Probably the Best Chicken Tenders in the World

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken thighs (Trimmed as needed; score both sides of each thigh to create an irregular surface.)
• Water (For the marinade.)
• Salt (For the marinade; additional salt is also mentioned for the dredge and to finish, with no amounts stated.)
• Sriracha (For the marinade and hot honey; use a good amount in the marinade. The creator mentions their own brand or another sriracha.)
• Honey (Good-quality honey for hot honey; a small additional amount is used in the ranch.)
• Rice vinegar (For the hot honey.)
• Chili flakes (For the hot honey; leave whole to infuse and add a little crunch.)
• Sichuan peppercorns (For the hot honey; leave whole.)
• Fennel seeds (For the hot honey.)
• MSG (For the hot honey and dry dredge; a small amount is used in each.)
• 2 Garlic (Fairly small cloves, finely grated into the hot honey.)
• Potato starch (One part by volume in the dry dredge, to two parts all-purpose flour.)
• All-purpose flour (Two parts by volume in the dry dredge, to one part potato starch.)
• White pepper (For the dry dredge.)
• Baking powder (For the dry dredge.)
• Cayenne pepper (A little, for the dry dredge; avoid using too much because the spices can burn during frying.)
• Garlic powder (For the dry dredge.)
• Black pepper (For the dry dredge and liberally in the ranch.)
• Buttermilk (For the wet dredge and ranch.)
• Corn flour (For the wet dredge; described as helping the coating adhere.)
• Rapeseed oil (For deep-frying; heat to 185–190°C. The source says this is the oil they use.)
• Blue cheese (Use large lumps; flake or break them up for the ranch.)
• Japanese mayonnaise (For the ranch.)
• Lemon juice (For the ranch.)
• Onion powder (For the ranch.)
• White wine vinegar (For the ranch; vinegar is named, not wine as a drink.)
• Chives (Finely diced, for the ranch.)
• Flaky salt (For finishing the fried chicken.)

Steps

1. 1

   Score both sides of the chicken thighs with a knife, making shallow cuts that leave small irregular pieces of meat and create a rough surface for the coating to cling to.

2. 2

   Mix water, salt, and sriracha to make the marinade. Add the chicken thighs and ensure they are immersed or well coated. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

3. 3

   After marinating, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. The source notes that the meat should feel firmer and the marinade may have thickened.

4. 4

   Make the hot honey: combine honey, rice vinegar, sriracha, whole chili flakes, whole Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, salt, and MSG in a saucepan. Heat gently without reducing it much.

5. 5

   Microplane two fairly small garlic cloves into the hot honey. Keep it at a very gentle simmer for 2–3 minutes, just until the raw garlic taste cooks out. Remove from the heat, refrigerate, and allow the spices to infuse as it chills.

6. 6

   Make the dry dredge by whisking together potato starch and all-purpose flour in a 1:2 ratio. Add white pepper, salt, baking powder, cayenne, MSG, garlic powder, and black pepper, then whisk until evenly combined.

7. 7

   While preparing the coating, begin heating the rapeseed oil for frying; bring it to 185–190°C before the chicken goes in.

8. 8

   Work in batches of about five or six chicken pieces. Take a handful of the dry dredge and toss it over the chicken, mixing firmly so the dredge combines with the moisture and forms a rough, clumpy first layer. Set each batch aside and repeat.

9. 9

   Mix buttermilk and corn flour to make the wet dredge. The source does not specify proportions.

10. 10

    Dip each chicken piece in the buttermilk-and-corn-flour mixture, coating it fully. Let excess drip away, then return it to the dry dredge and turn it until coated.

11. 11

    Dip the piece in the wet dredge again, then return it to the dry dredge. For the first piece, turn it about 60 times in the dry dredge to build the craggy coating; the source says subsequent pieces need fewer turns. Keep pieces separate so they do not touch. Roll gently at the end to preserve the formed crags while ensuring an even coating.

12. 12

    Lift each piece from the dredge and tap off excess coating, turning it so the irregular crags are exposed. Fry promptly rather than letting the coated chicken sit.

13. 13

    Fry in uncrowded batches without touching the chicken at first, allowing the crust to set. Once the initial steam has escaped and the coating has formed, turn the pieces as needed. Fry for about 4½ minutes, until golden all over and fully cooked; probe the thickest part to check the temperature. The spoken transcript's temperature reading is garbled, so use a reliable poultry-safe internal temperature rather than that unclear number.

14. 14

    Transfer the fried chicken to drain. While it drains, make the blue-cheese ranch: flake up the blue cheese, then add buttermilk, Japanese mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion powder, white wine vinegar, a touch of honey, and plenty of black pepper. Break up the cheese with a sharp spoon, then stir in finely diced chives.

15. 15

    Put the blue-cheese ranch into a small dipping cup.

16. 16

    Dip the chicken while it is still warm into the hot honey and let excess honey drain away. The source says the very crisp coating should remain crisp for several minutes after dipping.

17. 17

    Arrange the chicken on a serving plate and sprinkle flaky salt over it. Serve with the blue-cheese ranch on the side.

Notes

The creator links a complete written recipe in a comment, but its contents are not provided here. The supplied transcript contains no ingredient quantities except two small garlic cloves, a 1:2 potato-starch-to-flour ratio, about 60 turns for the initial coating, 24 hours of marinating, 2–3 minutes of gentle simmering, 185–190°C frying oil, and about 4½ minutes of frying. The transcript's internal-temperature audio is unclear; verify chicken is safely cooked. The exact quantity of chicken, seasonings, hot-honey ingredients, wet dredge, and dipping-sauce ingredients is unavailable.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• fried
• crispy
• chicken
• hot honey
• blue cheese ranch
• high-protein