Every once in a while I get the strongest craving for chicken tenders. Not fried chicken, not chicken wings, but chicken tenders. Perhaps it's because I rarely eat them but when I do, I cherish every bite. I mean you really can't go wrong with fried chicken strips served with a delicious dipping sauce. Today I'm elevating the simple dish to make it extra fancy by adding some spice to both the chicken and the dip. These sumac chicken tenders with spicy ranch are pretty much what you should be eating all the time, especially when you want your chicken fix.
Sumac Chicken Tenders with Spicy Ranch
Ingredients
Spicy ranch
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon chipotle tabasco
Sumac chicken tenders
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs whisked
- ½ cup ground cashews
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ½ cup panko
- 2 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Make the spicy ranch. Whisk together ¼ cup buttermilk with ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayo, 1 tablespoon dill, 1 tablespoon parsley, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoon chipotle tabasco. Set aside.
- Prepare your breading station. Add ½ cup flour into one bowl, 2 whisked eggs in another bowl, and ½ cup cashews, ½ cup almonds, and ½ cup panko in a third bowl. Season the chicken tenders with 1 teaspoon sumac, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the eggs and coat in the nut panko mixture.
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken tenders and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken over, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the chicken is done. Remove from heat and serve with spicy ranch.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
If you've checked out my other recipes, you may have noticed that I like to prepare foods with a somewhat healthier approach. Chicken tenders are no friend to your waistline, so in order to lighten them up just a tad, I pan-fried the chicken instead of deep-frying. You can always bake the chicken but I'm a little biased and think baked chicken is just not the same (ever tried baked chicken nuggets? Just doesn't compare!).
Set up your breading station with flour in one bowl, eggs in another, and the panko- nut mixture in another. Use one hand to coat the chicken in the flour and the other hand to dip them in the eggs. You want to use one hand for the dry ingredients and one for the wet so that you don't get clumpy messy hands.
Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the saute pan and cook the chicken over medium heat until golden brown. If the chicken is browning too quickly, lower the heat so that the inside can fully cook.
Now for the ranch. I love a good homemade ranch and this spicy version is no exception. Add more or less tabasco depending on your preference. This ranch is actually better the next day as the flavors sit and develop.
These sumac chicken tenders with spicy ranch are, without a doubt, a winner in my book. Now anytime I want chicken tenders, I have the recipe to show my husband so that he can whip us a batch!
For more chicken inspiration check out this Indian popcorn chicken recipe!
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