Not your typical stuffed shells in Italy! It may easily be duplicated for a potluck supper and is a big hit with everyone.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 (8 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 ¼ cups sparkling apple cider
- 1 quart canola oil for frying
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 pinch white sugar, or to taste
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast into 6 finger-sized strips, and transfer into a mixing bowl.
- Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over top and shake the bowl to coat the strips. Toss until all the surfaces are completely coated, and then transfer onto a rack or plate. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes, or until ready to fry.
- Meanwhile, whisk self-rising flour and sparkling apple cider together in a mixing bowl to form a thin batter. Batter should be somewhere between a thin pancake batter and a crepe batter, but still thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Place in the refrigerator to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
- Mix Dijon mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar together for dipping sauce in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Dip each chicken finger into the batter to coat. Deep-fry in batches in the hot oil until golden brown, crispy, and no longer pink in the centers, 3 to 4 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with dipping sauce.
- If you want to use other herbs and spices rather than salt, pepper, and cayenne, go ahead.
- I used a hard apple cider, but a non-alcoholic cider can be used instead.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 387 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 65 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 917 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This beer batter recipe is absolutely the best. It’s thinner, crunchier and holds up longer. We use this recipe on fish and chicken fingers. It’s perfect.
These chicken fingers turn out incredibly moist and flavorful. I don’t like to get the deep fryer out unless I am really going for it and these did not disappoint. They were great on top of the salad (even though I secretly was wishing for ranch to dip them in). The husband had them with barbeque sauce and cheddar cheese on a bun. He was thrilled with the result and almost didn’t mind the smell of the fryer oil. I thought there would not be enough batter sticking to the tender but they came out with the perfect amount. I really think the hard apple cider added lightness and flavor so I suppose I will just have to hide one in the pantry. Thanks Chef John!
It’s always so gratifying when a recipe turns out so well. Because we are on a low sodium diet, I omitted the salt. I didn’t have any canola and used sunflower seed oil. I browned the fingers after coating them and finished them in my table top convection oven. The meat turned out so tender! I will definitely make this recipe again and can’t wait to experiment with onion rings and other veggies. A very solid 5-star.
What a great batter! Kids loved it, we all loved it …. Will be doing this again
This recipe and instruction is great! Helped me in my pursuit of mastering fried food. I used black cherry hard cider and turned out great
To answer the question about self rising flour, you can make your own by adding 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder to 1 cup of all purpose flour. I have used ginger ale as a beer substitute before, with favorable results. For recipes where you want a more neutral flavor, club soda is a good option.
Absolutely delicious fried chicken tenders! Recipe is spot on! No changes needed! Thanks for such a memorable dinner Chef John!