Crispy Barbecue Chicken Tenders — The Recipe Soo-Jin Taught Me to Make Standing at the Counter

The column this week: 'The Military Wife Pantry.' A guide to stocking a pantry on a budget — the staples every military kitchen should have: rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, canned beans, chicken broth, olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce. The foundation of every meal in the binder. I wrote it because Mom told me to. She was right. Six thousand views. More than any column I've written. People want to know about pantry staples. People want the reassurance of a full pantry. (In three weeks, everyone will want a full pantry. In three weeks, the commissary shelves will be empty. But we don't know that yet.) Caleb is sixteen months old and has entered the 'helper' phase, which means he wants to participate in everything I do, including cooking. He stands on a step stool at the counter (plastic, $8, Target) and 'helps' by stirring things with a wooden spoon, pouring things (onto the counter, not into the bowl), and eating raw ingredients before they make it into the recipe. He ate a raw piece of onion this week. His face was EXTRAORDINARY. The forty-seven expressions compressed into four seconds of shock, betrayal, and rage. He looked at me like I had personally offended him by leaving an onion within reach. 'That's onion,' I said. 'NO,' he said. His favorite word. His most-used word. His word for everything that is wrong with the world, including onions. I cook with him every night now. He's not cooking — he's observing, touching, tasting, learning. The way I observed Mom. The way Mom observed Grandma Carol. The kitchen education that starts with 'hot' and 'no' and eventually becomes chicken and dumplings. Ryan's been in field exercises more — three nights out this month. The base is ramping up training. Nobody says the word 'deployment,' but the training increase is the language that precedes it, and military wives learn to read that language the way you read weather. Soo-Jin and I made Korean fried chicken together — her mother's recipe, crispy double-fried, with a gochujang glaze that's sweet and spicy and the kind of thing that makes you want to eat standing at the counter. The chicken was extraordinary. I added it to the binder. Volume one is getting thick. Mom called. 'Did you stock up on canned goods?' 'Yes, Mom.' 'Rice?' 'Twenty pounds.' 'Good girl.' She knows something. Donna Abernathy, who has survived three deployments and five PCS moves, reads the world the way I read recipe cards: with instinct and experience. And her instinct says: stock up. I stocked up. Twenty pounds of rice. Thirty cans. Pasta for days. Better to have it and not need it. Mom's rule. Always Mom's rule.

The night Soo-Jin came over with her mother’s recipe, I didn’t write anything down — I just watched, the way Caleb watches me, absorbing it through proximity and repetition. Later I rebuilt it from memory into something I could actually pull off on a Tuesday with a toddler on a step stool: crispy chicken tenders with a sweet, sticky, spicy glaze that scratches exactly the same itch. It’s the recipe I reach for when I need something that tastes like comfort but eats like a celebration — the kind of thing you absolutely make standing at the counter, because it’s too good to wait for a plate.

Crispy Barbecue Chicken Tenders

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders (or boneless chicken breast cut into strips)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 cups)
• For the glaze:
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as gochujang or sriracha)
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken. Place chicken tenders in a bowl and pour buttermilk over them. Let soak for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Make the dredge. In a shallow bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper until well combined.
3. Make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine barbecue sauce, honey, soy sauce, hot sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir and heat until just warmed through and slightly thickened, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy skillet or Dutch oven to about 1 inch depth. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F. A pinch of flour dropped in should sizzle immediately.
5. Dredge the chicken. Remove each tender from the buttermilk, letting excess drip off, then press firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides. Set on a wire rack and let rest 5 minutes — this helps the coating adhere.
6. First fry. Working in batches, fry the tenders for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until pale golden and just cooked through. Remove to a wire rack. Do not crowd the pan.
7. Second fry (the crispy secret). Once all tenders have been fried once, increase oil heat to 375°F. Return the tenders to the oil in batches and fry a second time for 1–2 minutes until deep golden brown and audibly crispy. Drain on the rack.
8. Glaze and serve. Toss the hot tenders in the warm glaze to coat, or serve the glaze on the side for dipping. Serve immediately — standing at the counter is encouraged.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 870mg