Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders are a delicious low carb Airfryer recipe made with 3 simple ingredients. Spicy hot sauce and crunchy Panko breading create a perfect chicken strip for a healthy lunch or dinner.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are a household staple for our family when we are in a pinch. If we need a quick and simple dinner, we just toss some frozen chicken strips in our Airfryer. If I have an extra 5-10 minutes, I love to make homemade chicken tenders.
Now that we have two toddlers to feed, I prefer to give them as few processed foods as possible. This is why I made homemade Air Fryer Chicken Strips, so we could all enjoy the healthier option.
While they get the basic version of the classic, I like to spice things up with these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders. If you ask my kids what my favorite food is, they will say spicy. HAHA!
Air Fryer Boneless Wings
There is something about cutting up raw chicken that just really doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t know what it is but I just do whatever possible to avoid the task. Therefore for these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, I bought a pack of fresh chicken tenderloins that were already cut in the perfect size.
If you don’t have that same aversion, you can certainly buy boneless skinless chicken breast and slice them into one inch thick tenders. At the end of the day, it is totally worth it for these amazing Air Fryer Boneless Wings though!
Airfryer Chicken
Set up a breading station with a bowl of buffalo sauce, a bowl of Panko breadcrumbs and your chicken tenders. Be sure to pat your chicken dry before starting or the sauce won’t coat the chicken much.
The sauce is where all the flavor is at so that is a crucial step. Dip each chicken tender into the buffalo sauce and using your fingers, wipe off any excess. Roll the coated chicken in the Panko bread crumbs and carefully place in the Airfryer basket.
The cooking time for these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders will vary slightly based on how thick you cut your chicken tenders. I cooked my chicken for 20 minutes and the meat was perfectly tender while the breading was wonderfully crispy.
Low Carb Chicken Recipe
The best part about these chicken strips, which makes them healthier than their frozen counterparts, is the light breading. Instead of a thick coating of deep fried breading, these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders have a light Panko breading which makes for a great low-carb recipe.
If you are looking for a more complete healthy meal, these would be fantastic on the Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad. The crispy chicken strips paired with sharp white cheddar, fresh vegetables and a Light Bleu Cheese Dressing is a delicious combination of flavors and textures.
More healthy Air Fryer chicken recipes!
If you love a healthy homemade recipe in your Air Fryer as much as we do, be sure to check out some more of our favorites!
- Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Thighs
- Airfryer Baked Thai Peanut Chicken Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders
- Air Fryer Avocado Chicken Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Chicken Tikka Kebabs
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 c. buffalo wing sauce
- 2/3 c. Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch thick strips. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Pour the buffalo sauce into a small bowl. Add the Panko breadcrumbs to a seperate small bowl.
- Dip the chicken strips into the buffalo sauce and using your fingers scrape off the excess sauce. Place the dipped chicken in the bowl of Panko break crumbs and coat evenly.
- Carefully arrange the breaded chicken in your Airfryer basket. Cook at 300° for 15-20 minutes or the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°. Serve immediately.
Laura says
I’ve made these twice. The second time was better than the first. I added salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika to the pancko and put it in a ziplock bag. After I coated the chicken with the hot sauce, the chicken went in the plastic bag and shook the bag to coat. I also cooked the chicken at a higher temp for shorter time.
KAREN JONES says
deb johnson, nice idea on the pork rinds coating. makes ya think. lol. anyway, I wanted to say that the tarnished fork is making my teeth hurt. :)) Loving the original idea, but for my oven, and loving deb’s recommedation to try something besides bread. love love love!
Deb johnson says
These are in no way “ low carb” if you are on Low carb or keto substitute panko with pork rinds , which come in many delicious flavors such as hot and spicy, loaded baked potato and honey mustard wit ZERO carbs.
Sharon Sage says
We just got an oven that also air fries. I wanted to try chicken strips tonight and saw this recipe, so I gave it a try. WOW! They we amazingly tender and tasty! I highly recommend this recipe!
John K says
I mean…into the bread crumbs, throw some garlic powder, rosemary, a little salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan and enjoy it more!
Tonya says
I just tried this for a quick lunch & absolutely loved it! This is so easy and healthy! Thank you for sharing & would love to see more healthy air fryer recipes. Your blog is so cute!
Lisa says
My boys and I loved these. Super easy.
Jules says
These were SO good. I’m the same way – hate dealing with raw meat but sucked it up and cut the chicken breast and it was SO worth it. 🙂 Really nice to not deal with a typical egg wash too!
Have you ever prepped a bunch and froze them? I bought a pack of chicken breasts and didn’t use it all – wondering if it’s best to freeze and thaw the chicken to make them again or if I should try prepping all of them? (Although it’s very possible I finish the chicken eating this everyday this week).
Danielle Green says
So glad you loved them! I agree raw meat sucks working with, but worth it for a good recipe. I have prepped something similar in smaller form and it turned out pretty good, so I would give it a try prepping them all at once and freezing some. The arifryer provides hot enough heat that I think it would crisp up any breading that might otherwise get soggy from freezer moisture.
Ashtin Jackson says
I never leave comments on these but I just had to say that this recipe was so simple and delicious! My tenders came out perfect without any alterations to cooking it times! Thank you!!!
Danielle Green says
So glad you enjoyed them Ashtin!
Ashtin Jackson says
I never leave comments on these but I just had to say that this recipe was so simple and delicious! My tenders came out perfect without any alterations to cooking it times! Thank you!!!
Melissa B Howell says
Now I need to get an air fryer! I love that these have so few ingredients, no dip into an egg or milk bath, and are low carb!
Melissa B Howell says
Now I need to get an air fryer! I love that these have so few ingredients, no dip into an egg or milk bath, and are low carb!
Malinda Linnebur says
Love how easy this recipe is!! Thank you!
Malinda Linnebur says
Love how easy this recipe is!! Thank you!
Coleen Koehl says
Couldn’t believe how delicious these were with only three ingredients!
Julie Evink says
I’ve been wanting to try chicken tenders in my air fryer and these were delicious! Loved the extra kick!
Coleen Koehl says
Couldn’t believe how delicious these were with only three ingredients!
Julie Evink says
I’ve been wanting to try chicken tenders in my air fryer and these were delicious! Loved the extra kick!
2pots2cook says
Monday dinner it is !
2pots2cook says
Monday dinner it is !