Buffalo Chicken Tenders With Blue Cheese Coleslaw

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 6 medium celery ribs, trimmed
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed
• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 3 medium shallots, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 4 lbs chicken tenders or 4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cups panko breadcrumbs (japanese-style breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh italian parsley
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• peanut oil (for frying)
• 1 1/2-2 cups hot sauce (youk's or frank's redhot)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Recipe

• 1 coleslaw -- slice each celery stalk in half, then slice the celery very thinly on a bias at a slight angle; you should have about 3 cups.
• 2 fit a mandoline or benriner slicer with a medium-toothed (about 1/8-inch) shredding blade. cut the carrots in half and shred them; you should have about 4 1/2 cups. (if you don’t have a mandoline, you may use a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment, or use a sharp knife to cut carrots into halves or thirds depending on their length, square off the sides, and then cut them into matchstick-sized pieces.)
• 3 cut a v-shaped notch into the cabbage half on either side of the core to remove it, then cut the cabbage in half again, lengthwise. slice the cabbage pieces very thinly crosswise. combine the celery, carrots, cabbage, and shallots in a very large nonreactive mixing bowl or pot and set aside.
• 4 in another bowl, combine the vinegar, mayonnaise, and blue cheese, and mix well. season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. add the dressing to the vegetables and mix until evenly coated. cover and let marinate, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• 5 chicken tenders -- heat oven to 200°f if using chicken breasts, cut them on the bias into 1 1/2-inch wide strips.
• 6 in a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. place the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumb mixture in three separate shallow bowls (cake pans or pie plates work well). coat 6 or 7 chicken tenders with the flour. tap off any excess, then dip in the eggs, then the breadcrumbs, being sure to get an even coating. place breaded chicken on a large plate or sheet tray. repeat for all the strips.
• 7 heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and fill the bottom of the pan with 1/2 inch of peanut oil. (as you fry, add oil as needed to maintain the 1/2-inch depth.) heat oil to 350°f
• 8 add 6 chicken strips to the hot oil and cook until nicely browned on 1 side, about 3 1/2 minutes. use a slotted spatula or tongs to carefully turn them, and allow to finish cooking, about 2 to 3 minutes more. remove chicken from the pan and place on a baking sheet (preferably lined with a cooling rack); season immediately with salt and freshly ground black pepper. repeat for all strips. keep finished chicken tenders in oven turned to low to keep warm and crisp. do not stack on top of each other or they will lose their crunch.
• 9 combine the hot sauce and butter in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is completely melted.
• 10 when ready to serve, put chicken tenders in a large bowl and pour the sauce over them. toss them all together and serve immediately with the coleslaw.