These air fryer buffalo chicken tenders are made by coating chicken tenderloins in breading, air frying them until golden brown, and then tossing them in your favorite buffalo sauce. They're perfect for game days, meal prep, or as a main course with your favorite side dish.
We cook chicken at least 3 times a week. And these air fryer chicken tenders tossed in buffalo sauce have recently been on our weekly menu rotation. The air fryer cooks them to perfection with much less oil and zero mess, so you do not have to deal with the hassle of deep frying.
We always make buffalo chicken tenders with mild or medium buffalo sauce, but you can easily adjust the spice level to your preference. Just like Buffalo chicken wings, we love serving these chicken tenders with homemade blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing for dipping, along with carrot and celery sticks on the side.
Looking for more delicious chicken tender recipes? Try our baked chicken tenders (no breading), boiled chicken tenders (great for meal prep) or crispy air-fried chicken tenders.
What makes air fryer buffalo chicken tenders so good
- Less oil: The air fryer uses significantly less oil while still delivering perfectly crispy food.
- Bold flavors: the buffalo sauce adds heat and tanginess.
- Versatile: serve them as a party appetizer, a main dish, or add them to wraps and salads.
Ingredients
You can find the ingredients quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken tenderloins: you can find chicken tenders (tenderloins) at the grocery store. They are not the same as chicken strips. Chicken strips are slices of chicken breasts. Chicken tenders are a separate part of the chicken breast, the tenderloin. It is a small strip of meat located under the breast.
- Seasonings: I used salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
- All-purpose flour: flour absorbs excess moisture and creates a dry surface, so the egg wash sticks better.
- Eggs and water: use for egg wash, 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: hot cayenne sauce ( I use Frank's RedHot) and butter.
Recipe instructions
Pat dry and season 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 pepper.
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: 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 the sauce is not spicy enough, add about ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cook frozen chicken tenders in the air fryer. Cook them for about 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Once cooked, toss them in buffalo sauce.
Yes, you can skip the breadcrumbs. You can also make them with almond flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
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.
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