You can see the flavour. That golden crunch isn’t luck — it’s the buttermilk soak, the seasoned wet batter, the dredge, and the peanut oil fry working together in perfect order. Juicy as can be. Finished with Scorch Honey because anything less would be a crime.
These are the chicken fingers that make people stop mid-conversation.
The Peanut Oil Prophets have spoken.
Ingredients
Serves 2–4
The Buttermilk Soak
- 500g chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into thick fingers
- 300ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp Scorch Honey
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Himalayan Pink salt
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
The Wet Batter
- 120g all-purpose flour
- 60g cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt & black pepper
- 180ml cold sparkling water
The Dredge
- 200g all-purpose flour
- 50g cornstarch
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Himalayan Sea Salt & coarse black pepper
The Fry & Finish
- Peanut oil for frying — enough for a deep fry at 350°F
- Hawt Sawhcey Scorch Honey — generously, to finish
- Flaky sea salt to garnish
Method
1. The buttermilk soak
Combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken fingers and submerge completely. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours — overnight is the move. The buttermilk tenderises the meat from the inside out and seasons it all the way through. This is where juicy lives.
2. Build the dredge
Mix all the dredge ingredients together in a wide shallow bowl. This is your outer armour — the crust that shatters. Set aside.
3. Make the wet batter
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and all the spices. Add the cold sparkling water and whisk until just combined — a few lumps are fine. The carbonation in the water is what makes the batter light and craggly rather than dense and bready. Keep it cold.
4. The triple coat
Pull the chicken from the buttermilk soak, letting the excess drip off. Dip into the wet batter, coating completely. Then press firmly into the dredge on both sides — really pack it in. The wet batter acts as the glue between the buttermilk chicken and the crunchy dredge. That layering is what creates the craggy, jagged texture you see on the outside.
5. Peanut oil fry
Heat peanut oil in a deep heavy pot to 350°F (175°C). Peanut oil has a high smoke point and a clean, slightly nutty flavour that pairs perfectly with the seasoned crust — don’t substitute if you can avoid it. Fry the chicken fingers in batches for 4–5 minutes until deeply golden and cooked through to 165°F internal. Don’t crowd the pot — it drops the oil temperature and ruins the crust. Drain on a wire rack.
6. Scorch Honey finish
While still hot off the rack, hit each finger with a generous drizzle of Scorch Honey. The heat of the chicken pulls the honey right into the crust. Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. The sweet, spiced honey against the salty, crunchy buttermilk crust is the whole point. Don’t be shy with it.
Hawt Notes 🔥
- Overnight soak — 4 hours minimum, overnight maximum flavour. The buttermilk does real work given time.
- Cold sparkling water in the batter is the craggy crust secret. Warm water makes it dense. Cold + carbonation = shatter.
- Triple coat — buttermilk → wet batter → dredge. Each layer has a job. Don’t skip any of them.
- Peanut oil at 350°F — too low and it’s greasy, too high and the outside burns before the inside cooks. A thermometer is your best friend here.
- Wire rack always — paper towel steams the bottom and kills the crunch. Wire rack keeps air circulating all around.
- Scorch Honey while hot — don’t wait. The residual heat from the chicken is what makes the honey sink into the crust rather than just sitting on top.
🛒 Grab Scorch Honey — the finishing move the Prophets demand.