I have been seeing “tender dogs” trending and I knew I needed to make my own. This is not an invention of my own, but I found mine turned out amazing! It was really simple to do and the flavor was out of this world! These are essentially chicken tenders mashed up with a hot Nashville chicken sandwich that have been placed in a hot dog bun instead of a hamburger bun. Seriously this is genius!
Nashville Hot Chicken
For the chicken portion of this recipe, it is really quite simple. First, you want to marinade your chicken in buttermilk. This is a traditional step in most fried chicken recipes. It adds so much moisture to the chicken while frying. In a large bowl, place your raw chicken and pour in some butter milk until it is just submerge. Next season!
You can season to your liking. I like to use a standard blend of salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. I use equal ratios of each one. Make sure that you stir until the buttermilk and seasonings are thoroughly combined. Let this marinade overnight. You can also do a few hours if you want.
Once the chicken is marinaded, take it out of the fridge. Next, we are going to bread it in seasoned flour, re-dip into the buttermilk, and flour again. Flour, buttermilk, and flour. This will get us a nice double coating on the chicken. I season my flour with the same mix as the marinade. Once the chicken is breaded, it is time to fry!
Frying the Chicken
Fry your chicken in vegetable or canola oil on medium to high heat for about 7 minutes. you want to make sure the inside is cooked and the outside is golden brown. If you want to oven bake these, this is what I would do. Bread with a panko bread crumb instead of flour at 375F for about 15-25 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked, we are going to toss it into the sauce like Nashville Hot chicken. For this, take chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flake and put into a heat resistant bowl. Carefully add about 3/4 cup of the hot oil you fried the chicken in. The seasonings will sizzle. Add some of your favorite hot sauce into the oil and seasonings.
Gently toss your chicken and make sure the outside is fully coated. Do not leave into the oil sauce too long or the outside will start to soften. Place hot chicken on racks and begin assembling the dogs immediately.
Creamy Cole Slaw and Sauces
Next, you want to create a bed of delicious cole slaw. For this, add shredded cabbage into a bowl. Toss in mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and a splash of white wine vinegar. Mix until creamy.
For the sauces, create a homemade ranch and chipotle ranch. In a small bowl, use 1 cup buttermilk, 1 ranch seasoning packet, and 1 cup of mayonnaise. Next, mix to combine.
For the next sauce, take 1 cup of mayo, a splash of white wine vinegar, and 1/2 can of chipotles and blend together. Add a tbsp of water if you need to thin it out.
Assembly
Finally, it is time to assemble! First, take your buns and open them. Next, add a bed of slaw. Along side the bun add your crispy dill pickle slices. Next, lay your hot and crispy tender down. Lastly, drizzle with your delicious sauces and enjoy!
Crispy and Spicy Nashville Chicken Tender Dog
Ingredients
Nashville Chicken
- 4-6 Chicken Tenders
- 1-2 Cups Buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp Each: Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Chili Powder
- 4 Cups Vegetable or Canola Oil
- Flour
- 1 Tsp Each: (Seasoning for the Flour) Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Chili Powder
Hot Oil Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Each: Chili Powder, Paprika, Red Pepper Flake
- 3/4 Cup Hot Frying Oil from Chicken
- 1/4 Cup Hot Sauce of Choice (I used Louisiana)
Creamy Cole Slaw
- 2 Cups Shredded Cabbage
- 2-3 Tbsp Mayo
- 1 1/2 Tsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Each: Salt and Pepper
Buttermilk Ranch
- 1 Cup Mayo
- 1 Ranch Seasoning Packet
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
Chipotle Mayo
- 1 Cup Mayo
- 1 1/2 Tsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 Small Can Chipotles
- 1 Tsp Water (optional)
Extras
- Hot Dog Buns
- Crispy Dill Pickles
Instructions
Chicken
- In a glass bowl , add chicken tenders, buttermilk, and seasonings. Mix well and cover in the fridge.
- Let this marinade preferably overnight.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge. In a separate bowl add flour and seasonings and mix.
- Dip the chicken from the buttermilk into the seasoned flour, back into the buttermilk marinade, and coat one last time in flour. This is double breaded.
- In hot oil on medium to high heat, fry the chicken tenders until golden brown and crispy. Remove from heat and place on a rack.
Hot Oil
- In a heat proof bowl, add hot oil sauce seasonings, some of the hot frying oil, and your favorite hot sauce. The seasonings will sizzle on contact with the hot oil. Carefully toss each tender in and gently coat.
- Remove from oil bath and set aside ready for assembly. This step should be last right before assembly.
Cole Slaw
- Cut cabbage into a bowl and add salt, pepper, mayo, and white wine vinegar.
- Toss together and set aside.
Ranch and Chipotle Sauces
- For the ranch, add buttermilk, mayo and seasoning packet into a bowl and mix together.
- For the chipotle sauce, add chipotles, mayo, and white wine vinegar into a blender and blend. If the sauce is too thick, add a tough of water.
Assembly
- In your hot dog buns, add Cole slaw first, then sliced pickles, the crispy spicy chicken, and top with your sauces!
Hello my family member! I want to say that this article is awesome, great written and include approximately all significant infos. I would like to peer more posts like this .
whoah this blog is magnificent i love reading your articles. Keep up the great work! You know, a lot of people are looking around for this info, you could help them greatly.