| ** Chicken & marinade ** | |
| 700 g chicken tenders / chicken breast strips | |
| 240 ml buttermilk | |
| 1 tsp hot sauce | |
| 1 tsp salt | |
| 1 tsp black pepper | |
| - ½ tsp garlic powder | |
| ** Crispy coating ** | |
| 300 g plain flour | |
| 90 g cornstarch | |
| 1 tsp baking powder | |
| 1½ tsp salt | |
| 1 tsp black pepper | |
| 1 tsp smoked paprika | |
| 1 tsp garlic powder | |
| 1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional | |
| A few tablespoons of the chicken marinade | |
| - Neutral oil for frying, such as sunflower or rapeseed oil | |
| ** Cane’s-style sauce ** | |
| 120 g mayonnaise | |
| 60 g ketchup | |
| ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce | |
| 1 tsp black pepper | |
| ½ tsp garlic powder | |
| - ½ tsp paprika |
| 1. | Marinate the chicken: Combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss until every piece is coated.. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. |
| 2. | Make the sauce: Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika until completely combined.. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You can easily make this at the same time you marinate the chicken. It actually gets better after sitting for several hours. |
| 3. | Prepare the coating: In a large shallow bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder and optional cayenne. Now take about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade and drizzle it into the flour mixture. Rub it through the flour with your fingertips until you have lots of little irregular clumps. Don't skip this bit. Those clumps are what create all the craggy, crunchy bits on fried chicken instead of a perfectly smooth coating. |
| 4. | Bread the chicken: Remove one chicken tender from the marinade and allow the excess to drip off briefly. Place it into the flour mixture and completely cover it. Press the coating firmly onto the chicken with your fingers, then flip and repeat. Give it a little shake to remove any completely loose flour. Put the coated pieces on a tray while you finish the rest. |
| 5. | Heat the oil: Pour enough oil into a heavy pot or deep frying pan for the chicken to float without touching the bottom too much, roughly 4 to 5 cm deep. Heat to 170 to 175°C. Try to keep the temperature in this range while frying. If it gets too hot, the coating can brown before the chicken is cooked. Too cool and the breading absorbs oil. |
| 6. | Fry: Working in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan, carefully lower the tenders into the hot oil. Fry for approximately 4 to 6 minutes, turning if necessary, until deeply golden and crisp. The chicken should reach 74°C internally at its thickest point. Transfer to a wire rack, rather than paper towels. The airflow underneath keeps the bottom crispy. Let the oil return to 170 to 175°C before adding the next batch. |
| 7. | Serve immediately with the cold Cane's-style sauce. And if we're committing to the Raising Cane's experience, I'd absolutely add fries, coleslaw and thick buttery Texas toast. That sauce also makes a frankly unreasonable dipping sauce for the fries. |
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