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Easy, tasty with a little bit of spice these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken tenders make the absolute perfect appetizer or dinner recipe that the whole family will love.

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

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 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.

Some of our favorite dishes that we love to serve with these Buffalo Chicken Tenders include Homemade French Fries, Cheddar Bacon Ranch Potato Salad, and Broccoli Pasta Salad.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

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

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):

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

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS:

If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat to 400°F.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and hot sauce until fully combined, set aside.
One at a time, place the tenders into the flour mixture and coat on all sides, shake off any excess. Place the tender into the egg mixture until fully coated, let any excess egg drip off. Place it back into the flour mixture and pack the flour on the tender to form a crust. Shake off any excess.
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. Spray the tops well with more olive oil spray, you want to make sure there are no dry patches.
Air fry for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. 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.
Place the cooked tenders into a large bowl. 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. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

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 Buffalo 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.

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.

HOW TO STORE:

To store these Buffalo Chicken Tenders 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.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

You can use chicken breasts cut in long strips instead of tenderloins.
Use your favorite hot or buffalo sauce depending on your spice liking.
These are very lightly spiced. If you do not like spice at all, leave out the hot sauce in the egg mixture and use an additional 1 tablespoon of water.
Even after spraying the air fryer basket well with olive oil spray, they tend to stick a little during the mid-way flip. I suggest using a spatula to turn the tenders over instead of tongs.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauces like ranch or blue cheese.

Want a delicious and easy recipe that will get your taste buds going? Then you need to make these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

If you’ve tried these AIR FRYER 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!

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10 Comments

Linda says:

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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.
Dana DeVolk says:

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SO glad you and your friend loved these! They are so easy, never have to buy frozen again 🙂
Dijon says:

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Very close to what I can get in a restaurant!! Great recipe! Curious if you have any tips to keep them crispy after tossing them in sauce. They got soggy. Still so delicious though!!
Jess says:

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I don’t think I’ve ever left a review for anything in my life, but these are AMAZING!! So delicious!! I will absolutely be making these again!
Bay Smith says:

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These are amazing! I just made these tonight but had to add like 10 minutes to my tenders because there were so many! They are crispy and tender! Will definitely make again!
Dana DeVolk says:

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So glad you loved them!!
Jillian says:

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Simple. Quick. Easy. DELICIOUS!
Taryn says:

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Yummy!!
Diane says:

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I have a question regarding your recipe. You have hot sauce mixed with water and eggs to coat them chicken tenders. Should it be cooked a little since there is egg in that mixture? I reread your recipe over and and I thought am I missing something or am I just tired.
Dana DeVolk says:

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No, the egg should not be cooked, they will cook in the air fryer

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders