Teriyaki Fried Chicken Tenders
Crisp & sticky teriyaki fried chicken tenders! These are brined in buttermilk, deep fried then finished with teriyaki sauce, sesame & chilli.
Servings: 3 Portions
Equipment
- Deep Fat Fryer
- Digital Food Probe
- Mixing Bowls
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 400 g Chicken Fillets See Notes
Buttermilk Brine
- 300 g Buttermilk
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
Flour Dredge
- 170 g Plain Flour
- 30 g Cornflour
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
Teriyaki Sauce
- 150 g Water
- 80 g Light Brown Sugar
- 75 g Light Soy Sauce
- 30 g Mirin
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1" Piece Of Fresh Ginger
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
To Serve
- 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds See Notes
- 1 Red Chilli Thinly Sliced
Instructions
Buttermilk Brine
- Place the buttermilk, sesame oil, garlic powder, ginger & salt into a mixing bowl then whisk together.
- Add in the chicken fillets then mix well, to fully coat each piece.
- Cover with clingfilm then leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 12.If you've used a metal mixing bowl, transfer the chicken to a plastic container then refrigerate. This is to prevent the brine reacting with the metal.
Flour Dredge
- Place the flour, cornflour, garlic powder, paprika & salt into a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine then set aside.
Tereiyaki Sauce
- Add the water, sugar, soy sauce, mirin & honey into a medium saucepan then grate in the garlic & ginger. Set over a medium heat.
- Warm the sauce, stirring to dissolve the sugar then bring to a simmer.
- In a bowl, mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp of cold water then whisk into the sauce. Continue cooking the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until thick & cooked out then take off the heat & stir in the rice wine vinegar. If the sauce seems too thick, whisk in a splash of water.
- Set the sauce aside whilst you fry the chicken.
Frying The Chicken
- 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 more than 4 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 paper & leave to drain for a minute or so.
Glazing
- Transfer the cooked chicken tenders into a large mixing bowl then pour over two thirds of the teriyaki sauce.
- Toss to coat then top with the sesame seeds & sliced chilli. Serve immediately with the remaining sauce.
Notes
1. Chicken Fillets – You’ll need 400 grams of chicken fillets for this recipe. This equates to roughly 9 fillets. If you can’t get chicken fillets, cut chicken breasts into 2-3 cm wide strips.
2. Deep Fat Fryer – For the best results, a deep fat fryer should be used for cooking the chicken. 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 chicken fillets should be served as soon after cooking as possible. The teriyaki sauce can be made up to a week in advance & kept in the fridge. Reheat the sauce over a low heat before pouring over the chicken (this makes the sauce coat the chicken better).
4. Toasted Sesame Seeds - To toast the seeds, place them in a small frying pan then cook over a medium heat until golden. You can use either white or black sesame seeds or a mix of both.