Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders Recipe — Jazz Leaf (2024)

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For a delicious and flavorful twist on traditional chicken tenders, try this Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders recipe! Made with tender chicken strips coated in a crispy breading and tossed in a tangy buffalo sauce, this easy recipe is perfect for game day or an easy dinner for the whole family to enjoy!

Why I Like This Recipe

• They are low-carb and paleo, making them perfect for any diet!

• There’s no breading, so they are light and stay really fresh for a few days. It’s great for meal prep!

• For meal prep freshness, I make these on Sunday, and my husband takes a few to work with him to snack on throughout the week!

• It’s easy to make and so quick in the air fryer!

• It's much healthier than deep frying, and it uses no oil! The air fryer gets them crispy and juicy on the inside!

Why You Will Like This Recipe

• It takes less than 30 minutes to make.

• You can make a big batch to have throughout the week!

• Great for beginners because it only takes a few simple ingredients & it’s easy to make!

• It’s juicy on the inside!

• They are gluten-free and nut-free!

• Perfect on top of a simple salad for the week!

Tips!

• Use your favorite buffalo sauce (mild, medium, or hot) just depending on your flavor preference!

• The seasonings add a depth of flavor. But if you were really short on time, you could omit the extra seasonings.

• The longer you marinate these, the better the flavor! If you have time, marinate these overnight. It will become super juicy!

• Use a spatula to turn them after 6 minutes in the air fryer; the tongs may remove some of the marinade, and you want to keep all the flavor on them!

• Serve air fryer chicken tenders with your favorite dipping sauce, like more spicy hot sauce, blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing!

What to Eat With These Buffalo Chicken Tenders?

• Serve these buffalo chicken tenders over a fresh salad.

• Enjoy them with some crunchy celery sticks for a refreshing and healthy snack.

• Pair them with crisp carrot sticks.

• These crispy buffalo chicken tenders are perfect for meal prep, allowing you to enjoy them throughout the week.

Flavor Customizations

• If you want to make it less spicy, use a mild buffalo sauce. If you prefer really spicy chicken tenders, use a spicy buffalo sauce.

Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken tenders

• 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Air Fryer Directions

Into a large bowl, add buffalo sauce, mayonnaise, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.

Mix it together until it is mostly smooth.

Add your chicken tenders into the bowl and mix to coat. Let this sit for anywhere from 10 minutes up to 24 hours. If you plan to marinate for more than 15 minutes, pop them into an airtight container in the fridge. Otherwise, keep them on the counter.

Preheat your air fryer at 375 degrees F for 4 minutes.

Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray, I prefer using avocado oil.

Place the marinated chicken tenders into a single layer in your air fryer basket. Make sure the tenders are not touching each other in the basket, this will allow for even cooking.

Air fry at 375 F for 12 minutes, flipping halfway. They are ready when the internal temperature, according to your meat thermometer, reaches at least 165 F.

Remove from the air fryer and let them cool before enjoying!

Finish with a sprinkle of parsley for garnish alongside your favorite buffalo chicken dip, like a blue cheese or ranch dip!

Oven Directions

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Into a large bowl, add buffalo sauce, mayonnaise, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.

Mix it together until it is mostly smooth.

Add your chicken tenders into the bowl and mix to coat. Let this sit for anywhere from 10 minutes up to 24 hours. If you plan to marinate for more than 15 minutes, pop them into an airtight container in the fridge. Otherwise, keep them on the counter.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the marinated chicken tenders into a single layer on your baking sheet. Make sure the tenders are not touching each other on the baking sheet, this will allow for even cooking.

Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway. They are ready when the internal temperature reaches at least 165F.

Let them cool before enjoying it!

Finish with a sprinkle of parsley for garnish alongside your favorite dipping sauce!

More Chicken Recipes!

• Persian Chicken

• 3 Ingredient Chicken Nuggets

• Chick-Fil-A Nuggets

• Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets

• Air Fryer Lemon Chicken

• Persian Chicken Kabob

Hey, I’m Jazz

I’m a nutritional therapist practitioner and spent 3 years as a personal chef to NBA athletes. Follow along for easy, attainable and healthy recipes in under 30 minutes!

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