Copycat Cane's Chicken and Sauce

copycat canes nuggets and fries with texas toast and two sauces

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 1 45

This Cane's chicken copycat recipe delivers juicy, tender chicken with that crave-worthy crispy coating. Just like your favorite fast-food tenders at a fraction of the cost.

5 from 70 votes

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Ingredients

Chicken tenders

4 chicken breasts or 2lbs tenderloins
1 ½ cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, divided
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

For the Cane's Sauce

¾ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup ketchup
1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Prep:

Mix all the Cane's sauce ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Cut the chicken breasts into 3 vertical strips. If using chicken breast tenderloins, remove the tendons by sliding them through a fork.

Marinate

Combine the buttermilk and 1 ½ tablespoons of the Cajun seasoning inside a zip bag. Add the chicken strips, seal the bag, and mix to coat them with the liquid. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. The longer you can marinate, the better.

Coat them

In a shallow dish, combine the all-purpose flour with the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of Cajun seasoning. Remove a few chicken strips from the bag and place them in the flour mixture dish. Keep as much of the buttermilk marinade on the chicken as you can; this helps form those crispy flakes. Using your hands, press the flour onto the chicken to ensure it's well coated. Repeat this process with all the chicken strips, placing them on a tray as you go. When they're all done, wash your hands and discard the marinade.

Fry them

Fill a heavy-bottomed pot or skillet (with sides) with oil about halfway up the sides. Overfilling will lead to overflowing during frying. Heat the oil to 350F and once it's hot, use kitchen tongs to place 3 to 4 chicken strips in the hot oil. Cook the strips about 4 minutes per side. Remove the strips from the oil onto a wire rack or a baking sheet lined with several paper towels. Repeat the frying process with the remaining chicken strips.

Make it a meal

Air fry or bake crinkle-cut fries while you fry the chicken strips. Garlic Texas toast (found in the freezer aisle) also makes a great addition. Serve the chicken strips with the Cane's sauce.

Notes

Make buttermilk by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar (white or apple cider) or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Then, fill it to the 1 ½ cups line with regular milk. Stir and wait 10 minutes for the milk to curdle and become buttermilk.
Out of Cajun seasoning? Make your own with this recipe.

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