Buffalo-Style Chicken Tenders, Roasted
I’ve rarely cooked with
chicken tenders, but recently tried them for a lunch dish for several
grandkids. Drawing on what I knew of Buffalo Chicken Wings, I made the tenders
in more or less the same style, except that I seasoned the chicken pieces
before cooking and didn’t deep fry them.
I initially tried pan
frying the tenders, but it had to be done in two batches, and they stuck a
little to the pan, making the surfaces a rough. Roasting them on a flat baking
sheet in the oven is easier and makes more even-looking pieces, and they’re all
cooked at the same time. However it means heating up the oven. Either way, the
taste works well, and the kids loved them.
Frank’s RedHot cayenne
pepper sauce is, reputedly, the particular sauce used on the original Buffalo
Chicken Wings, and I like it. But Crystal or Louisiana brand hot sauce or Texas
Pete hot sauce (made in North Carolina!) will work. There is always some butter
in the sauce as it goes on the chicken.
Buffalo chicken is
usually served with celery sticks, and a salad dressing to use as a dip. The
dressing originally was chunky bleu cheese dressing, which was a typical salad
dressing in the 1960s, when Buffalo Wings were created. But now it’s more likely
to be Ranch, which is now the most popular.
The recipe serves six
as a substantial snack. (Leftovers, cut up, make a nice addition to a mixed
salad.)
1 1/2 pounds chicken
tenders
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
T/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon celery
salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic
salt
1/4 teaspoon black
pepper
2 teaspoons sunflower
or canola oil
1/4 teaspoon vinegar
2 tablespoons Frank’s
“RedHot” or other American hot sauce
1 teaspoon butter
With a sharp knife,
remove the tough tendon off each tender, by grasping it and sliding a sharp
knife under it, so as to remove as little of the meat as possible. If one or
more tenders are much larger than the others, cut them in half lengthwise on an
angle so the pieces look more like the others.
In a bowl, mix the
chicken well with the dry seasonings and cornstarch. Then mix in the oil and
vinegar. Allow chicken an hour or more to season, mixing it occasionally,
before cooking.
Heat the oven to 375
degrees. Smear some oil on a flat baking sheet, and lay out the chicken pieces
so they are not touching.
Bake on the top shelf
of the oven for 8 minutes. Turn the pieces over with a spatula, and bake for 5
minutes more. Test for doneness by cutting part off one piece. The raw pink
interior color should be gone. If not yet cooked, bake for another two minutes,
Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a clean, wide mixing bowl.
Put the hot sauce and
butter in a microwaveable cup and microwave for 30 seconds or until the butter
is melted, Stir this sauce into the roasted chicken tenders to coat them well.
Transfer chicken to a platter to serve.
If desired, accompany
with celery sticks, and bleu cheese or Ranch dressing as a dip.
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