Dutch Oven Fried Chicken
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This Dutch Oven Fried Chicken is a crowd-pleaser with its crispy, flavorful coating and tender meat. It’s the perfect choice for a satisfying and delicious meal.
Fried chicken is a staple in pretty much every restaurant throughout the US. Every kid and almost every adult loves fried chicken, which is why in every restaurant, across every cuisine, you’ll find fried chicken as an option, at least on the kids’ menu.
This easy fried chicken recipe is so easy to make using simple ingredients for a tasty weeknight dinner that the whole family will enjoy!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
- Chicken: We’ll use either chicken tenderloins or thinly sliced chicken breasts. Tenderloins are naturally smaller and cook faster, while thinly sliced breasts give you more control over portion size. Choose whichever works best for you!
- Coconut Oil: This adds a subtle sweetness and lighter fats to the frying process. If you prefer, you can substitute another high-smoke point oil, like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Eggs: These act as a binder, helping the coating adhere to the chicken.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is perfect for creating our crispy breading.
- Lemon Zest: Freshly grated lemon zest adds a bright citrus flavor and pairs beautifully with the peppery notes. Dried lemon peel can be used in a pinch, but fresh is definitely best!
- Seasonings: We’ll use a simple blend of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to season both the chicken and the breading. Feel free to adjust these to your taste preferences.
Dutch oven fried chicken Recipe
Step 1: Set out two bowls. In the first bowl, add your flour, lemon zest and spices. In the second bowl, add your eggs and whisk well.
Step 2: Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Run each chicken strip through the flour mixture, then through the whisked eggs, and back through the flour mixture again. (see pictures below)
Step 4: Heat your oil in a dutch oven on the stovetop, then fry the chicken strips for 3 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through. Leave enough room so as not to overcrowd them.
Expert tips
I like to use a dutch oven for deep frying. It has tall sides to keep oil from splattering out, and they are so easy to clean! But, of course, a large saucepan or fry daddy will work just fine as well.
The double breading gives these chicken tenders a crispy coating without adding a lot of extra ingredients. I love double breading, as you can see in my fried meatball recipe.
If you like really crispy breading, you can add a third bowl filled with either crushed cornflakes, breadcrumbs, cornstarch, or even crushed Cheez-Its. Use this mixture to replace the second breading.
Recipe FAQs
All chicken must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F as measured with an instant internal thermometer.
You can definitely make this in a tall-sided skillet as I do with my fried pork chops, fried pork liver, and even cast iron fried drumsticks.
Chicken breasts and tenderloins all make an excellent crispy fried chicken. Tenderloins, in my opinion, are the most tender, while chicken strips are usually strips of chicken breast anyway.
While I personally prefer coconut oil, other great options include avocado oil, peanut oil, and canola oil. I’ve had great results with peanut oil when frying my dutch oven french fries.
What to serve with game-day chicken tenders
I hope that you love this recipe! It reminds me so much of my chicken fried venison! If you have tenderloins on hand and prefer a lighter option, be sure to check out my boiled chicken tenderloin recipe.
I love that it can be added to salads, rice, or any dish you can imagine.
Related recipes
If you tried this Dutch Oven Fried Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Dutch Oven Fried Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenderloins or thin-sliced chicken breasts
- ½ cup coconut oil or any high heat oil
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- zest from 1 large lemon
- ½ tsp sea salt plus some for the chicken
- ½ tsp ground black pepper plus some for chicken
- ½ tsp each of garlic and onion powder
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in the dutch oven on medium heat. Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
- Set out two bowls for the breading. In one, whisk in eggs. In the second bowl, add flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and the fresh lemon zest.
- Run each chicken strip through the flour mixture, then through the whisked eggs and back through the flour mixture again.
- Heat your oil in a dutch oven on the stovetop, then fry the chicken strips for 3 minutes per side and cooked through. Leave enough room so as not to overcrowd them.
Notes
- If you don’t have a dutch oven, a large saucepan or fry daddy will work just fine as well.
- The double breading gives these chicken tenders a crispy coating without adding a lot of extra ingredients.
- If you like really crispy breading, you can add a third bowl filled with either crushed cornflakes, breadcrumbs, cornstarch, or even crushed Cheez-Its. Use this mixture to replace the second breading.
Nutrition
