Lillie’s Q Kettle Chip Crusted Smoked-Fried Chicken Tenders on the Traeger
In partnership with Lillie’s Q
For the big Eagles-Chiefs game, coming up in just a few weeks, we’ve been busy building recipes for the ultimate big game spread and these Lillie’s Kettle Chip Crusted Smoked-Fried Chicken Tenders are a touchdown for sure. From meats to veggies, we want to highlight things cooked on the grill, full of flavor, and easily eaten in a social setting like watching a football game. And no football watch party is complete without chicken and sauce, and the lineup of Lillie’s BBQ sauces, seasonings and chips take boring chicken tenders to the next level. Add this recipe to your Big Game menu- you won’t regret it!
SMOKED-FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS ON THE TRAEGER
You’ve heard of smoked chicken, and you’ve heard of fried chicken. But when you marry the two, you have the ultimate gameday delight. We love use this technique on all sorts of protein– from turkeys (check out this recipe) to chicken wings (this recipe coming soon)– foods that have been smoked first have an extra punch of flavor from the wood-fired fuel of the Traeger grill and that delicious, crispy outside and juicy inside that you love from fried foods.
Plus, when you smoke-fry foods using your Traeger, you have the ability to do so without getting your whole kitchen smelling like fried food. We love to use the Traeger Timberline XL’s integrated induction burner for this technique of smoking and then frying because it’s fun to cook outdoors, the cleanup is a breeze and your house is spared the smell of fried food.
For these Lillie’s Kettle Chip Crusted Smoked-Fried Chicken Tenders, we first smoked the pickle-juice brined tenders on the Traeger at 225* until they reached about 145* internally, and then breaded them up. This prevented the breading from getting mushy during the smoking process, and enabled us to build layers of flavor in each tender.
LAYERS OF FLAVOR
These smoked-fried chicken tenders really hit the spot because of the layers of flavor you create through the cooking process. Follow along for an explanation….
PICKLE BRINED
Some of the very best fried chicken around is pickle-brined chicken. There’s just something about using pickle brine on chicken that adds a depth of flavor and incredible moistness. As you know, dry-brined turkey is our go-to at the holidays, but in this situation, a wet-brine is the perfect application for chicken tenderloins.
The science behind a wet brine is that the salty mixture does multiple things to take your formerly-boring chicken to the next level. First, the salt in the brine adds flavor to the chicken while also helping to distribute additional moisture throughout the meat. The salty solution really can add great moisture throughout the meat. Additionally, the acidity in the pickle brine (vinegar!) is a meat tenderizer, making the chicken tenders tender and delicious. You can apply the same concept to tougher cuts of meat, brine it longer, and get equally-tender results.
LILLIE’S Q RUB
Once the chicken tenderloins were pickle-brined (we left them in only 30 minutes because we didn’t want them to become over-tender), we seasoned up each piece of chicken with a generous coating of Lillie’s Q Rub. This salt-based rub studded with freshly-ground pepper and garlic is such a delicious and versatile addition to my spice cabinet.
Applied just before smoking the chicken tenders, this rub gave us an amazing second layer of flavor that complimented the pickle brine and would be further enhanced by the smoke.
SMOKED ON THE TRAEGER
A half hour cook on the Traeger Grill, set to 225* with the Super Smoke feature enabled was the third step in our flavor journey for smoked-fried chicken tenders. We wanted to cook the chicken slowly to maintain the moisture and tenderness that was achieved through the brine. Additionally, adding some wood-fired flavor to these tenders would really set them apart from the normal chicken tender competition.
For a cook like this, using a pellet like hickory, apple, pecan or cherry adds some great slightly-fruity flavor without being overpowering. You want the chicken to par-cook and pick up flavor as it goes, but not end up tasting too strongly of smoke or wood fuel.
LILLIE’S Q KETTLE CHIPS
Often, chicken tenders are breaded in a flour mixture which turns out delicious but lacking something. For this recipe, we upped the ante on flavor by using Lillie’s Q Pimento Cheese Kettle Chips as the primary breading ingredient. Not only would crushed potato chips stand up well to shallow frying, but the addition of the pimento cheese just really takes the flavor to the next level. The chips are super cheesy, but subtle enough that you could definitely eat the whole bag without realizing it.
Rather, we took a whole bag of the chips and smashed them up into a coarse meal which was perfect for breading the smoked chicken tenders with. The variety of sized pieces– some fine as breadcrumbs and others a bit bigger, contributed to the tasty and varied texture of the final product. As I remarked to my wife, using crushed potato chips as a breading might be my new favorite food hack. They were so perfect on these smoked-fried chicken tenders.
LOTS OF SAUCE FOR DIPPING
For our final stop on the flavor train, we agreed that delicious smoked-fried chicken Tenders, hot off the Traeger, would be best served with a variety of sauces. Lucky for us, Lillie’s Q has a great lineup of sauces and we pulled three unique ones to accompany our crispy tenders.
The Honey Gold Tender Sauce from Lillie’s Q brought just the right amount of sweet and heat in this honey-mustard type sauce. Perfect for tenders, this mustard and honey- forward sauce is smooth, pourable and dippable and was the first gone from the platter.
Second, we served a bowl of Lillie’s Q Hot Buffalo Wing sauce with these tenders, to give our guests the flavor of chicken wings in an easier-to-eat format. This buffalo sauce is hot– just as the label suggests– and is definitely our new favorite. Next up, we’ll be giving it a go on wings for sure.
And finally, we put out the Lillie’s Q White Wing Sauce with these smoked-fried tenders, and it really packed the punch. It’s an amazing sauce– and pretty unassuming with its “looks like ranch” qualities. But this isn’t anything like that… it’s creamy, spicy and SO good. The White Wing Sauce is a spicy version of Alabama White Sauce and is so dang good. Just beware of the heat!
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Lillie’s Pimento Cheese Kettle Chips
- Lillie’s Q Rub
- Lillie’s Honey Gold Tender Sauce
- Lillie’s Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Lillie’s White Wing Sauce
- Chicken tenderloins
- Eggs
- Flour
- Oil
- Water
- Salt and pepper
WHY SMOKING AND FRYING CHICKEN TENDERS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
Using the Traeger grill for smoking and frying is a life hack that every at home cook should have. Not only does smoking on the Traeger add amazing flavor, but having the ability to shallow fry these chicken tenders on the Traeger cuts down on mess, smell and effort when you’re hosting for the big game.
Because Lillie’s Q is a legendary company in the BBQ world, it made sense to give these chicken tenders a couple layers of flavor using the Traeger. We first smoked them low and slow for about 30 minutes until they were 145* internally, and then used the induction burner to heat up oil for a shallow fry.
Tenders on the Traeger 
Shallow fried chicken tenders
STEP-BY-STEP
- Using a mesh sieve, pour 1 cup of pickle brine into a wide baking dish or pan.
- Add ½ a cup of water and mix well.
- Place the chicken tenders in the pickle juice and turn to coat.
- Cover the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your Traeger grill to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Remove the chicken tenders from the brine and arrange on a wire rack over a tray or cookie sheet.
- Season the tenders on both sides with Lillie’s Q Rub.
- Place the tenders directly on the grates of the grill and close the lid.
Smoke the chicken tenderloins for 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145*. - While the chicken smokes, prepare your breading ingredients.
- Put the Lillie’s Pimento Cheese Kettle Chips in a gallon sized ziplock bag and remove the air.
- Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, smash the chips until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs.
- Transfer the chip crumbs to a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl, add the flour and season liberally with Lillie’s Q Rub.
- In the third bowl, beat the eggs until well combined.
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet with about 1 inch of oil on the stove or Traeger induction burner.
- Remove the chicken from the grill.
- Working in batches, bread the chicken tenderloins by first coating each piece in flour.
- Then dip the floured chicken in beaten egg.
- Finally, cover the chicken tenderloins in chip crumbs, coating generously.
- Place the chicken tenderloins back on the wire rack as you bread them.
- Check the oil temperature to ensure it is about 350* for optimal frying results.
- In small batches, fry the breaded chicken tenderloins in the hot oil, turning once.
- Pull the chicken from the oil when the internal temperature reaches 165*.
- Place the cooked chicken tenderloins on a paper towel-lined plate briefly after frying and then transfer to a cookie sheet in the oven (at 200*) while cooking the remaining chicken tenderloins.
- Once all the chicken is cooked, arrange the Lillie’s Pimento Cheese Kettle Chip coated smoked-fried chicken tenders on a platter and serve with a trio of Lillie’s dipping sauces.
Serve with a trio of sauces 
White wing sauce for dipping
MORE BIG GAME INSPIRATION
Here are some other big game snacks to consider making for your upcoming gathering:
Products used in this cook:
- Lillie’s Q seasonings, chips and sauces.
- Traeger Timberline XL.
- Redbird Farms Jumbo Chicken Tenderloins
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out!
Leave a review below or snap a photo,
share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue
Smoked-Fried Chicken Tenders on the Traeger
Equipment
- Mesh sieve
- Traeger grill
- Baking dish or shallow pan
- Ziplock bag and rolling pin
- Wire rack and cookie sheet or tray
- Three shallow bowls for breading
- Cast iron skillet
- Tongs
- Paper towel lined tray
- Serving tray and bowls for sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bag Lillie’s Pimento Cheese Kettle Chips
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup pickle juice
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup Lillie’s Q Rub
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Lillie’s sauces for serving- Honey Gold Buffalo and White Wing sauced
Instructions
- Using a mesh sieve, pour 1 cup of pickle brine into a wide baking dish or pan.
- Add ½ a cup of water and mix well.
- Place the chicken tenders in the pickle juice and turn to coat.
- Cover the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your Traeger grill to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Remove the chicken tenders from the brine and arrange on a wire rack over a tray or cookie sheet.
- Season the tenders on both sides with Lillie’s Q Rub.
- Place the tenders directly on the grates of the grill and close the lid.
- Smoke the chicken tenderloins for 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145*.
- While the chicken smokes, prepare your breading ingredients.
- Put the Lillie’s Pimento Cheese Kettle Chips in a gallon sized ziplock bag and remove the air.
- Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, smash the chips until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs.
- Transfer the chip crumbs to a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl, add the flour and season liberally with Lillie’s Q Rub.
- In the third bowl, beat the eggs until well combined.
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet with about 1 inch of oil on the stove or Traeger induction burner.
- Remove the chicken from the grill.
- Working in batches, bread the chicken tenderloins by first coating each piece in flour.
- Then dip the floured chicken in beaten egg.
- Finally, cover the chicken tenderloins in chip crumbs, coating generously.
- Place the chicken tenderloins back on the wire rack as you bread them.
- Check the oil temperature to ensure it is about 350* for optimal frying results.
- In small batches, fry the breaded chicken tenderloins in the hot oil, turning once.
- Pull the chicken from the oil when the internal temperature reaches 165*.
- Place the cooked chicken tenderloins on a paper towel-lined plate briefly after frying and then transfer to a cookie sheet in the oven (at 200*) while cooking the remaining chicken tenderloins.
- Once all the chicken is cooked, arrange the Lillie’s Pimento Cheese Kettle Chip coated chicken tenderloins on a platter and serve with a trio of Lillie’s dipping sauces.
Leave a Reply