There are certain dishes every southerner should have in her cooking toolbox. Fried chicken is one of them. Right? A few days ago, I fried a batch of buttermilk honey chicken tenders, a slight twist on everyone’s favorite comfort food. I’ll confess I’m not the neatest cook, nor the most accomplished. Far from it! But I’ve learned a few tips over the years that I’m happy to share with you.
Growing up, I was surrounded by a host of fabulous family cooks—my Momma, both grandmothers, and too many aunts to mention here. Yes, the men in our family grilled a juicy steak and deep fried a mess of catfish pulled straight from the Mississippi River. But the women? They were the ones who masterfully wielded the cast iron skillet. At least once a week, our menu included buttermilk fried chicken.
Back then, I never paid much attention to the details of all that chicken being fried. It seemed to happen rather naturally while my sister and I played outside. When Momma stuck her head outside and called us in to eat, we raced to the back porch, breathing in warm, salty smells before we laid eyes on the platter of fried chicken. Momma untied her apron and casually draped it over her chair the same way she slipped her shoes off after church.
Later, when I tried to make my own fried chicken, I learned there are a few essential tricks of the trade. Today, I’m sharing my buttermilk honey chicken tenders recipe along with tips and common pitfalls of frying chicken. Read more HERE.
Talya is a Delta girl who grew up making mudpies on her family’s cotton farm in Northeast Arkansas. She blogs at Grace, Grits and Gardening and has been published in Arkansas Review, Front Porch Magazine, and Delta Crossroads Magazine. Her debut novel, The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, recently placed as a National Indie Book Award Finalist for regional southeast fiction. She loves to cook and believes most any dish can be improved with a side of collard greens.
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