Crispy Cornflake Chicken Tenders

Crispy Cornflake Chicken Tenders are marinated in seasoned buttermilk, double-dredged, coated in crushed cornflakes and Honey BBQ potato chips, then fried until outrageously golden and crunchy.

When I tell you these chicken tenders are CRUNCHY?!

I mean, you can hear them from the next room.

The outside is covered in craggy little pieces of cornflakes and crushed potato chips. Underneath that is a seasoned flour-and-cornstarch coating. And underneath all of THAT is juicy chicken that’s spent four hours hanging out in buttermilk, BBQ seasoning, and ranch powder.

They’re everything I want a homemade chicken tender to be.

And, because apparently I can’t make one recipe without immediately figuring out six other ways to serve it, I made a big batch.

Some were eaten immediately—as one does.

Some are becoming Chicken Bird Dogs tucked into hot dog buns.

Some are destined for crispy chicken lettuce wraps.

And the rest? They’re currently flash-freezing because I have very important Homemade Convenience Freezer research to conduct.

More on that experiment below.

Why You’ll Love These Cornflake Chicken Tenders

The crunch is obviously the star here, but there’s a LOT happening underneath that crispy coating.

First, we’re marinating the chicken tenderloins in buttermilk seasoned with BBQ seasoning and ranch powder. The chicken gets four hours in the refrigerator to soak up all that goodness.

Then comes our three-part dredging situation.

The chicken goes from the buttermilk into seasoned flour and cornstarch. Then—and this is important—it goes back into the buttermilk.

Finally, it gets pressed firmly into crushed cornflakes and Honey BBQ potato chips. ((That chip tip?! It comes right from Snoop Dogg’s Cookbook… one of my most favorite cookbooks of all time!))

That second buttermilk dunk creates another wet, sticky layer for all those crunchy bits to cling to. Instead of a thin coating around the chicken, we get those irregular, craggy pieces that turn outrageously crispy in the hot oil.

And the cornstarch mixed into the flour helps us get an even crispier coating underneath.

Basically, we’re engineering crunch.

And I’m very comfortable with that.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Chicken Tenderloins

I used one package of chicken tenderloins and removed that pesky tendon running through each one.

If you’ve never removed the tendon from a chicken tenderloin, don’t let it intimidate you. Once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty quickly—and I much prefer the texture of the finished chicken without it. The key I have found is using your hand with the fork to push down. NOT pulling with the paper towel.

Buttermilk

You’ll need 2 cups of buttermilk for the marinade.

Buttermilk is doing double duty here. First, we’re using it to marinate the chicken. Then we’re going to use that same seasoned marinade for the second dip in our dredging process.

BBQ Seasoning

Use your favorite BBQ dry rub. I used Carolina Dry Rub because I love the flavor with chicken.

You’ll need 2 tablespoons for the marinade and another tablespoon for the flour dredge.

Ranch Powder

Not prepared ranch dressing—ranch seasoning powder!

You’ll use 2 tablespoons in the buttermilk marinade and another tablespoon in the flour mixture.

BBQ + ranch is one of those flavor combinations that just works, especially with chicken.

All-Purpose Flour + Cornstarch

For our first dredge, combine:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon BBQ seasoning
1 tablespoon ranch powder

Yes, this makes more dredge than you will probably need.

That’s intentional.

I’d much rather have plenty of room to really press each piece of chicken into the flour than get halfway through and find myself trying to coat chicken with three sad tablespoons left in the bottom of the bowl.

Cornflakes + Honey BBQ Potato Chips

And HERE is where things get fun.

You’ll need one regular-sized package of cornflakes and about half a bag of Honey BBQ potato chips.

Put them into a zip-top bag and crush everything together.

You’re not looking for fine breadcrumbs here.

Leave some texture!

Those irregular pieces of cornflake are exactly what create the spectacular crunchy exterior you see on these chicken tenders.

How to Make Extra-Crispy Cornflake Chicken Tenders

Start by removing the tendon from your chicken tenderloins.

Add the chicken to a bowl with 2 cups of buttermilk, 2 tablespoons BBQ seasoning, and 2 tablespoons ranch powder. Mix everything together so every piece is coated.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 4 hours.

When you’re ready to fry, set up your dredging station.

In one shallow bowl or dish, combine the flour, cornstarch, BBQ seasoning, and ranch powder.

On another plate, add your crushed cornflake and Honey BBQ potato chip mixture.

Your bowl of marinating chicken becomes the middle stop in our dredging line.

And now we’re going:

Buttermilk → Flour → Buttermilk → Crunchies.

Remove one chicken tender from the buttermilk and place it directly into the flour mixture.

Press it down.

Flip it.

Press again.

Make sure the entire tender is well coated, then shake off the excess flour.

Now dunk it right back into the buttermilk.

Let the excess drip off, then move the chicken into the cornflake-potato-chip mixture.

And this is not the moment to gingerly sprinkle a few cornflakes over the top.

PRESS THAT CHICKEN INTO THE CRUNCHIES.

Flip it over and press again.

You want that coating hanging on for dear life.

Place the coated chicken onto a clean plate while you finish dredging the remaining pieces.

Frying the Chicken Tenders

I like frying chicken in a Dutch oven because those nice high sides help contain some of the oil splatter.

Do they contain all of it?

Absolutely not.

We’re still frying chicken in our kitchen. Things are happening. 😂

But it helps.

Heat your frying oil and carefully lower the chicken tenders into the hot oil, working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot.

Depending on the size of your tenderloins, they’ll need approximately 4–5 minutes per side.

You’re looking for that gorgeous, deeply golden, craggy exterior.

Here’s one of my favorite visual cues:

When you pick up the chicken tender, it should stand up—not flop over.

That’s when you know that crust has really crisped.

Of course, use an instant-read thermometer as your final check. Chicken should reach 165°F in the thickest portion before serving.

Transfer each finished batch to a wire rack set over a sheet pan.

Don’t put these directly onto paper towels if you can help it. We’ve worked too hard for this crunch to let the bottom of our chicken sit there steaming itself.

The Three Secrets to REALLY Crispy Chicken Tenders

There are three things I wouldn’t skip here.

Cornstarch in the flour. It helps create that crispier first coating around the chicken.

The second buttermilk dunk. This gives the cornflake mixture something substantial to grab onto.

Pressing on the coating. Don’t just roll the chicken around in the cornflakes. Use your hands and really press those crunchy pieces into every nook and cranny.

That’s how we get that exterior.

You want a chicken tender that looks a little ridiculous before it goes into the oil.

That’s a good sign.

What to Serve with Cornflake Chicken Tenders

Obviously, you can pile these onto a platter with honey mustard, ranch, BBQ sauce, pickles, and call everyone to dinner.

But we’re at Chez Sweetpea.

Naturally, I already have plans.

I’m turning these into Chicken Bird Dogs, where crispy chicken tenders get tucked into hot dog buns with all kinds of goodness.

I’m also making Crispy Chicken Lettuce Wraps for the days when I want the crunchy chicken but something fresh alongside it. Can you imagine the crunch in a Snack Wrap?!

I’ll link both recipes here as soon as they’re up!

And frankly, one chopped over a giant salad with New Ranch sounds pretty spectacular, too.

Can You Freeze Cornflake Chicken Tenders?

Yes—I’m testing that for you right now!

After frying, I let my chicken tenders cool completely on the wire rack.

Then I arranged the extras in a single layer to flash freeze before transferring them into my Homemade Convenience Freezer.

My goal is very specific: I want to be able to pull a fully cooked chicken tender straight from the freezer, put it into my air fryer, and have that cornflake-potato-chip coating come back to life.

Because if that works?

Future Me is going to be DELIGHTED.

I’ll update this post with my exact air fryer temperature and timing after I’ve tested it.

Homemade Chicken Tenders Are Worth It

Listen, I’m never going to tell you that frying chicken at home is the tidiest little Tuesday afternoon activity.

There will be dishes.

There will probably be flour on the counter.

And despite my beloved high-sided Dutch oven doing its very best, there will be a little oil splatter involved.

But when you pull that first batch of deeply golden, ridiculously crunchy chicken tenders out of the oil?

Worth. It.

Especially because I’m not doing all this work for one dinner.

That’s part of my whole Homemade Convenience philosophy: if I’m already making the mess, I’m making enough to help Future Me, too.

Tonight, these Crispy Cornflake Chicken Tenders might get dunked straight into honey mustard while they’re still warm. Tomorrow, they can become Chicken Bird Dogs tucked into toasted buns or crispy chicken lettuce wraps piled with something fresh and crunchy.

And if my freezer experiment goes according to plan, there will be a bag waiting in the freezer for the night when I want homemade crispy chicken without hauling out the flour, buttermilk, cornflakes, potato chips, and frying oil all over again.

That’s my kind of convenience food.

Not necessarily food that took zero effort.

Food where the effort has already been done.

Make a Batch and Tell Me What You Think!

If you make these Cornflake Chicken Tenders, I want to hear about it! Leave a comment and rating below, and tell me what you’re dipping yours into—honey mustard, ranch, BBQ sauce, or something else entirely.

And if you’re standing in your kitchen eating one directly over the sheet pan before anybody else knows they’re ready?

No judgment.

That’s the cook’s tax.

From my table to yours,

Ashley 💕

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