Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders Recipe

Easy, tasty with a little bit of spice these Buffalo Chicken Tenders made in the air fryer make the absolute perfect appetizer or dinner recipe that the whole family will love.

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When it comes to chicken wings or buffalo chicken tenders I’m always about the buffalo. I love the heat that it gives, and I do not shy away from heat at all.

HERE IS WHAT OUR READERS ARE SAYING:

“Really easy and delicious. I made them a friend last night and she asking me “you really made these?” She did not know Buffalo tenders could be home made, she always gets them in the freezer section (yuck). Thanks for the great recipe, it’s a keeper for me.” – Linda

These Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders are the perfect balance of the heat for me, plus they are made in the air fryer which really crisps them up and is an alternative to baking or frying. 

I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, the air fryer is awesome! If you do not own one I highly encourage you to get one, they are able to make so many things that it is crazy.

These crispy buffalo chicken tenders are one of my favorite recipes that we make in ours. My whole family enjoys them. We make them for dinner or appetizers for game night, dinner parties, etc.

They are an all-around great recipe that we can’t get enough of and everyone seems to like so I will always take that as a win. Plus half the time people don’t even know they were air fried.

So they are a little bit healthier because you are not frying these in oil, which I love. But they are still a nice indulgent recipe that we can call comfort food.

Heck, that’s the best kind of comfort food. Am I right? Bring on the Buffalo Chicken Tenders!

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1. With minimal ingredients and time, these come together quickly.
2. You can choose your heat with what hot sauce or amount that you toss these in.
3. Double this recipe if you are having a party or a larger dinner.

• All-purpose flour
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Eggs
• Water
• Hot sauce
• Chicken tenderloins
• Buffalo sauce
• Olive oil spray

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1. If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat to 400°F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and hot sauce until fully combined, set aside.
4. One at a time, place the tenders into the flour mixture and coat on all sides, shake off any excess.
5. Place the tender into the egg mixture until fully coated, let any excess egg drip off.
6. Place it back into the flour mixture and pack the flour on the tender to form a crust. Shake off any excess.
7. Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray, place the tenders not touching into the basket, you may need to do this in batches.
8. Spray the tops well with more olive oil spray, you want to make sure there are no dry patches. 
9. Air fry for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
10. After flipping, spray with more olive oil spray. Chicken tenders are ready when they are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F.
11. Place the cooked tenders into a large bowl.
12. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the buffalo sauce, depending on how spicy you like them. Gently toss the tenders in the sauce. You can also brush them with the sauce.
13. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. 

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See, that isn’t hard at all, is it? Just look at that nice crispy coating on that chicken.

You would never believe that it came out of the air fryer, they look like they are deep-fried.

But nope, all credit goes to the air fryer! And it really creates a nice and crunchy coating that does hold the sauce really well without flaking or falling off.

DO I HAVE TO USE CHICKEN TENDERLOINS?

We like to use chicken tenderloins the best, but you can also use chicken breast and cut them into longer thinner strips to create your own chicken tenders.

We do this sometimes when we are craving these spicy chicken tenders but don’t have tenderloins on hand and just have regular boneless skinless chicken breasts.

So do not fret if you do not have tenderloins or cannot find them, chicken breasts are the next best substitute, and the cooking time should not change at all.

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Look at that sauce on these, it just makes me want to grab through my screen and take a big bite of them, they really are that good, I promise!

WHAT KIND OF SAUCE SHOULD I USE?

We use buffalo sauce for these, different brands may label them differently but normally we use Fanks Buffalo sauce which is slightly different than their hot sauce.

If you cannot find buffalo sauce, you can use hot sauce such as Franks, Crystals, store brand, etc. There really is no right or wrong to the sauce that you use.

Just use something that you really like the taste of and that you can tolerate, you can go milder or hotter if you like.

Since this uses buffalo sauce in the egg mixture and then coated it gets a nice dose.

ANY ADDITIONS?

Bring on the flavor, texture and everything in between!

• Panko Bread Crumbs: Add panko bread crumbs to the breading mixture in your shallow dish for extra crunch and super crispy chicken tenders.
• Parmesan Cheese: Mix grated Parmesan into the flour mixture for a cheesy flavor boost.
• Chili Powder: Sprinkle some chili powder into the seasoning for an extra kick in your spicy buffalo chicken tenders.
• Ranch Seasoning: Incorporate ranch seasoning into the flour mixture for added zest.
• Brown Sugar: Add a touch of brown sugar to the buffalo wing sauce for a sweet and spicy glaze.
• Blue Cheese Crumbles: Top your cooked tenders with blue cheese crumbles for that classic buffalo wings experience.
• Celery Sticks: Serve with celery sticks and ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing on the side—perfect for game day snacks.
• Melted Butter: Mix melted butter into the buffalo sauce for a richer flavor.
• Cayenne Pepper: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the seasoning for an extra spicy kick.
• Buffalo Chicken Salad: Chop up the tenders and toss them into a buffalo chicken salad for a delicious main dish.

ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?

I love having options for you. This list should get your brain working!

• Almond Flour: Use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour for a low carb option.
• Vegetable Oil: Replace olive oil spray with vegetable oil spray if that’s what you have on hand.
• Boneless Chicken Tenders: If you can’t find actual chicken tenderloins, boneless chicken tenders or sliced chicken breasts work just as well.
• Regular Bread Crumbs: Substitute flour with regular bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs for a different texture in your breading mixture.
• Soybean Oil: Use soybean oil cooking spray as an alternative to olive oil spray.
• Hot Sauce Alternative: Swap out the hot sauce in the egg wash for extra buffalo wing sauce for more intense flavor.

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To store this Buffalo Chicken Tenders recipe we place them in an airtight container like a ziptop bag or Tupperware and they should last in the refrigerator for about 1-2 days.

After that they will go soggy which you don’t really want, you can always reheat in the oven to crisp them up or in the air fryer for about 3-5 minutes.

You can also freeze this recipe if you have any leftovers, make sure they are fully cooled first then place in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer where they will keep for up to about 1 month.

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Want a delicious and easy recipe that will get your taste buds going?

Then you need to make these Buffalo Chicken Tenders!

If you’ve tried these BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!