My fried chicken tender sandwich will make you think twice about pulling into a fast food joint.

It’s unbelievably juicy.

Has just the right amount of spice.

And, the pickles are one of my secrets.

In my humber opinion, chicken sandwiches don’t need much……but they do need the pickle.

The pickle is a big pet peeve for me…….

Taking a bite of a sandwich with no pickle in that bite. NOPE!

So, I use a baby dill pickle and cut it a special kind of way.

This means I get a bite of pickle in every juicy chomp.

Also, the batter for my chicken is the bomb.

If you want a crunchy, juicy chicken sandwich…….this recipe is for you.

J Dub’s Chicken Tender Sandwich

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• Author: Jennifer Williams
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 5 sandwiches 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 10 uncooked chicken tenders (you can substitute 5 thin chicken breasts)
• Enough avocado or peanut oil to fill a cast iron skillet 2 inches deep
• Hamburger Potato buns, toasted
• Small dill pickles, cut in half lengthwise

Marinade For Chicken

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 green onions 
• 1 jalapeno pepper, halved
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cloves garlic smashed
• 1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Batter for Chicken 

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 tablespoons Baking Powder
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoons Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Seasoning Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Secret Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 T buttermilk
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill, minced
• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

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Instructions

Instructions for Marinade

1. Place all marinade ingredients including your chicken into a zip lock bag or large bowl and allow to marinate all day or overnight.

Instructions for Secret Sauce

1. Mix together all ingredients in  a small bowl and allow to chill until ready.

Instructions for Batter

1. Add flour, corn starch, and baking powder to medium sized bowl and whisk together.
2. Add spices.
3. Mix again.

Coating and Cooking Chicken

1. Remove marinated chicken from bag or bowl and place in a clean bowl.
2. Do not discard your marinade. You may need to add up to 1/2 cup additional buttermilk if chicken has absorbed it all.
3. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture and then dip in the buttermilk marinade.
4. Dip the floured chicken piece back into the the flour before placing on a cookie sheet.
5. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
6. While you are dipping the chicken, heat the oil in your cast iron skillet.
7. Place chicken (do not crowd) into the skillet and fry for approximately 5 minutes.
8. Using tongs, flip the chicken and fry on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
9. Remove the chicken and place on a wire rack over a cookie sheet.
10. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with course sea salt.
11. Place the rack in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm while you repeat this process with the remaining chicken.

Assemble the Sandwich

1. Spread each toasted side of the bun generously with the secret sauce.
2. Top the bottom half with a piece of iceberg lettuce.
3. Place 4-6 pickle slices on top of the lettuce to completely cover the lettuce.
4. Place the 2 cooked chicken tenders on top of the pickles (or one chicken breast).
5. Top with another dollop of special sauce.
6. Place the top bun over the chicken.

Notes

• Although I use cayenne pepper and a fresh jalapeño pepper, this sandwich is not spicy.  Flavorful?  Yes. Spicy – No.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus 8 hours chilling time)
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: chicken tender sandwich, fried chicken sandwich

Photos of the Process

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Drop me a comment below and tell me how your family liked my fried chicken tender sandwich!

Looking For More Summer Recipes?

My Cajun Chicken Cakes with Homemade Remoulade are a crowd favorite. You can even freeze these uncooked cakes to pull out for a busy weeknight dinner.

Have you tried my Carrot Cake Banana Bread? It is outstanding – and you can leave it naked or ice it with my light vanilla cream cheese icing.

Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies anyone? These cookies won’t last a day in your house.

My Blueberry Banana Pie is the perfect pie for your next brunch or summer get together. Your entire family will be begging you to share this recipe.

Try my Vanilla Pound Cake a la Darlene. My recipe makes a huge loaf cake that you can easily freeze for later.

My dill pickle dip is the perfect appetizer to serve for Mother’s Day brunch or at your next pool party.

This creamy balsamic salad dressing will become your new favorite. It is perfect on any summer salad.

My Monterey Jack Salsa will be your next favorite dip this summer.

How About Some DIY’s?

I’ve got a simple method to help you re-pot your succulents and refresh the containers for your summer patio.

Don’t forget to check out my method to get your patio cushions so clean.  Your husband will think you bought brand new cushions!

Make sure to try out my window cleaning recipe. My formula will get all your glass surfaces streak free and unbelievably clean.

Speaking of patios……have you seen the major refresh I did on our tired, old wood outdoor dining table and chairs? This DIY works well on indoor furniture too.

Did you know you can dry an artichoke for the most gorgeous muted colors and texture? Click here to see this unbelievably easy DIY!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see all the daily happenings going on over at J Dub By Design™