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Sweet Tea Brined Oven Fried Chicken

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Sweet Tea Brined Oven Fried Chicken are soaked in a mixture of sweet tea and buttermilk for tender and flavorful chicken fingers you kids will love!  Since they’re oven baked, you’ll love to make them for your family!

Sweet Tea Brined Oven Fried Chicken

We were at a restaurant the other day that offered sweet tea marinated fried chicken.  I sat there a minute trying to imagine what that would taste like.  What would it do to do the chicken?  Would it impart some of it’s sweet and tea flavors into the meat?

I want to say I could taste it, but I might be tainted.  The hubs said he wasn’t sure if he could taste any tea flavor either.  However, we both said that these tenders were super tender and very delicious.  So, in my head that was a success.

Of course, I had to make sure there was definitely fried chicken flavor in there, so I added lots of herbs and spices to the egg and flour dips.  Not quite 17 herbs and spices, but there’s quite a few.  If you don’t have that many on hand, then try just the sage with some salt and pepper.  For me, sage is essential with chicken like rosemary is with beef.

Now, I know I’ve discussed toasting your panko before you use them to coat anything for cooking.  It’s truly THE BEST way to make sure your coating is super crunchy and crispy.  I don’t think I have used untoasted panko since learning that trick.  When things are oven fried, you’ve gotta have that crunch that’s typically experienced with traditionally fried foods.

If there’s no crunch, then oven fried anything isn’t appealing to most.

Yeah, I may have overdone that dip.  There’s quite a few of the herbs and spices on that one piece.  Oops.  I know I stirred them better after seeing that.  But that was ONE HELLA flavorful chicken strip, for sure!

These are perfect for a snack, to slice over greens for a salad, for a sandwich, for tacos or for any thing you want to make with them.  I say tacos because I have a recipe in the works for some chicken tender tacos.  Stay tuned!

You see all that crunch?  Righ there?  That’s the toasted panko at work!!  That bite is going to rock your mouth with a 8.0 level of crunch you’re going to love.  It will completely change your mind about oven fried anything!  And, it’s even more crunchy if you have a convection oven.

A convection oven is like a large air fryer.  It circulates the hot air around everything not only cooking it quickly, but making it super crispy.  That’s why I put these on a baking rack; for the air to circulate all around these tenders.

I have to say these were super delicious!  And, yes, I am biased but they really were.  The buttermilk and tea truly tenderize the chicken.  The coating makes for a deliciously crispy fried chicken experience.  There’s only one thing missing and that’s all the calories and fat that is in traditional frying.  Win win in my book!

Make sure to see what the rest of the #NationalIceTea bloggers are serving up today!

Try some of these refreshing tea recipes:

Caramel Apple Yerba Mate Iced Tea
Green Tea Hot Toddy
Muddled Peach Tea
Very Berry Iced Tea

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Sweet Tea Brined Oven Fried Chicken

Sweet Tea Brined Oven Fried Chicken

Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Sweet Tea Brined Oven Fried Chicken are soaked in a mixture of sweet tea and buttermilk for tender and flavorful chicken fingers you kids will love!  Since they're oven baked, you'll love to make them for your family!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken tenderloins
  • 2 cups sweet tea
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs, lightly toasted
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons dried, rubbed sage
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 large eggs lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Combine the tea with the buttermilk. Add the chicken and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 400.
  3. Place the panko in a shallow dish and stir in the parsley and sage. Combine the egg substitute (or the eggs) with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.
  4. Place the flour in a shallow dish.
  5. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the panko mixture. Place on a baking sheet topped with a roasting pan rack lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Lightly spray the chicken strips with cooking spray and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn the strips over and cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  6. Serve with honey mustard or barbecue sauce.

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10 Comments

  1. Very creative Christie and I think you are right about the convection ovens. I have been researching air fryers and had decided that I am just as well off with my convection setting on my oven.

    1. My step-father is SUPER smart. Like graduated from Harvard med early or something like that. Anyway, he did the research and decided the same thing. It’s a small convection oven. So, if you have a large one, you don’t need an air fryer. Just get some pans with roasting racks for good air circulation.

  2. Here on Maui, they serve fries with the seseme seed furikake, yum, yum, not.a big does, just a sprinle. Maybe the hot oil from the fires xounters some of the seaweed taste, but I love that use. i will try the chicken strips, maybe minus the green tea!

    1. I can imagine. The aroma was interesting when they hit the hot panko crumbs. It’s like you always say, though, gotta to try it at least once!! I might have to actually try it on rice, too. Just have to see. There’s always Janice if I don’t like it.

  3. I like that you still give us recipes even if they weren’t to your taste. I do the same thing for my readers as I realize that everyone’s tastes are different and just because I don’t care for something does not mean my readers won’t love it.

    1. Like my mama said, you have to try everything. And since nori komi furikake is gaining popularity in the states, I thought I’d put together a different recipe mashing American with Asian cuisines together. At least I didn’t spit them out like the smoked oyster mushrooms. LOL

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