Tender chicken strips coated in a delicious and crispy breading, these Copycat Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers come with an addictive Creole sauce. Plus they are so easy to make. No deep fryer? No problem!
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Copycat Cane’s Chicken Strips
Raising Cane’s is famous for the most wonderfully crisp and delicious chicken strips, and this recipe serves up awesome copycat strips! Fried in vegetable oil, these juicy strips come out golden brown and delicious, they are utterly addictive!
You can deep fry these beauties or use a large walled pan like a Dutch oven.
Looking for more chicken recipes? Why not also try my Crockpot Chicken Fajitas and my Baked BBQ Chicken!
Why You’ll Love this Chicken Fingers Recipe:
- A Real Crowd-Pleaser: Perfect for parties, game day. Kids and adults will love them.
- Homemade Dipping Sauce: Made with mayo, ketchup, creole seasoning, and Worchester sauce – make a big batch of this, it’ll go quick!
- Seasoned Breading: The crispy coating is so delectable! Made with paprika, onion powder, garlic, and breadcrumbs. Plus it has the perfect crunch!
This is such an easy party food recipe, you’ll be coming back to it again and again!
Trademark Note: In the spirit of transparency, I want to note that some of this recipe is a copycat version of a trademarked product. Raising Cane’s is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to.
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How to Make Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Cut your chicken breasts into strips.
- Using a zip-top bag, coat your chicken in the buttermilk marinade. Place in fridge overnight.
- Whisk your sauce ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready, dredge your chicken in egg then coat in your breadcrumb mix.
- Working in batches fry the chicken strips.
- Serve with the sauce and enjoy!
Creole seasoning is a spice blend commonly used in Southern recipes that includes paprika, garlic, onion, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne, and more. It’s what gives this Raising Cane’s chicken its unique and recognizable flavor.
Absolutely! Chicken tenders are a great way to save prep time in this recipe.
Instead of using a deep fryer, use a Dutch oven or other deep pot. Heat the oil to 350°F and fry the chicken, increasing and reducing the heat as needed to maintain 350°F.
The buttermilk’s acidity is essential for tenderizing the chicken fingers. To make your own buttermilk, measure 1 cup of milk, remove 1 tablespoon of it, and mix in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
This time in the refrigerator allows the sauce flavors to mingle and the chicken to tenderize. At a minimum, refrigerate the sauce for at least 6 hours and let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours.
Make Ahead Instructions
For best results, give yourself 2 days to make these chicken fingers. Prepare the marinade and sauce on day 1, refrigerate overnight, and fry the chicken on day 2. Serve immediately for super crispy chicken.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover chicken fingers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Freezing Instructions
To freeze, arrange the cooked chicken tenders on a baking sheet and and freeze until hard, about 1-2 hours. This ensures that the tenders do not stick together. Transfer to an airtight container or zip-top bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to Reheat Chicken Fingers
For extra crispy leftover chicken, store the chicken separately from the sauce. When ready to reheat, remove the chicken from the refrigerator 20 minutes prior to baking. Heat oven to 400°F and set a wire cooling rack onto a baking sheet. Place the chicken pieces on the rack and bake for 20 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
What to Serve with Chicken Fingers
For a classic meal, serve copycat Raising Cane’s chicken fingers with fries, Texas toast, and coleslaw. For a healthier alternative, try baked sweet potato fries or serve the chicken fingers atop a crunchy salad.
More Copycat Recipes We Love
- Copycat McRib Sandwich
- Iced Honey Almondmilk Flat White (Starbucks Copycat)
- Olive Garden Salad with Copycat Dressing
- Fiesta Lime Chicken (Applebee’s Copycat Recipe)
Chicken strips made tender from a buttermilk marinade and then coated with a super crunchy, seasoned breading – accompanied by an additive creole dipping sauce – what’s not to love! This is such an easy chicken recipe, the perfect party food – made for game day and good times!
More Fried Chicken Recipes to Try:
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe
- Oven Fried Chicken Breast
- Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- Korean BBQ Chicken
- Air Fryer Fried Chicken
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Copycat Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise store-bought or homemade
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning store-bought or homemade
- Pinch kosher salt
For the Breading
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1½ cups breadcrumbs
Recommended Equipment
- Deep Fryer (optional)
- Dutch Oven (optional)
- Deep Frying Thermometer if using Dutch Oven
Instructions
- On a clean work surface, cut the chicken breasts into ¾-inch strips. Place the chicken breasts in a large Ziplock bag.1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Pour the buttermilk, salt, and ground black pepper over the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade around the chicken. Refrigerate overnight.1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup ketchup, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning, Pinch kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- When ready to fry the chicken, set a colander in the sink. Drain the chicken strips in the colander.
- Preheat a deep fryer to 350°F. Set out two plates and line one with paper towels. Set aside.vegetable oil
- Set up a breading station with three shallow bowls. Whisk the eggs in one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and white pepper together. Spread the bread crumbs in an even layer in the third bowl.2 large eggs, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1½ cups breadcrumbs
- Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, dip in the eggs, and coat with bread crumbs. Place each strip on the clean plate and repeat with the remaining strips.
- Working in batches, fry the chicken strips in the hot oil for 6-9 minutes, or until golden brown and 165°F in the center. Transfer cooked chicken strips to the paper towel-lined plate. Serve with the sauce and enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- DIY Buttermilk: To make your own buttermilk, measure 1 cup of milk, remove 1 tablespoon of it, and mix in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
- No fryer? No problem! Fry these chicken fingers in a Dutch oven or other high-walled pot.
Nutrition Information
I only had 30 minutes to let the chicken sit while I made the sauce and got the breading ready and it was still great! I thought I would save some for leftovers for tomorrow night but they’re all eating it cold right from the fridge for a snack.
Does it have to sit overnight or would an hour and a half be ok?
Hi Leanne, we recommend at least 2 hours!
About how many fingers do you get per serving?
Hi Elizabeth, a serving is 2-3 chicken fingers!
About how many fingers do you get per serving?
Hi Matthew, a serving is 2-3 chicken fingers!
Can you cook these in an air fryer?
Hi Angie, this recipe was really designed for deep frying, so I am not confident you’d get the same results in the air fryer. We do have an air fryer chicken finger recipe (click here) that you might enjoy!