Name: Crack Chicken Tenders
Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into strips if you’re feeling industrious); 2 cups buttermilk (the secret to tender chicken, trust me); 1 tablespoon hot sauce (Frank’s, Tabasco, whatever you’ve got); 2 cups panko breadcrumbs (the REGULAR ones are fine, but get the panko if you can); 1/2 cup grated parmesan (the dry kind in the shaker works best here); 2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt – we’re controlling our sodium here, people); 2 teaspoons onion powder; 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (regular works too, but smoked gives that extra oomph); 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust if you’re a spice wimp); 1 tablespoon brown sugar (THE SECRET INGREDIENT); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; Cooking spray or 2 tablespoons melted butter; 1/2 cup mayo (full fat – we’re not here to count calories); 3 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (the grainy kind is best); 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce (sweet baby ray’s is my go-to); 1 teaspoon hot sauce; 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder if you’re lazy like me sometimes); Salt and pepper to taste

Description

Let me introduce you to the most addictive chicken tenders you’ll ever make. We call them “crack” chicken because, well, you literally cannot stop eating them. I made these for my brother’s football watch party last year and I swear grown men were fighting over the last piece. They’ve got this perfect blend of crunchy, spicy, and sweet with a secret sauce that’ll make you want to lick your fingers, the plate, and possibly your neighbor’s plate too (don’t do that last one). These aren’t your basic drive-thru tenders – these are the kind that’ll get you texts at midnight asking for the recipe.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken:

2 lbs chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into strips if you’re feeling industrious)
2 cups buttermilk (the secret to tender chicken, trust me)
1 tablespoon hot sauce (Frank’s, Tabasco, whatever you’ve got)
2 cups panko breadcrumbs (the REGULAR ones are fine, but get the panko if you can)
1/2 cup grated parmesan (the dry kind in the shaker works best here)
2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt – we’re controlling our sodium here, people)
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (regular works too, but smoked gives that extra oomph)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust if you’re a spice wimp)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (THE SECRET INGREDIENT)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray or 2 tablespoons melted butter

For the Crack Sauce:

1/2 cup mayo (full fat – we’re not here to count calories)
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (the grainy kind is best)
1 tablespoon BBQ sauce (sweet baby ray’s is my go-to)
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder if you’re lazy like me sometimes)
Salt and pepper to taste