These honey garlic chicken tenders start with a brine for maximum juiciness, then gets fried until golden brown and irresistibly crispy before being tossed in a glossy, sweet, sticky, garlicky, honey sauce. They are perfect for game day, parties, or any occasion when you need a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! For more fried chicken recipes to please a crowd, also check out our Korean fried chicken, Taiwanese fried chicken, and Chicken Karaage!
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Chicken tenders - If you prefer, you can use chicken breasts instead of chicken tenders. Just cut the chicken breast into tender-size pieces.
- Brine - For a very simple brine to get the tenders flavor, just season water with some salt and MSG. If you want to skip the MSG, you can just substitute it for a little more salt.
- Dry dredge - Our dry dredge is made of all-purpose flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Wet batter - The wet batter is made of all-purpose flour, milk, egg, salt, and pepper. The egg and milk gives the batter better flavor and color.
- Oil for frying - Any neutral, high smoke point oil is fine (ie. vegetable, canola, avocado).
- Honey garlic sauce - To make the sauce, you need honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and butter. The main purpose of the sugar is to make the sauce a little sweeter and give the sauce a thicker consistency without having to reduce the sauce a whole lot. If you wish to skip the sugar, substitute with the same amount of honey.
How to make these honey garlic chicken tenders
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
1. Brine the chicken. Make a brine by seasoning the water with salt and MSG. Add the chicken tenders and let them brine in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Make the dry dredge. Whisk together the flour with all the seasonings.
3. Make the wet batter and seed the dry dredge. Add the flour, milk, egg, salt, and pepper into a bowl and whisk until smooth. Seed the dry dredge by drizzling in 2-3 tablespoons of the wet batter.
4. Batter the chicken. Remove the chicken from the brine (if brining) and place them in the wet batter. Coat them well, then transfer them to the dry dredge. Evenly coat the tenders but make sure to pack on the dredge. Repeat with remaining tenders.
5. Fry the chicken. Heat at least 2 inches (5cm) of oil to 350°F (175°C). When the oil is ready, gently lower the chicken tenders into the hot oil and fry them for 6-8 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and crispy and the chicken is cooked through, with an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Remove the fried tenders and let them drain and rest on a cooling rack or some paper towels. Make sure to not overcrowd the oil and fry in batches as needed.
6. Make the honey garlic sauce. In a pan over medium-high heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and the garlic starts to brown.
Then add the honey, sugar, and soy sauce and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat to medium and simmer the sauce for another 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
7. Finish and serve. Toss the chicken tenders in the honey garlic sauce or serve the sauce on the side if you prefer dipping your tenders. Enjoy while hot!
Tips from our kitchen
- We all love those crunchy bits on fried chicken, right? You can get those by seeding your dry flour mix. In the case of this recipe, just drizzle some of the wet batter into the dredge and mix the dredge to get small flour bits. Also, make sure to really pack the dredge onto the chicken to get a good crust.
- When making the honey garlic sauce, make sure to use a large enough pan or pot and keep an eye on the sauce while it's simmering because the sauce foams up quite a bit.
- When frying, avoid overcrowd the oil. Fry the chicken in batches so it cooks evenly and the oil stays at the proper temperature.
- For the best fry result, dredge only as many chicken tenders as you can fry at one time. Letting the coated tenders sit too long can cause the breading to flatten or peel away, resulting in a less crispy coating.
What to do with leftover oil
Leftover oil can be reused for cooking or more frying. Transfer the leftover oil into a heatproof bowl, jar, or container. Let the oil cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap or a lid. If you're uncomfortable with handling hot oil, set the oil aside to cool first!
If you plan on reusing the oil again, make sure to strain it through a fine mesh strainer or a couple layers or cheesecloth to remove any debris. Keep the oil in a cool, dark place and use within a couple of weeks.
If you're disposing oil, pour it into a jar or a container that can be sealed. Dispose of it in your trashcan. DO NOT pour it down your drain! It may damage your pipes and also cause damage to the environment!
Storage and reheating
Store leftover honey garlic chicken tenders in an airtight container in the refrigerator fo rup to 4 days. To reheat, microwave the tenders until warmed through. Keep in mind that the coating will no longer be crispy.
If you haven't coated the chicken tenders with sauce, reheat them in a 400°F (205°C) oven for about 15 minutes or in a 375°F (190°C) air fryer for 5-10 minutes, until they are heated through and crispy again.
Store the honey garlic sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat until it's hot and bubbly.
📖 Recipe
Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Chicken and optional brine:
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon msg or substitute with ½ teaspoon more salt per teaspoon msg
- 2 pounds chicken tender
- Oil for frying any neutral, high smoke point oil
Dry dredge:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoons salt preferably fine salt
- ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper
Wet batter:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt preferably fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Honey garlic sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup chopped garlic
- ¾ cup honey
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons regular soy sauce
Instructions
- Brine the chicken:This step is optional to ensure the chicken tenders are extra juicy, but you can totally skip it and go straight to the next steps.In a large mixing bowl or a gallon-size resealable bag, add the water, salt and msg. Mix until the salt and msg has dissolved, then add the chicken tenders, making sure the tenders are fully submerged in the brine. Cover the bowl or seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the dry dredge:In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the dry dredge (flour, onion and garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper) and mix until well combined.
- Make the wet batter and seed the dry dredge:In an another medium or large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the wet batter and whisk until smooth. Then drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of the wet batter into the dry dredge to seed the dredge. Give the dry dredge a mix and you should get small shaggy flour pieces, which will give your tenders extra crispy bits.
- Batter the chicken:Prepare a sheet pan or a plate. If brining, remove the chicken from the brine and let the extra brining liquid drip off. Then place the chicken tender into the prepared wet batter. Give the tenders a thorough mix so that all the tenders are well coated. Working with a couple of tenders at a time, place the battered tenders into the bowl of dry dredge and coat well. Make sure to pack the dry dredge onto the tenders then gently shake off the excess flour. Set the tenders aside in the sheet pan or plate and repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.
- Fry the tenders:Heat at least 2 inches (5cm) of oil to 350°F (175°C) and prepare a sheet pan with a cooling rack or a plate lined with paper towels, and a pair of tongs.When the oil is ready, gently lower the chicken tenders into the hot oil and let them fry for 6-8 minutes, or until the tenders are golden brown on the outside and cooked through on the inside, with an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Remove the chicken tenders and allow them to drain on the rack or paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders but make sure to not overcrowd the oil.
- Make the sauce:In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and the garlic just starts to brown, about 30 seconds. Then add the honey, sugar, and soy sauce and mix well. Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce cook for 2-3 minutes to slightly thicken. Make sure to keep an eye on the sauce because it'll get very foamy. Also, the sauce will be very hot so be careful!
- Finish:To serve, you can toss the chicken with the sauce in the pan or in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Alternatively, you can serve the sauce on the side for dipping. Enjoy the chicken tenders while they're hot.
Notes
- Msg - This is totally optional to give the chicken an extra but subtle layer of flavor.
- Increasing the recipe size - If you're doubling the recipe, the dry dredge only needs to be multiplied by 1.5
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