Learn how to make these air fryer buffalo chicken tenders with only a few ingredients, ready in under 30 minutes. Such a perfect dinner or appetizer idea if you love chicken in Buffalo sauce.
How Buffalo Style Chicken Won my Heart
Chicken with Buffalo sauce was actually the first American food I truly fell in love with after the first bite. Maybe, it's because New York was the first city I lived in the Unites States, which is the state where Buffalo chicken wings were born in Buffalo city. It is just so good that I truly always crave that spicy, tangy tasty all the time. I love Traditional Buffalo chicken wings and make them often, but my kid prefers boneless chicken, so tenders are now very popular at our home. We love serving them the classic way with homemade blue cheese dressing for dipping along with homemade french fries, carrots and celery sticks on the side. And yes, I prefer my house-made blue cheese, as store bought do not taste as good to me.
With this recipe, you will stop getting your chicken tenders from the frozen section. Homemade tenders are so much better and easy to make with the help of my favorite air fryer. When I made them for the first time, my family thought I actually fried them. But nope, there are made with less oil so you will feel good serving them to your family.
Looking for more chicken tenders recipe ideas? Try our baked chicken tenders (no breading), boiled chicken tenders (great for meal prep and dips) or crispy air-fried chicken tenders.
Nataliia
Why this Recipe Works
- Made with less oil: Air fryer mimics deep frying but with only a little bit of oil needed to create a golden and crispy crust. The chicken comes out just as good as fried.
- The sauce is added after cooking: we do not want to ruin the crispy coating, so the chicken is tossed in the sauce after cooking.
- Versatile: serve them as a party appetizer, a main dish, or add them to wraps and salads.
- Perfectly cooked: the air fryer cooks at higher heat, which keeps the breading crispy while sealing the moisture so the chicken stays juicy inside.
Recipe Ingredients
You can find the ingredients quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken tenders: you can find raw chicken tenders (tenderloins) at the grocery store. They are not the same as chicken strips, but you can use them instead.
- Seasonings: I used salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
- All-purpose flour: As a first breading layer, makes it adhere better.
- Eggs and water: so the breading sticks to the chicken.
- Breadcrumbs: you can use regular or Italian breadcrumbs. For crispier results, use panko breadcrumbs.
- Non-aerosol cooking spray: I used avocado oil spray without aerosol. Aerosol sprays spray may damage the non-stick coating of the air fryer basket.
- For homemade buffalo sauce: I used hot cayenne sauce ( I use Frank's RedHot) and butter.
Recipe instructions
Prep the chicken: Pat dry chicken tenders with a paper towel. Place them on a cutting board and sprinkle on both sides with salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. We want the chicken get seasoned as well.
Note: I never remove tendon or extra fat because where I grew up we simply do not do it(small secret: they add more flavor to the chicken).
Prepare your breading station: you will need shallow dishes. Dish one: flour; Dish two: whisked eggs and water; Dish three: breadcrumbs.
Dredge the chicken tenders and place them back on a cutting board. Take one seasoned chicken tender and coat it lightly with flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the floured chicken in the egg wash, letting any excess drip off. Finally, transfer the chicken to the bowl with breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs gently into the chicken so that they stick better. Carefully, place the dredged chicken tender on a cutting board. Repeat the process with the rest of the meat.
Air fry for 10-12 minutes: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes. Take out the air fryer basket and spray it with the non-aerosol cooking spray. Arrange chicken tenders in the air fryer basket in a single layer. You may need to cook them in batches. Spray the tops with cooking spray.
Air fry chicken tenders for 4-6 minutes at 400°F, flip them over, and air fry for another 6 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Prepare buffalo sauce: in a small saucepan, add hot sauce, butter, and a little bit of brown sugar. Heat it up until the butter melts.
Toss the chicken tenders: Add them to the large bowl and drizzle them with the prepared sauce. Do not pour all of it, but add gradually so you do not overdo it. Toss the tenders so they get evenly coated with the sauce.
Note: you can also use a store-bought Buffalo sauce.
Air fry for an additional 1-2 minutes (optional step): if you would like to give the tenders a crispy finish with the sauce sticking better, air fry them for an additional 2-3 minutes at 375° F. Be careful not to burn the sauce.
Recipe tips
- Make ahead tip: you can bread the chicken and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 hours before cooking.
- It is best to serve these buffalo chicken tenders right away.
- For extra crispy tenders, use panko bread crumbs.
- You may need to cook them in batches if you have a basket-style air fryer.
- Use the meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is fully cooked.
- If you like them spicy, add about ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the seasoning.
How to store and reheat
Store leftover buffalo tenders in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They might not be as crispy when reheated but they still taste delicious.
To preserve their crispiness, I recommend reheating them in the air fryer or oven. You can also spray them lightly with extra oil before reheating.
I do not recommend freezing chicken tenders after tossing them in the sauce.
But you can easily freeze fully cooked tenders without the sauce and add it when ready to eat.
Variations and Substitutions
- Chicken: there is not need to overthink it and if you cannot find chicken tenderloins, just grab chicken breasts and slice them into strips. You can even use boneless chicken thighs, but cutting them into smaller pieces, it's gonna basically similar to boneless wings.
- No breading: if you do not want those extra calories, just skin the breading. Generously coat the chicken in seasoning and oil, air fry it until fully cooked. coat in the sauce.
- Gluten-free option: There are so many gluten-free flour and even bread crumbs options these days. If you do not feel like looking for one, I know that a double coating of almond flour works really well for this recipe. Just use one layer instead of flour and one instead of breadcrumbs.
- Sauce option: you can use the sauce you love the most. I have tried many of them and still prefer making my own using the Frank's original red hot, butter and a little bit of sugar.
Frequently asked questions
Chicken tenders come from a small, tender strip of meat attached to the chicken breast. Chicken strips are made my cutting the chicken breasts into thin slices. Both are great to use for making this recipe. But chicken tenderloins have a little bit more flavor and they have more classic chicken tender shape most people expect.
To prevent the sauce from making the chicken soggy, toss already fully cooked chicken tenders and serve them immediately. You can also air fry them for an additional 2-3 minutes at 375°F after tossing them in the sauce to crisp them up.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- 3 shallow dishes
- 1 cutting board or large plate
- 1 Air fryer I used Ninja XL
- 1 instant-read thermometer
- 1 large bowl
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups plain bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- cooking spray or oil*
Homemade buffalo sauce ingredients
- ¼ cup cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, such a Frank's original red hot.
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes. Remove chicken tenderloins from the packaging, place them on a cutting board and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Set your breading station with three shallow dishes. In the first dish, add ¾ cup all-purpose flour . In the second shallow dish, whisk together 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon water . In the third dish, add 2 cups plain bread crumbs .
- Season 1 pound chicken tenderloins with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika , ¼ teaspoon onion powder , ¼ teaspoon garlic powder , and ¼ teaspoon black pepper on both sides.
- Take one seasoned chicken tender and coat it lightly in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the floured chicken tender into the egg mixture, followed by the breadcrumbs. Use your hands to press the breadcrumbs into the chicken, so that they stick better. Place breaded chicken on a cutting board. Repeat the process with the rest of chicken tenders.
- Spray breaded chicken tenders with some cooking spray on both sides, while they are on the cutting board.
- Spray the basket with cooking spray or brush it with oil. Add 3-4 breaded chicken tenders to the air fryer, making sure they have some space in between. Air fry the chicken tenders for about 6 minutes at 400°F (air fryer setting). Take out the basket, flip them, and air fry for another 4-6 minutes or until golden brown and their internal temperature reaches 165°F. Cook the remaining tenders the same way.
- Place cooked chicken tenders in a large bowl and toss them gently in warm Buffalo sauce. Optional step: return chicken tenders to the air fryer and cook them for 2 minutes at 375°F .
Homemade buffalo sauce instructions
- In a small saucepan, add ¼ cup cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, and 2 tablespoons butter . Heat it over low heat until butter melts.
Notes
Nutrition
Oven instructions
If you do not have air fryer and still want to avoid frying them in oil, I recommend baking chicken tenders in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ Bread the chicken using flour, eggs and breadcrumbs following the first 5 steps of the recipe card.
- Please a rack on a baking pan. Arrange breaded chicken tenders on the baking rack. Spray them lightly with oil. Bake chicken tenders for about 20-22 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165℉.
- Toss them in a buffalo sauce and serve. You can also bake them for another 2-3 minutes if you like the sauce glazed.
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