golden, crispy & cooked through. This will take 4-5 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 turkey.You'll probably need to cook the turkey in batches, depending on the size of your fryer. Make sure not to overcrowd the fryer though. Keep the turkey warm in an oven between batches or serve straight away.
- Once cooked, transfer the fried turkey to a plate lined with kitchen roll/paper then season with sea salt.
Glazing
- Whilst your turkey is frying, place the pan of glaze over a low heat, to warm through.
- Next, place the turkey tenders into a large mixing bowl, pour over the warm glaze then gently toss the bowl, to coat the turkey. Serve immediately.
Notes
1. Turkey Breast - For this recipe, you'll need 400 grams of boneless & skinless turkey breast. To make this into tenders, we're cutting it into strips that are roughly 1½ cm thick & 3 cm wide. You should get around 12 strips.
You should be able to buy a 400 gram piece of turkey breast from your butchers or you could ask for turkey breast steaks & cut tenders from that.
2. Deep Fat Fryer - For the best results, a deep fat fryer should be used for cooking the turkey. If you haven’t got one, a pan of oil heated up on the stove will work, just make sure to do this carefully!
3. Storage - The deep fried turkey tenders should be served as soon after cooking as possible, whilst they're hot & crispy! The glaze can be made up to 3 days in advance & stored in the fridge then warmed back up on the stove before serving.