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Hot ‘N Sweet Chicken Tenders

Lee - Smoke & Sear
Servings: 2 Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins Difficulty: Intermediate
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Deep-Fried BBQ Chicken Tenders with a Kick
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Hey there, BBQ enthusiasts! Today, I’m sharing one of my all-time favourites – Hot ‘N Sweet Chicken Tenders. These bad boys are marinated in a spicy blend and then deep-fried to golden perfection. While I love frying them on the BBQ for that extra smoky flavour, you can easily use an electric fryer for a safer option. Dive into this recipe and get ready for some finger-licking goodness!

Hot ‘N Sweet Chicken Tenders

Prep Time 4 hrs Cook Time 30 mins Total Time 4 hrs 30 mins
Chicken
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Author: Lee - Smoke & Sear Cooking Method: Cuisine: Courses: , , Recipe Keys: Hot 'n Spicy Hot 'n Spicy Smoke & Sear Fav. Smoke & Sear Fav.
Difficulty: Intermediate Cooking Temp: 180  C Servings: 2 Estimated Cost: £ 10 Calories: Approximately 350 per serving Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

For the Marinade:

For the Dredge:

For Frying:

For Serving:

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Chicken Tenders:

    Slice two chicken breasts lengthways into 2cm wide strips.

  2. Marinate the Chicken:
    • In a large bowl, mix cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper, buttermilk, and hot sauce.
    • Add chicken strips to the marinade, ensuring they are fully coated.
    • Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
  3. Prepare the Dredge:
    • In a separate bowl, combine flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and salt.
    • Just before frying, dredge the marinated chicken strips in the flour mixture, ensuring an even coating.
  4. Frying:
    • Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 180°C. Only fill the pot a third full to avoid overflow.
    • Carefully fry the chicken tenders in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pot. Fry each batch until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75°C and is golden brown.
    • Place fried tenders on a wire rack to drain excess oil.
  5. Serving:
    • Drizzle the fried chicken tenders with JD’s Hot Honey Original.
    • Serve immediately and enjoy the crispy, hot, and sweet flavour!

Equipment

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Note

  • Safety Tip: If frying on a BBQ, always have a lid nearby to smother any flames and a fire extinguisher on hand.
  • Alternative Cooking: These tenders can also be fried in an electric fryer if you prefer to avoid the risks associated with frying on a BBQ.
  • Additional Tip: For extra crunch, double dredge the tenders by dipping them back into the marinade and dredge mixture before frying again.
Keywords: chicken tenders, hot and sweet chicken, BBQ chicken, deep-fried chicken, spicy chicken recipe, buttermilk marinade
Lee Bishop - Smoke & Sear

smoke.sear

937 20,196

🔥 NEW GEAR DROP – THE RAVEN HAS LANDED 🔥

Back in 2021, I’d just built my little BBQ website, wasn’t really using Facebook, and had around 4,000 Insta followers . . . still finding my feet in the smoke game.

Then out of nowhere – Bradley Smoker dropped me a message.

Wanna help us create some content?

Honestly, I was blown away.

Fast forward 4 years and they’ve only gone and done it again – this time with their new Raven Smoker. And let me tell ya . . . this thing’s an absolute weapon.

✅ Hot & Cold smoking
✅ Dual built-in probes
✅ Bluetooth monitoring via the app
✅ Sleek AF portable folding table (seriously – best I’ve seen)

So far I’ve just unboxed, built and seasoned it ready for the first cook . . . and I can’t wait to get stuck in!

But now the big question is . . .

What should go on first?!

Let me know what you’d christen the Raven with 👇

#gifted #BradleyRaven

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Open
🔥 NEW GEAR DROP – THE RAVEN HAS LANDED 🔥 Back in 2021, I’d just built my little BBQ website, wasn’t really using Facebook, and had around 4,000 Insta followers . . . still finding my feet in the smoke game. Then out of nowhere – Bradley Smoker dropped me a message. Wanna help us create some content? Honestly, I was blown away. Fast forward 4 years and they’ve only gone and done it again – this time with their new Raven Smoker. And let me tell ya . . . this thing’s an absolute weapon. ✅ Hot & Cold smoking ✅ Dual built-in probes ✅ Bluetooth monitoring via the app ✅ Sleek AF portable folding table (seriously – best I’ve seen) So far I’ve just unboxed, built and seasoned it ready for the first cook . . . and I can’t wait to get stuck in! But now the big question is . . . What should go on first?! Let me know what you’d christen the Raven with 👇 #gifted #BradleyRaven

The Picanha Tasting Board Nobody Asked For . . .

Big thanks to @villagebutchers for the stunning picanha and @meatermade for hooking me up with the new Meater Pro XL - so I figured it was time to get the kids properly educated.

Sliced the picanha into 4 steaks.

Cooked to 4 different levels of doneness.

Served with 4 sauces: cowboy butter, chimichurri, peppercorn, and red pepper.

Fire-roasted sweetcorn and cherry toms on the side for good measure.

The mission: Find out how they really like their steak.

The result: Medium rare / medium. Cowboy butter all round.

The well-done one? The dog’s still licking her chops.

Job done. Legends!

Cooked on the Kamado Joe, tracked to perfection with the Meater, and devoured in minutes.

185 30
Open
The Picanha Tasting Board Nobody Asked For . . . Big thanks to @villagebutchers for the stunning picanha and @meatermade for hooking me up with the new Meater Pro XL - so I figured it was time to get the kids properly educated. Sliced the picanha into 4 steaks. Cooked to 4 different levels of doneness. Served with 4 sauces: cowboy butter, chimichurri, peppercorn, and red pepper. Fire-roasted sweetcorn and cherry toms on the side for good measure. The mission: Find out how they really like their steak. The result: Medium rare / medium. Cowboy butter all round. The well-done one? The dog’s still licking her chops. Job done. Legends! Cooked on the Kamado Joe, tracked to perfection with the Meater, and devoured in minutes.