chex mix chicken tenders

Step 1

Combine all the ingredients for the brine in a large gallon resealable bag.

Step 2

Cut the chicken into 1-2" strips. You should get about 6-7 strips from each chicken breast, and may end up with some awkwardly shaped strips. That's okay!

Step 3

Add the chicken to the brine in the bag. Press out any air, and squeeze the chicken around so it's all evenly coated.

Step 4

Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours but no more than 8 hours.

Step 5

Begin heating about 1½" of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over low-medium heat.

Step 6

Prep your breading station. Scoop Chex cereal into a bag, seal tightly, and roll over it with a rolling pin a few times to crush the Chex into pieces. Combine crushed Chex, flour, corn starch, and spices in a wide, shallow bowl.

Step 7

Unseal one corner of the bag with the chicken and brine and pour the brine into a second wide, shallow bowl. Get as much of the liquid out as you can. Set up a cutting board to put your breaded chicken tenders on to rest before frying. Tear several paper towels and have them within reach.

Step 8

Unseal and roll the top of the bag down. Pick one hand to be your "wet" hand and one hand to be your "dry" hand. (I find it's easiest to use my dominant hand as my "dry" hand and my non-dominant hand as my "wet" hand).

Step 9

Working with no more than 3 chicken strips at a time, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Then use your dry hand to lay it flat in the dredging mixture and push some of the flour and chex mix on top of it. Flip it over and press it flat in the dredging mixture again. Make sure all sides are fully coated.

Step 10

Use your dry hand to pick the chicken strip up out of the flour and lay it down in the dish with the excess brine, being careful not to let your fingers touch the liquid. Then, use your wet hand to flip the chicken strip over and make sure it's fully coated, then pick it up, letting any excess liquid drip off, and lay it back in the dredging mixture.

Step 11

Use your dry hand to flip the tender over, pressing it into the dry mixture so that it's fully coated on all sides. Remove from the dredging mixture to the cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Repeat until all chicken strips have been dredged and rested for 10 minutes.

Step 12

While the chicken strips rest, increase the heat under the cast iron to a little above medium. To test if the oil is ready, dip the end of a wooden chopstick in the oil — if you see tiny bubbles around it, the oil is ready. Otherwise, you can dip a corner of one of the chicken strips in — if it bubbles immediately, you're ready to fry.

Step 13

Line a sheet pan with paper towels and a cooling rack. Work in batches to fry the chicken strips for 3-4 minutes per side. Add more oil if needed between batches; there should be enough oil that it comes about halfway up the strips when they're laying flat in the skillet. Remove the strips to the cooling rack and repeat until all the strips have been fried.

Step 14

Combine mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and sriracha in a small bowl. Adjust proportions to taste.