Ya know, the good kind of chicken!! (Chicken tenders)

Every Sunday, I have one of my kids pick what we are having for dinner and then they help me make it. My oldest is actually becoming pretty good at cooking, my second child is learning, my third is always so creative with what he wants to make, and my fourth is still to young to help in the kitchen. This Sunday was child #3's turn. This is the conversation before we started making dinner:

Me: What do you want for dinner?
#3: Chicken.
Me: Okay, sounds good. What kind?
#3: Ya know, the good kind of chicken!!

Well I wasn't too sure what he meant, so I started showing him different recipes. I finally figured out that he wanted fried chicken tenders.  He also wanted, a rainbow fruit and veggie plate, chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate milk. So, here we go!!

I missed a picture of the ziploc bag full of flour and chicken pieces. Ooops!

This is bowl #2 with buttermilk. I was out of buttermilk, so I was going to milk 1 tsp lemon juice with 1 cup of milk. Guess what, I was out of lemon juice. Oh man! What to do, what to do? I had milk and sour cream. I mixed a few tablespoon of sour cream to the milk and that seamed to do the trick. If you are missing an ingredient, just roll with it and use what you can find.

Bowl #3, 2 sleeves of crushed saltine crackers, 1 cup flour, onion powder, garlic salt, and paprika. My helper for the day loved getting to mix and get his hands all flourey and goopy.

Fry on each side until inside reached 165 degrees. This will take 4-5 minutes for side depending on how thick your tenders are. My helper was mad because I wouldn't let him be around the hot oil while the tenders were frying. Better safe then sorry.

When the tenders are done, I put them on a cookie sheet with paper towels on the bottom. I also turn the oven on warm and put each batch of fried tenders in so keep them warm until everything is done.

Release the natives!!! The tenders didn't last long, they never do.

I couldn't help it, I had to add a picture of his rainbow fruit and veggie try. Yep, he did that 100% by himself.

I have no idea how long this recipe took. But I do know that I got to spend over 2 hours in the kitchen with my little buddy!! And that is more important than how good the food turned out or how long it took. (Luckily it turned out great!)

And FYI - if you are making chocolate chip cookies and you are out of white sugar, have no fear. I used all brown sugar for both sugars and they turned out awesome. I'm going to start making all my chocolate chip cookies with only brown sugar. Again, you just roll with it and use what you have.

Fried Chicken Tenders

3 lbs chicken breast 

2 sleeves of saltine crackers 

2 cups flour 

1 cup buttermilk 

salt 

pepper 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Vegetable oil for frying 

Cut chicken into tender sizes. Fill a mixing bowl half way with water and add several tablespoons of salt. Put tenders into salt water. Let sit as long as you are able to. I put mine in the salt water in the morning and then cooked them later that day. When you are ready to fry your chicken prepare 3 bowls with the following: Bowl (or ziploc bag) #1, 1 cup of flour and salt and pepper to taste. Bowl #2, buttermilk. Bowl #3, 2 sleeves of crushed saltine crackers, 1 cup flour, onion powder, garlic salt, and paprika. This is a good time to get your frying pan and oil hot and ready to fry the chicken. Fill frying pan about 1/2 way with oil. 

Put a few tenders in bowl/ziploc #1 and shack, covering the chicken well in flour. Remove from flour and  shake off excess. Dip in buttermilk bowl. Remove and cover very well in saltine cracker mixture. Add to the fry pan with hot oil, (oil should be around 325 degrees). Fry on each side for 3-5 minutes depending on how thick your chicken tenders are. Chicken must be cooked to 165 degree to be safe to eat. When chicken is done remove from hot oil with tongs and put on a cook sheet that has paper towels on it. Careful, the oil is very hot and can burn you easily!! I use my electric skillet and it takes about 2.5 batches to get all of the chicken cooked.