Crunchy Lentil Chicken Tenders
★★★★★
PREP TIME
40 minutes
COOK TIME
20 minutes
MAKES
12 chicken fingers
Ingredients
2 cups
red lentils
1 teaspoon
garlic powder
1/2 cup
all-purpose flour (bleached or unbleached)
1/2 cup
buttermilk
2
large eggs
12
(1 to 1 1/3 pounds) boneless chicken tenders
2/3 cup
neutral oil (like sunflower or avocado), for pan-frying
2 tablespoons
Old Bay seasoning
2 tablespoons
light brown sugar
1/2 cup
ketchup (I love Sir Kensington brand)
1 tablespoon
runny honey
1/2 teaspoon
curry powder
Instructions
- Use a spice grinder to grind the lentils till they’re more or less the size of sesame seeds. Some will turn powdery, some will remain their original size—that’s OK. Aim for somewhere in the middle, taking care not to process them to a flour. Grind in 2 to 3 batches as needed and pour the ground lentils into a shallow bowl. Season with the garlic powder and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Add the flour to a small bowl and season with a small pinch of salt.
- Whisk the buttermilk and eggs along with a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.
- Blot-dry the chicken tenders with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon of each).
- Set up a dredging station in this order from left to right: chicken, seasoned flour, egg mixture, ground lentils, and a half sheet pan. Shake one piece of chicken in the bowl of flour to coat. Dip into the egg mixture. Fish it out, letting any excess egg drip back into the bowl, then drop into the bowl of ground lentils. Turn the chicken around so it’s well coated, then transfer to the sheet pan.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders, then let them rest for 15 minutes.
- While the chicken is resting, stir together the Old Bay seasoning and brown sugar in a small bowl and set it by the stove. Whisk together the ingredients for the curry ketchup in a small serving bowl. Set up a wire rack with parchment or paper towels beneath to catch any drips.
- Heat the oil over a medium heat in a 10-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron. To test if it’s ready for frying, dip the end of a wooden chopstick into the oil. If a lot of small to medium bubbles fizz around the chopstick, you’re good to go!
- Pan-fry the chicken, 3 to 4 pieces at a time. Fry for 3 minutes on the first side, then flip carefully and give them another 3 minutes. At this point, the chicken should be cooked through and the lentils will have fried to a crackling golden brown. Remove the tenders to the wire rack.
- Whilst the chicken is still hot, toss the spice sprinkle all over it.
- Serve right away with the curry ketchup for dipping. A plate of crunchy, spicy dill pickles alongside is just the ticket.
