Okay, so these KFC chicken tenders. You soak the chicken in buttermilk, you roll it in a peppery flour twice (yes, twice), and you fry it at 350°F (175°C) for 4 or 5 minutes. That’s it. What comes out is shaggy and crunchy on the outside and still dripping-juicy in the middle, which is more than I can say for the last box I bought.
Why now? KFC Australia swapped its tenders on 29 September 2026. Bigger, about 30% they say, and pricier too. Since then “kfc recipe change chicken tenders” has been climbing on Google in Australia and Canada, lots of people annoyed, lots of people curious. Me, I just wanted mine back the way I liked them. So I started frying at home.
Quick Facts
- Total time: about 1 hour 35 minutes (1 hour of that is the buttermilk soak)
- Serves: 4 (about 10 to 12 tenders)
- Difficulty: Easy to medium
- Key ingredients: chicken tenderloins, buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, white pepper, paprika, celery salt
- Methods: deep fryer, Dutch oven, air fryer or oven
- Make ahead: Yes, soak the chicken up to 24 hours ahead
What’s in This Article
- Why This Copycat Recipe Works
- What Are the 11 Herbs and Spices in KFC Chicken?
- Ingredients and Easy Swaps
- How to Make KFC Chicken Tenders Step by Step
- Fryer, Air Fryer or Oven: Times and Temps
- What Changed With KFC Tenders in 2026
- Why Homemade Tenders Go Soggy (and the Fixes)
- Variations Worth Trying
- What to Serve With KFC-Style Tenders
- Storing and Reheating Leftover Tenders
- FAQ
Friday night, nothing planned, kids hungry? Make a pile of these, set out three dips, done.
RECIPE
KFC Chicken Tenders (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken tenderloins 680 g, about 10 to 12, or breast cut into 3/4-inch strips
- 1 cup buttermilk 240 ml
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp hot sauce like Frank’s or Louisiana
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 190 g
- 1/2 cup cornstarch 64 g
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp celery salt
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground white pepper up to 1 tbsp for more heat
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp MSG optional
- 6 cups peanut, canola or vegetable oil 1.4 L, about 2 inches deep
Equipment
- 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven
- Deep-fry or instant-read thermometer
- Wire rack and sheet pan
- 2 shallow dishes
Method
- Whisk the buttermilk, egg, hot sauce and 1 tsp kosher salt in a bowl. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Do not rinse the raw chicken.
- In a wide dish, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and all the spices. Drizzle in 3 tbsp of the buttermilk mixture and rub it in with your fingertips until small clumps form.
- Pour about 2 inches (5 cm) of oil into a heavy Dutch oven and heat over medium-high to 350°F (175°C). Set a wire rack over a sheet pan.
- Lift a tender from the buttermilk, let it drip, press it into the flour, dip it back into the buttermilk, then press it into the flour again. Place on the rack. Repeat with the rest.
- Let the coated tenders rest 10 minutes so the coating sets and sticks during frying.
- Fry 4 or 5 tenders at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and the thickest piece reads 165°F (74°C).
- Drain on the wire rack and keep warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven. Let the oil return to 350°F (175°C) before each batch.
- Air fryer option: coat once, spray all sides with oil and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway, until 165°F (74°C) inside.
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Why This KFC Chicken Tenders Recipe Works
Honestly there’s no magic. Three small habits.
Buttermilk comes first. It’s a little sour (that’s the acid), and that sourness loosens up the outside of the meat so it doesn’t seize and go stringy in the oil. One hour works. I usually leave mine overnight, mostly because I’m disorganized.
Then there’s cornstarch. My first few batches were all flour and, honestly, they were fine. Just kind of soft, a bit like a bread jacket. When I started swapping in some cornstarch (about a quarter of the flour) the crust went properly crackly, the kind you can hear. I also throw in a teaspoon of baking powder now, which is where those little blisters come from.
The double dip is the bit people skip, and then they wonder why theirs look skinny. You go flour, then back into the buttermilk, then flour again. Yes it gets your fingers gummy. Worth it. Oh, and a sneaky one: tip a few spoonfuls of buttermilk straight into the flour bowl and squish it about with your fingers. Lumpy flour = craggy edges. Those crunchy little knobbly bits? Always the first thing to vanish off the plate.
Okay, but the flavor. That’s what people actually want to know about.
What Are the 11 Herbs and Spices in KFC Chicken?
Nobody outside KFC knows the real recipe. Full stop. The nearest thing we’ve got is from 2016: a nephew of Colonel Sanders pulled out an old handwritten list and showed it to a Chicago Tribune reporter. KFC said nope, that’s not it. Doesn’t matter much, the story stuck around anyway (the KFC Wikipedia page still brings it up) and nearly every copycat you’ll find online kicks off from that same scrap of paper.
The list, if you’re curious: salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ground ginger, white pepper. Eleven, right on the nose. And the white pepper… 3 tablespoons of it for 2 cups of flour. I read that twice. Three! But white pepper has this sharp, slightly barnyard-y heat, and I’m fairly convinced it’s that thing you taste in KFC and can’t quite name.
I didn’t want to drop any of the eleven, I just shrank the amounts so they suit 1 1/2 pounds of chicken. For white pepper I land on 1 1/2 teaspoons. That gives you the KFC thing without the cough. If your family likes it hot, bump it up to a tablespoon and see who complains.
Little thing most copycats skip: KFC’s published US ingredient lists have included MSG in the Original Recipe chicken. Totally optional here. Half a teaspoon in the flour makes it taste rounder and more savory, though. I add it.
Ingredients and Easy Swaps
Pantry stuff, mostly. The spice list looks scary long but it all goes in one bowl, so don’t stress.
- Chicken tenderloins: 1 1/2 lb (680 g). Or slice boneless breasts into strips about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick.
- Buttermilk: 1 cup (240 ml), plus 1 large egg, hot sauce and salt.
- Flour and cornstarch: 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup (64 g) cornstarch.
- The spices: paprika, garlic powder, celery salt, kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, dry mustard, ground ginger, thyme, basil and oregano.
- Oil: peanut, canola or vegetable oil with a high smoke point.
Missing something? These are the swaps I’ve actually used and what happened.
| Ingredient | Swap | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk | 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, rested 5 min | Slightly less tangy, still tender |
| Chicken tenderloins | Breast strips 3/4 inch thick | Add about 1 minute frying time |
| Cornstarch | Potato starch or rice flour | Just as crisp; rice flour is a bit lighter |
| White pepper | Extra black pepper | Loses the “KFC” taste the most |
| Celery salt | 1/2 tsp celery seed + 1/2 tsp salt | Very close |
| Peanut oil | Canola or vegetable oil | No real difference; use it if allergies are a worry |
Gear: a heavy Dutch oven (5 or 6 quart), a thermometer, two shallow dishes, a wire rack over a sheet pan. If you only buy one thing, buy the thermometer. Seriously.
How to Make KFC Chicken Tenders Step by Step
Never fried chicken? Good place to start. Tenders are small, cook in minutes, and you can poke every single one with a thermometer, so there’s no guessing.
- Soak first. Buttermilk, egg, glug of hot sauce, teaspoon of salt, whisk, chicken in. Lid on, fridge, one hour minimum (I’ve gone the full 24, fine). And skip rinsing the raw chicken. USDA’s pretty clear on that one, all it does is spray bacteria round the sink.
- While that sits, make the coating. I use a big shallow dish, the kind you’d use for lasagna, and whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and every one of those spices in it. Then I drizzle in about 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk and scrunch it with my fingertips until it looks like there are little peas scattered through it.
- Get your oil going. You want around 2 inches (5 cm) of it in a heavy pot, which is roughly 6 cups (1.4 L), heated over medium-high until your thermometer says 350°F (175°C).
- Double dip. Grab a tender, let it drip, press it into the flour. Back into the buttermilk. Back into the flour. Squeeze it so the coating grips. Onto the rack.
- Wait 10 minutes. The coating goes a bit pasty and sticks itself on. Skip this and half of it floats off in the oil (ask me how I know).
- Fry 4 or 5 at a time, 4 to 5 minutes, flip once. Deep golden. Listen to it: the loud angry bubbling calms down near the end, and that’s your cue.
- Temp check. Thickest piece, 165°F (74°C). That’s the safe minimum for poultry.
- Out they come, onto a rack. Not paper towels! Towels trap steam, bottoms go floppy, sadness. Done batches can hang out in a 200°F (95°C) oven. Oil back to 350°F, then next batch in.
Once you’re done coating, toss whatever buttermilk and flour is left. It’s had raw chicken in it, so it’s not something to save.
Fryer, Air Fryer or Oven: Times and Temps
Frying is the closest to the real thing, no contest. But the air fryer and oven are honestly pretty good, and on a Tuesday I’m not hauling out 6 cups of oil.
| Method | Temp | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep fry (Dutch oven) | 350°F / 175°C oil | 4–5 min, turn once | Closest to KFC, thick craggy crust |
| Air fryer | 400°F / 200°C | 10–12 min, flip halfway | Crisp, lighter crust; spray well with oil |
| Oven on a rack | 425°F / 220°C | 18–22 min, flip at 10 | Crunchy if single-dipped and oiled |
If you go the air fryer or oven route, just dip them once, and be generous with the oil spray, especially on any patches that still look white and dusty. Flour with no fat on it never browns. I’d also trust your thermometer over the timer, since some tenders are twice the size of others. You’re looking for 165°F (74°C).
What Changed With KFC Tenders in 2026
So what’s going on with KFC’s tenders this year, anyway?
Back in June 2026 KFC announced a worldwide rebrand: new packaging, two boneless styles called “Dipped” and “Dunked”, and 20-plus sauces (Parade covered it). The UK and Ireland got the new tenders first.
Then Australia. On 29 September 2026 KFC launched bigger Original Tenders there, plus a “Dip’d” range with 12 sauces, per Frugal Feeds. Reports say they’re around 30% bigger after an 18-month test kitchen project, and a 3-pack went from $9.45 to $10.95. Some people love them. Some people want the old ones (and the old price) back.
In the US? The current tenders go back to October 2024, when KFC moved to double hand-breaded Original Recipe tenders and launched Comeback Sauce. Which is exactly why I double dip.
At home you pick the size, the heat, the sauce. And a batch for four costs less than a family box. Just saying.
Why Homemade Tenders Go Soggy (and the Fixes)
Nine times out of ten it’s the oil temperature. Here’s the usual stuff.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Greasy, soft crust | Oil below 325°F (165°C) | Fry fewer pieces; wait for 350°F between batches |
| Dark outside, raw inside | Oil above 375°F (190°C) | Lower the heat; check with a thermometer |
| Coating falls off | No rest before frying | Rest coated tenders 10 minutes on a rack |
| Bland flavor | Under-seasoned flour | Fry one test tender first, taste it, then adjust the flour |
| Soggy bottoms | Drained on paper towels | Drain on a wire rack |
Oh, and don’t touch them for the first minute in the oil. Let the crust set. Then flip.
Variations Worth Trying
Spicy KFC-Style Tenders
Spicy? 1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne into the flour, double up the hot sauce in the soak. Going Nashville-ish, I’ll ladle a bit of the hot frying oil into a heatproof bowl, stir cayenne and a pinch of brown sugar in, and slap it on with a pastry brush while they’re still sizzling.
Lemon Pepper Tenders
Lemon pepper is a sneaky good one. Toss the hot tenders in 2 tablespoons of melted butter and give them a good shake of lemon pepper seasoning. Funny timing, too, since Doritos just announced a Lemon Pepper chip coming in early 2027.
Gluten-Free Tenders
Need them gluten-free? A 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend works with the cornstarch here. Peek at the spice and hot sauce labels though. Wheat turns up in weird places.
Popcorn Chicken
Popcorn chicken: 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in the oil. Gone in, like, ninety seconds.
What to Serve With KFC-Style Tenders
Half of KFC is the dip, let’s be real. Comeback Sauce is creamy, tangy, a little zippy. My knockoff: 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons ketchup, a teaspoon of Worcestershire, a teaspoon of hot sauce, squeeze of lemon, pinch each of garlic powder, paprika and black pepper. Mix. Lick the spoon. Fiddle with it.
Sweet-salty fan? Cajun honey butter sauce. Kind of ridiculous, very good. Honey mustard, ranch, also never wrong.
Want the whole bucket experience? Mashed potatoes with this rich, lump-free gravy, some coleslaw, corn on the cob. Or crock pot mac and cheese if it’s that kind of night.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Tenders
Leftovers go in the fridge within 2 hours, in a sealed container. FoodSafety.gov says cooked poultry is good for 3 to 4 days. Freezing? Spread them on a tray till hard, then bag them, up to 3 months.
Please don’t microwave them, they’ll go soggy and sad. I reheat mine in the air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for 4 to 6 minutes, or on a rack in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 8 to 10. Give frozen ones a few more minutes, and make sure the middle gets back up to 165°F (74°C).
KFC Chicken Tenders FAQ
What are the ingredients in KFC chicken tenders?
Whole chicken tenderloins, breaded by hand twice in flour that’s mixed with KFC’s Original Recipe blend of 11 herbs and spices, then fried. To copy it at home you’ll want buttermilk-soaked tenderloins, flour, cornstarch, white and black pepper, paprika, celery salt, garlic, mustard, ginger and a few dried herbs.
What sauce is used for KFC chicken tenders?
When the Original Recipe tenders came out in the US, they launched with three house sauces: Comeback Sauce, Sticky Chicky and KFC Sauce. Comeback is the creamy, zesty mayo one. Australia and the UK got a much bigger sauce lineup in 2026, with stuff like hot honey and chimichurri ranch.
What are the 11 secret ingredients in KFC chicken?
KFC’s never told anyone. The guess people quote most comes from a 2016 Chicago Tribune piece: salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ground ginger and white pepper. KFC says that’s not it. It sure tastes close though.
What is the recipe for KFC Crispy Strips?
Crispy Strips were basically the older, extra-crunchy version of the tenders. Make them exactly like the tenders above, honestly. Soak, double coat, rest 10 minutes, fry at 350°F (175°C) for 4 or 5 minutes. Golden outside, 165°F in the middle, you’re there.
Can I make KFC chicken tenders without buttermilk?
Sure can. A cup of milk plus a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar, left 5 minutes, curdles a bit and behaves just like buttermilk. Got plain yogurt? Thin it with milk till it pours, also fine.
How long do you fry chicken tenders at 350°F?
About 4 to 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C), flipping once, until they’re deep golden. Chunky breast strips might need 6. Don’t guess, though: stick a thermometer in the fattest one and look for 165°F (74°C).
One Last Tip Before You Fry
Before you fry the whole lot, do one test tender. Let it cool a minute, cut it, check it’s 165°F, and taste the crust. Flat? Whisk another 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of white pepper into the flour. (Don’t taste the raw flour itself, it isn’t safe.) That one test piece is the difference between “nice” and “wait… this tastes like KFC.”
Make these this weekend and come tell me in the comments which dip won. If they turned out great, leave a star rating on the recipe card, it really does help other cooks find this. Pin it for game night. And go try that Cajun honey butter sauce while you’re at it.
