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Liven up chicken tenders with a little spice! These sumac chicken tenders are coated in a cashew almond crust and served with a delicious spicy ranch for a great snack, appetizer, or quick lunch!
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What makes this dish special
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. You can't go wrong with fried chicken strips with a delicious dipping sauce.
Today I'm elevating the simple dish to make it extra fancy by adding spice to both the chicken and the dip. These sumac chicken tenders with spicy ranch are what you should be eating all the time, especially when you want to satisfy your chicken tender craving. And if you're looking for another fun chicken appetizer, check out this Thai chicken karaage recipe, red pepper chicken wings, and pomegranate glazed popcorn chicken!
Ingredients
- Chicken tenders: The main protein in this dish, providing a tender and juicy base that is easy to cook and eat. Their mild flavor pairs well with the tangy sumac and the nutty, crunchy coating.
- Sumac: Sumac is a spice that adds a unique tangy and citrusy flavor to the chicken tenders. It enhances the overall taste by providing a slightly sour note that balances the richness of the nuts and the spiciness of the ranch dressing.
- Nuts: We're using cashews and almonds in the coating mixture to add a delightful crunch and a rich, buttery flavor.
- Panko: Panko breadcrumbs provide a light and airy crunch to the coating, ensuring the chicken tenders remain crispy. Panko's texture is coarser than regular breadcrumbs, which helps create a more pronounced crunch.
- Buttermilk: Adds a tangy flavor and creamy texture to the ranch.
- Hot sauce: Hot sauce adds a spicy kick to the ranch dressing, enhancing its flavor and making it more vibrant.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs like dill and parsley add a burst of freshness and color to the spicy ranch dressing.
Substitutions and variations
- Protein: You can prepare this dish with smaller chunks of chicken to make chicken nuggets or with chicken cutlets.
- Nuts: Feel free to use only cashews or only almonds. If you dislike both, you can also prepare this recipe with pecans.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free panko and gluten-free all-purpose flour for the breading.
- Non-spicy: Omit the hot sauce in the ranch.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make spicy ranch
I love a good homemade ranch and this spicy version is no exception. What's great about this dipping sauce is that it's easily customizable and can be prepared ahead of time.
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise with buttermilk, sour cream, fresh herbs, hot sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. If you prefer a thicker ranch, add more mayonnaise. If you want it spicier, add more hot sauce.
I used tapatio for the hot sauce but you can use tabasco or even Sriracha. Like I said, the sauce is easily customizable!
Set aside the sauce while you prepare the chicken.
Step 2: Prepare chicken
Now let's move on to the chicken. Season chicken tenders with sumac, salt, and pepper, You can add extra sumac if you want it to be more pronounced.
For the breading, we're going to take it up a notch and prepare a special coating using a blend of cashews, almonds, and panko.
Combine the nuts in a food processor and pulse until they become small crumbs. Make sure not to over-process them or they will turn into a paste - that's how you make nut butter from scratch!
Add panko and pulse the mixture a few more times to break up the panko into small pieces.
Step 3: Cook chicken
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.
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!).
Remove the chicken from the pan and serve them with the prepared dipping sauce.
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!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can prepare the chicken tenders ahead of time by coating them and then placing them on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before cooking.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat chicken tenders in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the air fryer until hot.
Frequently asked questions
If you don't have sumac, you can use a mixture of lemon zest and a pinch of salt or a bit of lemon pepper seasoning to mimic the tangy flavor of sumac.
If you don't have a food processor, you can place the nuts in a resealable plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin until they become small crumbs. Then, mix them with the panko in a bowl.
The chicken tenders are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C). You can use a meat thermometer to check this. The juices should run clear, and the meat should be white throughout with no pink remaining.
More chicken appetizer recipes
Looking for more quick chicken appetizers? Try these:
Recipe
Sumac Chicken Tenders with Spicy Ranch
Ingredients
Spicy ranch
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Sumac chicken tenders
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole unsalted raw cashews
- 1 cup whole unsalted raw almonds
- ½ cup panko
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Make the spicy ranch. Whisk together buttermilk with sour cream, mayonnaise, hot sauce, dill, parsley, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and onion powder. Set aside.
- Combine almonds and cashews in a food processor and pulse until nuts become small crumbs. Add panko and pulse until well combined. Place panko mixture in one bowl, flour in another bowl, and whisk 2 eggs in another bowl.
- Season chicken tenders with sumac, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the eggs and coat in the panko mixture.
- Heat oil in a large 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.
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