Popeye's Voodoo Chicken Tenders Copycat Recipe
Perfect crisp tenders - identical to Popeye's - drizzled in a garlicky sweet chili sauce and topped with green onions, which add the perfect texture and finish!
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- Brown Paper Bag (clean) OR large zip-top bags for shaking chicken breading
- Candy thermometer for frying
Ingredients
Chicken Tender Marinade
- 2 pounds chicken tenders, tendons removed
- 2 cups whole buttermilk- full fat to marinate the chicken
- 1/3 cup Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 tablespoons Kosher salt
Chicken Tender Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Coleman’s Dry Mustard Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dried Dill
- 1 teaspoon White pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Chicken Tender Batter
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- ½ cup Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ Spice mixture from the above list
- 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons Water
- ¼ tablespoon Cayenne pepper
Other Ingredients
- Peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup prepared homemade sweet chili sauce
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- In a large bowl or heavy duty zip top bag, combine buttermilk, Louisiana hot sauce, kosher salt with a small whisk. Add the prepared tenders and submerge the chicken in the mixture completely. Refrigerate overnight or 8 hours for the best results (a quick hour works in a pinch). Pour off the chicken marinade, shake off excess buttermilk mixture from the chicken. Do not rinse the chicken.
Season the Chicken
- In a small bowl, combine all the spices. Use ½ of seasoning to generously season both sides of the chicken. Then reserve ½ of the seasoning mix for the dredge mixture below. If you prefer a spicier fried chicken add more cayenne pepper and white pepper to the seasoning.
Batter the Chicken
- Combine all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and remaining spice mixture from above. Place the flour mixture into a large paper bag or zip top bag. Add the brined/seasoned chicken to the bag and seal tightly. Shake gently to coat. Remove the chicken from the paper sack, then shake off the excess batter.
- In a medium glass dish, combine the egg whites, cayenne pepper, and water. Dunk each piece of the coated chicken into the egg mixture and place dripping chicken back into the paper sack and then shake gently to coat the chicken evenly.
- Remove the chicken from the paper sack and place it on a non-stick baking sheet lined with foil or paper towels. Refrigerate for about 1 hour to dry the batter. Trust me; the batter becomes so much more crispy after doing this. Allow to chicken to rest on counter for 30 minutes before frying so it doesn't drop the oil temp too significantly.
To Fry the Chicken
- Add the oil to a cast-iron skillet or heavy bottom pan. Bring the oil mixture to 340° before adding the battered chicken. Add the chicken to a cast-iron kettle and cook the chicken until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the cast-iron kettle if need be make in batches. The meat's internal temperature; the temperature should read 165° degrees when done.
- Place the fried chicken on cooling rack sitting atop a baking sheet lined with paper towels to catch the oil that drops below the cooling rack.
Serving Voodoo Chicken Tenders
- Plate the tenders you're serving on a platter and add a heavy drizzle of prepared sweet chili sauce, and sprinkle the sliced scallions evenly over all the tenders. Serve immediately.