Serves 4
For the Brine
1 Teabag
1 cup boiling water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon Pro Seasoning
2 cups ice
For the Tenders
2 Chicken breasts cut into 1 inch strips
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Pro Seasoning
1 cup of egg whites whipped until foamy
3-4 cups of canola oil or peanut oil for frying
For the Sauce
1 cup mayo
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
3 teaspoons grainy mustard
Method of Prep
To make the brine, boil 1 cup of water. Steep the teabag in the boiling water for about 10 minutes. Remove the teabag and discard. Stir Pro Seasoning and sugar into the tea, making sure that the sugar and salt have dissolved. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then add 2 cups of ice. Transfer brine to a nonreactive bowl or plastic bag. Brine needs to be below 41 degrees before adding chicken strips to the brine. Once the chicken strips are added to the brine, refrigerate over night (about 12-24 hours).
Remove chicken from brine and drain excess liquid. Discard all liquid.
To make the breading, mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Whip the egg whites in a separate bowl.
To make the sauce, mix all sauce ingredients together until smooth, set aside.
To fry the tenders, first dredge the chicken in the dry mix and shake to remove excess flour. Next, dredge the chicken in the egg whites. Dredge the chicken in the dry mix one more time (dry, wet, dry) and shake off excess flour. Fry tenders in 350 degree oil until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 3-5 minutes). Drain tenders of excess oil. Serve with sauce!