I absolutely love this Air Fried Chicken Tenders Recipe! Who doesn’t love crispy chicken tender dredged in a decadent sauce? But sometimes I don’t want all the calories that come with this guilty pleasure. I have to say I’ve now mastered the crispiest chicken tender with only half the calories! It’s moist, crispy, and most importantly super easy to make!
It’s the New Year and many of us are trying to start the year off right by eating healthier and getting in shape. By us I definitely mean me LOL! But one thing I always struggle with is finding healthy foods that still satisfy my cravings. Well, this Air Fried Chicken Tender recipe definitely makes the cut! It’s on your table in under thirty minutes and will definitely become a new family favorite!
Our Air Fried Chicken Tenders Ingredients:
Chicken Tenders: You want to choose normal size chicken breasts and not the thinly sliced. Thin tenders will dry out quickly in the air fryer.
Flour: You can use any flour or even gluten free flour.
Cornflakes: This is what’s going to give you that crunch without all the calories or the need to deep fry.
Eggs: We need eggs to make sure our delicious breading sticks to our chicken tenders.
Buffalo Sauce: I’m making a buffalo sauce but you can use store bought if you are tight on time.
Barbecue Sauce: I’m also making my own barbecue sauce but you can also buy your favorite from your local grocery store.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders
- 2 lbs chicken breast 3 large chicken cutlets
- 2 cups of flour
- 3 cups cornflakes I actually had to make two batches of the cornflakes breading for the 4 servings (12 tenders).
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- 3 tbsp Trader Joe's onion salt blend or onion powder do not sub for regular onion salt because it's too salty
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- Oil spray
Bbq sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 cups ketchup
- ¼ cup seedless blackberry preserves
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke optional
- 1 tbsp dry spice rub of your choice i used the Trader Joe’s coffee bbq spice rub
Buffalo Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- ½ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- 1.5 tbsp white vinegar
- ¼ tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Start by slicing your chicken cutlets in threes.
- Season your chicken with olive oil, chipotle powder, 1 tbsp of paprika, 1 tbsp of onion powder, and 1 tsp of salt.
- Season your flour with 1 tbsp of onion powder.
- Lightly crush your cornflakes by hand and season with 1 tbsp of onion powder and 1 tbsp of paprika.
- Beat your eggs and add in your tsp of hot sauce.
- Bread your chicken by dredging in flour, followed by egg, followed by cornflakes. Make sure to fully cover with the cornflakes.
- Spray your tenders with oil and Air Fry at 400F for 18 minutes or until cooked. Be careful not to overcook and dry them out.
Buffalo Sauce
- Start by heating your butter and then adding in your garlic. Saute until aromatic. About two minutes.
- Add in the rest of your ingredients and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Barbecue Sauce
- Combine all your ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for five minutes or until all ingredients are combined to taste.
