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Fried chicken tenders, corn salad and jalapeño ranch fill these soft tacos with cooked bacon. The chicken’s buttermilk is split equally between marinade and breading dip, while the dressing has its own separate allowance. Prepare the cold components before frying so assembly can move quickly.
Use three-quarters cup with the pickle brine for the chicken marinade and three-quarters cup with hot sauce for the breading dip. The separate quarter cup listed later belongs to the ranch dressing. Do not borrow dressing liquid to make up the chicken quantities.
Ingredient amounts and preparation
- Set out: 1.5 pounds chicken tenders
- Set out: 1 cup pickle brine
- Set out: 1.5 cups buttermilk, split use
- Set out: 1.5 cups plain flour; 1/4 cup cornstarch
- Set out: 1 tbsp garlic powder
- Set out: 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- Set out: 2 tsp kosher salt
- Set out: 2 tsp ground onion; 2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- Set out: 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- Set out: 2 tbsp hot sauce
- Set out: Peanut or vegetable oil for frying; 5–6 grilled corn cobs, shucked
- Set out: 1/3 cup mayo
- Set out: 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- Set out: Juice and zest of 1 lime
- Set out: 1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced; 1/3 cup crumbled Cotija
- Set out: 2 tbsp minced cilantro
- Set out: 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- Set out: 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp chili powder
- Set out: 1/4 tsp fine sea salt; 3/4 cup mayo
- Set out: 3/4 cup sour cream
- Set out: 1 tbsp dried ranch mix
- Set out: 1/2 tsp granulated garlic; 1/2 tsp salt
- Set out: 1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos
- Set out: 2 tbsp brine from pickled jalapenos
- Set out: 1 tbsp lime juice
- Set out: 1 tbsp chopped cilantro, stems removed; 1/4 cup buttermilk (or regular milk if needed)
- Set out: Flour wraps
- Set out: 1 bacon strip per taco, fried crispy and chopped
- Set out: Neutral oil for frying tortillas; Lime slices for serving
Cooking sequence and doneness
- Stage 1
- Mix pickle brine with three-quarters cup of the chicken’s buttermilk.
- Stage 2
- Add tenders and refrigerate at least two hours. Prepare the corn salad in a clean bowl from the cooked kernels and its listed dressing ingredients, then chill.
- Stage 3
- Blend the ranch’s pickled jalapeños, brine and cilantro, then mix with its mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch seasoning, garlic, salt, lime and up to the separate quarter cup buttermilk.
- Stage 4
- Keep the ranch chilled. Mix flour, cornstarch and chicken breading spices in a shallow dish.
- Stage 5
- Combine the remaining three-quarters cup chicken buttermilk with hot sauce in another dish.
- Stage 6
- Drain chicken and discard marinade, then coat in flour, dip in buttermilk and coat again. Fry in small batches in oil at about 350°F until thick centers reach 165°F, then drain on a rack.
- Stage 7
- Warm or lightly toast the flour wraps with a little neutral oil until pliable.
- Stage 8
- Fill each with a cooked tender, corn salad, ranch and a strip of already cooked crumbled bacon. Serve immediately with lime and refrigerate spare toppings promptly.
Keep corn salad and ranch dressing in clean bowls with separate utensils. Discard the chicken marinade and any flour or dip left after breading. None of those raw-chicken mixtures becomes a table sauce. Use the five to six cooked grilled ears listed, then cut off kernels after cooling enough to handle. Mix with the corn salad’s mayonnaise, garlic, lime, scallions, Cotija, cilantro, jalapeño and seasonings. Chill promptly while the chicken is prepared.
What determines the number of tacos?
The method uses one tender and one cooked bacon strip per taco, so the count depends on tender size and the wraps chosen. Set out enough wraps for the actual cooked pieces. Extra corn salad and ranch can be served separately and refrigerated promptly. Use a deep heavy pan with room above the oil and a suitable thermometer. Heat oil to about 350°F and cook in small batches, letting it recover between them. Check each thick tender reaches 165°F; crust color alone is not enough.
How long does this take?
The chicken needs at least two hours of refrigerated marinating before coating and frying. Make the corn salad, dressing and bacon during that wait. The total is not a short weeknight skillet time, especially if frying several batches. Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly in shallow containers at 40°F or below; do not wait for a large hot batch to cool completely on the counter. University of Illinois Extension’s leftover guidance gives a three-to-four-day refrigerated window and 165°F for reheating foods served hot. Keep cold salads and toppings chilled, and follow shorter product-label limits where applicable.
Related recipe choices
For another complete recipe, see Chicken Rice Bowls with Chili-Lime Corn and Cotija or Baked Chicken Taquitos with Cream Cheese and Salsa. Each has its own ingredient quantities and cooking sequence; keep those measurements separate when choosing a meal. USDA’s temperature guidance specifies 165°F for poultry, including ground chicken and turkey. Thermometer placement guidance explains checking the thick center rather than relying on surface color.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- How is the buttermilk divided?
Use three-quarters cup with the pickle brine for the chicken marinade and three-quarters cup with hot sauce for the breading dip. The separate quarter cup listed later belongs to the ranch dressing.
- Which sauces must stay away from raw chicken?
Keep corn salad and ranch dressing in clean bowls with separate utensils. Discard the chicken marinade and any flour or dip left after breading.
- How should the corn be prepared?
Use the five to six cooked grilled ears listed, then cut off kernels after cooling enough to handle. Mix with the corn salad’s mayonnaise, garlic, lime, scallions, Cotija, cilantro, jalapeño and seasonings.
- What determines the number of tacos?
The method uses one tender and one cooked bacon strip per taco, so the count depends on tender size and the wraps chosen. Set out enough wraps for the actual cooked pieces.
- How is frying managed?
Use a deep heavy pan with room above the oil and a suitable thermometer. Heat oil to about 350°F and cook in small batches, letting it recover between them.
- How long does this take?
The chicken needs at least two hours of refrigerated marinating before coating and frying. Make the corn salad, dressing and bacon during that wait.