These air fryer buffalo chicken tenders are the perfect gameday appetizer or easy dinner option for the whole family. This air fryer recipe requires less than 10 simple ingredients, and the whole process takes about 20 minutes from prep to plate. Plus, no need for breading stations or pots of oil for deep frying.
Why Make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
There are so many reasons to make this air fryer buffalo chicken strips recipe. But, here are my top few:
- Perfect appetizer and easy dinner: These air fried buffalo chicken tenders are the perfect appetizer for game day and an easy dinner option for any day of the week. Plus, you can add them to things like buffalo chicken wraps or buffalo chicken tacos for a meal.
- Easy recipe with simple ingredients: Making buffalo chicken tenders in the air fryer is easy and requires a few basic ingredients.
- No breading and breading process: This recipe doesn’t involve breading. So, it is a low-carb and healthier alternative to fried chicken tenders. But, you also don’t have to go through the trouble of making an egg mixture or setting up a breading station with a seasoned flour mixture or panko crumbs.
Ingredients Needed
Making these buffalo chicken tenders without breading doesn’t require much. Here’s the full list of ingredients to gather:
- Chicken Tenderloins: I’m using raw chicken breast tenderloins that I picked up from the grocery store. I remove the tendons using this easy tutorial. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into strips.
- Natural ancient sea salt: Optional
- Black pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Avocado oil
Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- Butter: Unsalted
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact ingredient amounts.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer
- Mix the spices in a small bowl. Remove the tendons from the chicken breast. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken breast tenderloins to a large bowl with the spices and oil. Toss to coat the chicken evenly.
- Place the seasoned chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket and air fry at 400 for 10-12 minutes.
- Mix the sauce ingredients, toss the cooked chicken into the sauce, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Serve. Leftover sauce can be served with the chicken in a dipping cup.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Mix the spices in a small bowl: Mixing the spices before adding them to the meat, helps the spices distribute on the meat evenly.
- Remove tendons: Tendons can be tough even after cooking.
- Salt is optional: To be able to control the salt content since the buffalo sauce contains some salt, too.
- Preheat the air fryer: Preheating the air fryer helps get a golden brown sear on the meat.
- An option for crispy low-carb tenders: Use my keto chicken tenders with the homemade buffalo sauce.
- You can also use breaded chicken tenders from the grocery store, like air fryer frozen chicken tenders.
- Increase the heat: If you want spicy hot sauce, you can add a dash of cayenne pepper or ghost pepper flakes to the buffalo sauce.
Storage & Leftovers
Refrigerate leftover chicken tenders in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Suggestions For Toppings & Garnishes
- A small bowl of blue cheese dressing, leftover buffalo sauce, or ranch dressing
- Celery sticks
Soggy tenders may be due to low cooking temperatures or an overcrowded air fryer basket. You can preheat your air fryer and be sure to give your chicken tenders space in the air fryer basket.
Cook buffalo chicken tenders in the air fryer for about 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees. The cooking time will vary based on whether or not you add breading.
Yes, but they’ll take longer to cook.
More Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Bites
- Buffalo Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Breasts
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs Chicken breast tenderloins
- 1/4 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt optional
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
Buffalo Sauce
- 1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce
- 1 tbsp Butter unsalted
Instructions
- Mix the spices together in a small bowl.
- Remove the tendons.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken breast tenderloins to a large mixing bowl with the spices and oil. Toss to coat the chicken evenly.
- Place the seasoned chicken tenders in a single layer on the air fryer basket.
- Air fry 400 for 10-12 min, the goal is to cook them through.
- Mix the sauce ingredients.
- Toss the cooked chicken into the sauce, allow it to rest for 5 minutes, and serve. Leftover sauce can be served with the chicken in a dipping cup.