Bucket O' Chicken with Ranch Dip

Ingredients

4 cups buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, grated
A few dashes of hot sauce
4 tablespoons (a large palmful) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons (a large palmful) fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons (about a palmful) fresh chives, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds chicken tenders
Canola oil

2 cups flour, plus more as needed
8 to 12 scallions, depending on size, trimmed of roots
1/2 cup sour cream
Assorted sliced vegetables, such as seedless cucumbers, celery and carrots

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix together the buttermilk, garlic, hot sauce, parsley, dill, chives and lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place in a shallow dish or large disposable plastic bag. Pour about 1/3 of the buttermilk ranch over the chicken pieces then cover the dish with plastic wrap or seal the bag and marinate for 10 minutes or up to an hour in the refrigerator. Reserve the remaining buttermilk dressing in the fridge.

To cook up the chicken, place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add an inch of canola oil to your pan and get it hot. Place two high-sided dishes on the counter and fill one with flour and the other with 1/3 of your reserved buttermilk ranch. Dip the trimmed scallions into the buttermilk ranch, then into the flour; then back into the buttermilk ranch and back into the flour. Once they're double-coated, shallow fry them in the oil until they are golden brown on each side, then place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining scallions.

When the scallions are finished frying, repeat the process with all the chicken strips, adding more flour to the dish as needed.

While the last batch of chicken tenders is cooking up, stir the sour cream into the remaining reserved buttermilk ranch and transfer it to a serving dish. Put your chicken strips and scallions in a bucket and serve the dipping ranch and sliced veggies alongside.