Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders

These Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders are one of my all-time favorites. They’re lightly breaded with a sweet and spicy buffalo sauce that pairs well with ranch for dipping, on sandwiches, in salads or straight out of the fridge for a quick and easy protein packed snack.

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A plate of crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders garnished with chopped green onions, served with celery, carrot sticks, and a bowl of ranch dipping sauce.

If I see crispy chicken tenders on the menu, I’m ordering them. These are every bit as spicy and flavorful as traditional buffalo chicken tenders but are air fried so no excess oil. The homemade buffalo sauce is spicy, salty and slightly sweet and can be used for all your buffalo needs. Try it with buffalo chicken bowls, buffalo chicken pasta or buffalo lasagna.

Serve with homemade ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing and a side of celery sticks and carrot sticks.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

Air fried vs. deep fried!
Simple ingredients.
Perfect for game day!

Ingredients and Substitutes:

These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See recipe card below for full ingredients list and instructions for homemade chicken tenders.

Various ingredients for Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders are arranged on a white surface, including raw chicken breast tenderloins, Italian breadcrumbs, butter, tapioca flour, lite syrup, an egg, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, and garlic powder. Labels identify each item.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: chicken tenderloins, chicken cutlets or chicken thighs.
Italian Breadcrumbs: adds flavor to the breading. You can use panko breadcrumbs for extra crispy tenders. If needed, use plain breadcrumbs and add salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
Tapioca Flour: cornstarch, potato starch, cassava flour or arrowroot at a 1:1 ratio.
Egg: keeps everything together.
Franks Red Hot: any hot sauce will do but I love Frank’s Red Hot for making any kind of buffalo sauce.
Lite Maple Syrup: regular pancake syrup, pure maple syrup or honey.
Butter: unsalted or salted works fine.

Variations

Adjust the spice level by adding cayenne pepper to the wing sauce.

Dietary Modifications

For gluten-free, use gluten-free bread crumbs.
For dairy-free, use a plant-based butter.

How to make air fryer buffalo chicken tenders (step-by-step visual):

Step 1: prep and cook the chicken

Prep your chicken by removing the tendon. You can do this by placing a fork between the tendon tip and putting the tendon up with a paper towel. The fork will slide down the tender and the tendon will come out. Discard the tendon. Place breadcrumbs on a plate. Tapioca flour on a separate plate and one whisked egg in a shallow bowl. Using a fork or your hands, coat the chicken pieces in tapioca flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs (image 1).

Transfer to a plate or directly into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Repeat the steps for all the chicken. Work in batches if you cannot fit all the tenders in the air fryer. Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray. Air fry at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Flip. Spray the other side with cooking spray. Cook for an additional 5 minutes (image 2).

Split image: Left shows bowls with flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs coating raw chicken strips. Right shows golden Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders in a basket, hot and crispy from the air fryer.

Step 2: make homemade buffalo sauce & toss

While the chicken is in the air fryer prep your buffalo sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pan over medium. Bring to a low boil and simmer while the chicken cooks (image 3). Stir often so the sides do not burn. Remove the chicken from the air fryer and transfer to a bowl for mixing. Top the chicken with the buffalo sauce (image 4). Be careful mixing the chicken with the sauce so the breading does not come off in the bowl.

A saucepan with orange buffalo sauce on the left (step 3), and a glass bowl with Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders coated in the sauce on the right (step 4), both on a white tiled surface.

Step 3: serve

Place the coated chicken on a plate. Pour any remaining sauce over top or in a small bowl for dipping. Sprinkle finely chopped green onions on top if desired and serve with your favorite dipping sauce (image 5).

A platter of saucy Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders garnished with chopped green onions, served with celery and carrot sticks, a bowl of creamy dipping sauce, and a glass of hot sauce on the side.

Expert Tip

Use one hand for the flour and the other hand for the egg wash and breadcrumb bowls. This will prevent the flour from getting in the egg bowl and making a mess.

Recipe FAQs

What to serve with this recipe?

Definitely ranch for dipping! These air fryer blackened chicken tenders are terrific on their own but great paired with Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes.

What air fryer do you use?

I have the COSORI Air Fryer Oven Combo 5.8QT Max XL Large Cooker, linked here. I do find it is pretty loud in the kitchen but it gets the job done and makes perfect chicken tenders.

Can I use another type of chicken?

Yes, this recipe is great with pre-cut tenderloins or chicken thighs for a higher fat cut of chicken.

Can I bake these?

Yes, follow the instructions as directed for the air fryer buffalo chicken tenders but place them on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 minutes on each side instead of air frying.

Check out some of our other easy air fryer recipes!

If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!