Air fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
These delicious crispy and hot air fryer Buffalo chicken tenders are a fantastic chicken main or appetizer. They are very tasty.
Servings 4
Calories 229kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Chicken tenders or chicken breast or 450 gm.
- ½ cup Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tbsp. water
Seasonings for flour
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. cayenne
Instructions
- Dry chicken tenderloins. If using chicken breasts, cut into similar sized strips and keep aside.
- Assemble seasonings for flour as well as for chicken tenders.
- Apply minced garlic, pepper and salt to chicken tenders. This is optional. I find that it makes them more flavorful.
- But, you can skip this step.
- Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne to the flour and mix well.
- Break 2 eggs in a shallow plate. Add 1 tbsp. water and beat lightly.
- Preheat air fryer at 360F or 180C for 5 minutes.
- Start breading chicken tenders. Dunk each tender in seasoned flour. Press well. Then shake to remove extra flour.
- Now dip it well in egg wash to cover well.
- Take it out and dip again in flour to form a nice coating.
- Repeat for other tenders. I could fit four tenders at a time in my air fryer basket. Hence, I took two batches.
- Spray olive oil or brush on air fryer basket.
- Place breaded chicken tenders in air fryer basket. Apply or spray olive oil so that all floured surfaces are covered on the tenders.
- Air fry at 360F or 180C for 10 minutes. Open air fryer basket. Carefully flip the tenders. You may use a spatula if the coating seems to be sticking.
- You could also use parchment paper to line air fryer basket to prevent sticking.
- After flipping the tenders, spray/brush oil to cover all floured surfaces. Air fry again at 360F or 180C for 8-12 minutes till the tenders are cooked.
- Use a meat thermometer in the densest part of the part. Its temperature must be above 165F for it to be cooked.
- Now, take out the crunchy chicken tenders.
- You can toss in Buffalo sauce or apply sauce all over them.
- Serve hot with ranch dressing or blue cheese dip along with celery and carrot batons. Enjoy your delicious Buffalo chicken tenders in air fryer.
- They are so good!
Notes
1. Spray with olive oil well so that no floury bits are visible on chicken tenders before air frying. After flipping, spray the other side too. That way your chicken tenders will be perfectly cooked.
2. Cut tenders of the same thickness or use precut tenderloins. This is for even cooking. 3. Since we are using chicken breasts, they can dry out easily. Using a meat thermometer helps in cooking them perfectly while keeping them moist. Internal temperature must be over 165F for chicken to be perfectly cooked.
4. I prefer to brush only the tops of the tenders. This is so that the bottom breading still remains crunchy. Another tip is to serve the Buffalo sauce on the side so that it can be dipped into or applied just before eating. Else the tenders will get soggy soon. 5. Do remember that both the breading and chicken tender marination have salt. Use altogether ½ tsp. only. If you want you can only add seasonings to the flour and skip the one on the chicken, though I personally find that it enhances the flavour.
Storage: After adding the sauce, the tenders will get soggy pretty soon. You could store in the fridge for upto 2 days, then reheat in the air fryer and serve. They may not get very crunchy though.
You can freeze these tenders and keep them in freezer for upto a month. Preferably, don’t apply the sauce when you are planning to freeze or refrigerate them. That way, they will be crispy on reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1375mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 413IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg