If you haven’t heard about Piada, it is a new Italian restaurant that is making its way into your communities. If you like Chipotle, you are going to love Piada. Their chicken tenders are an essential ingredient in many of their recipes, and I am going to show you how to recreate their chicken tenders at home.
Piada is a new restaurant in the Houston area. They are in other areas as well, so be on the lookout. They are an upscale fast food restaurant. Everything is made fresh before you. They do salads, Piada, soups, and desserts. Piada is an Italian sandwich you hold in your hands and eat. Are they good? Oh yes. I will also say their soups are some of the best soups around.
What makes their chicken tenders so good? Fresh ingredients make all of the difference. Fresh chicken tenders, buttermilk, and the perfect amount of seasoning make these delicious chicken tenders you can enjoy in a sandwich, or even on top of a salad, heck you might want to enjoy these on their own.
These chicken tenders are fried, so you are going to need vegetable oil for this recipe. People always ask what type of oil should they fry with? I honestly think peanut oil is the best for me, I have a fryer that I can filter the oil and use it again. I have also fried chicken with vegetable oil and even shortening, and it has all worked well. I think when you fry it is most important to have the oil at the right temperature. If you don’t have one, you can get a thermometer. Or you may want to invest in a fryer. These are easier to use.
I hope you give these a try. If you happen to be an area where there is a Piada, be sure to go in there as well. They have fantastic food.
Piada Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Place chicken tenders into either a gallon sized zip top bag, or a plastic container. Add buttermilk to the chicken tenders. Allow the chicken tenders to marinate for about 1 hour before using. Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Make the batter of the chicken by combining, the cake flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Stir to combine well.
- Batter chicken by removing from buttermilk, shake the chicken gently, then dredge through the flour, shake off the excess flour. I like to place my chicken on a wire rack for about 2 minutes before cooking, this helps to make sure the coating will stay on the chicken. Place chicken into the oil and cook until light and golden brown. This should take between 3 to 5 minutes. Do not over crowd your fryer.
Baltisraul
Another trick to keep the batter holding to the chicken is to place the battered pieces in the freezer for about 15 min then directly into the hot oil. Works like a charm and it cuts way down on the excess batter floating around in the oil afterwards. You need to add an extra minute to the frying time because the pieces are cold.
Stephanie
Great tip, I will have to give this a try. I haven’t ever done it before.
Baltisraul
Works great on any fried food but mushrooms will prove my point. I have always had trouble holding batter on mushrooms until I used the freezer trick.
Jacquie
In the recipe you mention cake flour as an ingredient which kind white or yellow?
Stephanie
Cake flour as in finely milled flour. I use Wondra, White Swan, or King Arthur brands.
Baltisraul
Have only used Wondra when making gravy but since we are doing the chicken strips tonight, Wondra it is.
Baltisraul
Turned out great. Frying time closer to 3 min than 5 min. I pounded chicken breasts into rather thin strips. Dipped in DIY Chili’s Honey Mustard Sauce.
Stephanie
I bet they were really good. I love the use of parsley in this batter. It is colorful and it adds a nice touch.
Hlynn
Cake flour isn’t just finely milled. There are other differences, cake flour has less protein (which effects the gluten makeup) is made with a softer kind of wheat,and sometimes contains cornstarch or baking powder depending on the brand.
Jacquie
I am very much interested in making this delicious dish but my only question is what kind of cake flour are you using – thanks fort the share.
Carl
I have been using “Chicken Tenders” for some time rather than cutting a perfectly good breast. Used them in a variety of dishes including salads.
This sound delicious, look forward to trying it.
Carl
Stephanie
I don’t like to cut up a chicken breast for these either.
George
I am the father of 5, 3 of which are now married, I started making rice pudding 66 years ago and do virtually all the cooking in my household. being from the deep south I do a lot of frying, for my deep frying I use peanut oil to the exclusion of any other Pan frying I will use lard (best flavor: esp: when used for pie crusts and tamales) olive oil, pecan oil, sesame oil, and butter depending on which flavor I want to achieve, when deep frying I use a 4 gallon dedicated fry/sauce pan and 3 gal peanut oil, I have a 6 gal stock pot I filter my oil into after 1 or 2 uses. I have a collapsible steel frame that holds a fiber filter cone into which I put 2 disposable filter cones disposing of the innermost one each use or 2 and placing a new one outside of the one left. The frame, inner filter and disposable filters can be purchased from a restaurant supply store/house or online. One must be EXTREMELY careful when pouring the oil from the pan through the filters into the stockpot, (which I always have placed in the sink). This solution works for me and is economically easier on me than a restaurant sized fryer which is what it would take to do a fried fish/shrimp/hushpuppy dinner/supper for 10 to 14 people and even with this set-up it can take a while. The smaller auto fry pans/pots work for cooks preparing for a smaller group, and I suppose there are kitchens where commercial fryers are in use, but as a marginally middle class income earner this is a good compromise. With my 5 kids and their college expenses there is no such thing as more money than month. Y’all have a good day.
Stephanie
You have this down. I am completely amazed. My Mom has an outdoor fryer that she has used in the past, I personally think that is the way to go. I live in the South, and you can use this a large part of the year. I think if you can keep that oil clean you can use it a few times without a problem. My first job in high school was at a Dairy Queen, we had to move the hot oil around, we filtered it, and then had to tote it outside for disposal in a disposal can for oil. That was hard dangerous work.
Robert Stewart
Stephanie,
Thank you for this recipe and the introduction to Piada. I have often wished that I had a fryer and I now want to make the investment. Can you tell me which one you have? The filter aspect appeals to me.
Stephanie
I have two, the Grand Pappy, no filter, they are priced reasonably, but they offer great heat stability, no filtration. I just got a T-Fal fryer with a filter. Still looking to try this one out. I have learned don’t use your regular pots the oil splatters and then gets caked onto the pans. You will spend a lot of time scrubbing your pots. It works ok once in awhile in a pinch.
Gil
When is the best time to filter oil? Should it be filtered immediately after use or should it cool to room temperature?