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Raising Cane’s Chicken Tenders and Sauce

When you’re craving the perfect, bite of chicken with a crispy and flavorful exterior and juicy, tender chicken on the inside, you absolutely have to make the best chicken tender recipe out there- Raising Cane’s Chicken Tenders and Sauce!

These fried chicken tenderloins are so delicious and are the perfect thing to dip into the homemade dipping sauce. Guys, this copycat recipe is not only easy to make for those busy days, but it’s one that the kiddos will LOVE- no complaining allowed!

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Did you know July 27th is National Chicken Finger Day!?!?! Now you can celebrate the day with the best Raising Cane’s Chicken Tenders copycat recipe! Make a batch of french fries at home and you’ll have the full quick dinner on the table without having to visit a Raising Cane’s restaurant. If you want more chicken recipes, we have a handful that you must try.

If you’ve been to the Raising Cane’s restaurant, you know this cane’s chicken tenders recipe is going to be finger-licking good!

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • These Cane’s Chicken Tenders and sauce are made using pantry staple ingredients- stuff you already have in the kitchen cabinets
  • Can be made with other cuts of chicken, like chicken nuggets
  • Loved by kids and adults
  • If you’ve ever been to a Raising Cane’s restaurant, you know how popular these tenders are!

Ingredients Needed

Get more info on these common ingredients in the recipe card below.

  • Chicken breasts
  • Oil 
  • Buttermilk 
  • Egg 
  • Garlic powder 
  • Flour 
  • Cornstarch 
  • Baking soda 
  • Italian bread crumbs 
  • Black pepper 
  • Kosher salt 
  • Smoked paprika 
  • Garlic powder 
  • Onion powder 

Raising Cane’s Sauce Ingredients

Here’s what goes into that yummy sauce.

  • Mayonnaise 
  • Ketchup 
  • Worcestershire 
  • White vinegar
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper

How to Make Raising Cane’s Chicken Tenders and Sauce

Make the marinade for the chicken strips and marinate them for a minimum of 2 hours. The easiest way is to make the marinade and transfer it to a ziptop bag and place the chicken tenders in there also.

When ready, set up a dredging station. One bow for a flour mixture, one for buttermilk mixture, and a wire rack for cane’s chicken tenders to rest on.

Heat the oil over medium to high heat.

Remove chicken from marinade

Dip into the seasoned flour mixture, then dredge into the seasoned buttermilk blend, and finally dip back into the flour mixture to coat well.

Place seasoned and coated chicken on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes to rest as you wait for the oil to finish heating up.

Test your oil to make sure it’s hot enough. If it is, carefully place chicken tenders in the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked.

Make the sauce by stirring the sauce ingredients together. Serve sauce with crispy chicken tenders and enjoy!

How to Make Copycat Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Sauce

In a small mixing bowl or shallow dish, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and white vinegar using a whisk.

Once it is all mixed, serve alongside your fried chicken.

Storage

Homemade Chicken Tenders

Any leftover Raising Cane’s Chicken fingers should be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days. The crispy exterior will start to get soggy over time, so the sooner you can enjoy them, the better.

To reheat these, I recommend using the oven or frying in oil again. The microwave will just make the crispy breading soggy, the oven and oil will have better luck crisping up the chicken again.

Cane’s Dipping Sauce

If you have any leftover homemade raising cane’s sauce, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. You could also store it covered in a small bowl. This amazing sauce is so good, sometimes I make a little extra so I can dip other leftovers into it also.

Tips and Variations

  • If you are out of canola oil, you can use vegetable oil in its place. However, you will not get the dark golden brown color that the canola oil gets you.
  • Place some paper towels under the wire rack while the chicken rests before you fry them to collect anything that may drip from the tenders.
  • You can use a cast iron skillet, heavy skillet or just a dutch oven that can hold the oil well to use for frying the chicken.
  • I know it may seem like a long time to wait the 2 hours while the chicken marinades, but it is totally essential. In fact, if you have the time, let the tenders marinade overnight it will really make the flavors pop.
  • If you like spicy chicken tenders, serve these tenders with some hot sauce and canes sauce.
  • In place of Italian bread crumbs, you can use Panko bread crumbs. It may change the flavor slightly but will still be delicious.

How do I know when the oil is hot enough?

To test the oil, you can drop some flour in the oil. If the oil sizzles, then it’s hot enough to fry the cane’s chicken fingers in.

Why is my chicken still raw in the middle?

This usually happens if your oil is too hot. If the oil was heated on higher than medium-high heat it will fry the outside and possibly burn the breading while simultaneously not cooking the inside fast enough. You can, and should always use a meat thermometer to ensure that it is safe to eat. The internal temperature of cooked chicken should be 165F.

Isn’t it amazing how you can take simple ingredients and create something soooo delicious like these Raising Cane’s Chicken Tenders and Homemade Sauce. Add this easy recipe to your meal prep repertoire and make dinner time a breeze.

Raising Cane's Chicken Tenders and Sauce Copycat Recipe

Raising Cane's Chicken Tenders and Sauce Copycat Recipe

Looking to make a delicious fast food favorite at home? We have you covered with this Raising Cane's Chicken Tenders and Sauce recipe!

Prep Time 18 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 4-5 cups Canola Oil

Marinade

  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder

Flour Mix

  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • All of seasoning blend (minus 1 tbsp for the dredge)

Dredge

  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp seasoning blend

Raising Cane's Sauce

  • 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1⁄4 cup ketchup
  • 1⁄4 cup Worcestershire
  • 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1⁄2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar

Instructions

  1. Combine marinade ingredients, and marinate the chicken strips chicken strips for a minimum of 2 hours in the refrigerator.
  2. Set up a dredging station: flour, buttermilk, flour, wire rack to rest
  3. Begin to heat your canola oil over medium high heat.
  4. First remove the chicken from the marinade.
  5. Dip into the seasoned flour mix.
  6. Dip into the dredge (3/4 cup buttermilk + 1 tbsp seasoning blend)
  7. Dip back into the flour mix and coat well.
  8. Place on wire rack to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.
  9. By this point the oil will be ready for the chicken.
  10. To test it, drop a little flour over into the oil. When it sizzles the oil is hot enough.
  11. Cook for 3-4 mins per side or until fully cooked.
  12. To make Raising Cane's Sauce, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and white vinegar using a whisk In a small mixing bowl or shallow dish.

Notes

If the oil is too hot it will fry the outside and leave the inside raw, this is why it is important to stick with medium/high heat.

Canola oil gives it a beautiful brown color and crunch, vegetable oil is also acceptable.

The marinade is key and should not be skipped. For a deeper flavor marinade over night.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 5183Total Fat: 559gSaturated Fat: 43gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 509gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 1360mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 22g

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