These are the perfect crispy chicken fingers, crispy, golden and delicious. Air fryer buffalo chicken tenders are so simple to make, and such a crowd pleaser. Kids and adults alike will love these. They freeze really well and can also be oven baked!
Why make these air fryer buffalo chicken tenders?
They are utterly simple to make, and totally hit the spot when you are craving crispy chicken.
Air fried or baked chicken tenders are healthier than traditional fried chicken strips.
The cornflakes coating keeps these crispy and delicious, and gives them a beautiful golden color.
You can omit the buffalo sauce to make these less spicy and they’ll still be delicious
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction, an always trusty source for great recipes.
What ingredients do you need for these?
Chicken breasts cut into strips or chicken tenders: They’ll both work really well! When using chicken breasts, I get my butcher to cut them into strips for me to reduce the prep work.
Cornflakes: For coating the chicken
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika: Just a few spices that offer a big flavor punch
Flour: To dredge the chicken with
Buttermilk or milk, and an egg,: To mix together to make an egg wash that’ll help the cornflakes stick to the chicken really well.
Buffalo sauce or chili sauce: I like adding a little to the egg wash for a little kick, then using more to coat the air fried chicken tenders with after cooking.
Note: I coated half the cooked chicken strips in sauce, and left the other half plain for my young kids to enjoy!
How to prepare buffalo chicken tenders in the air fryer:
I’d start off by preheating the air fryer to make sure it’s nice and hot once your chicken is ready to be fried.
If you have a smaller air fryer, you can work in batches.
Start off my coating the chicken strips in a shallow bowl or deep plate filled with flour. Shake off excess flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and hot sauce well. Coat the floured chicken strip in the egg wash thoroughly. Next step is to dip the egg covered chicken in a bowl of crushed cornflakes, until coated all over.
The reason for this three step dredging process is because the flour gets the egg to stick to the chicken, and the egg gets the cornflakes to stick to the kitchen. The more the cornflakes stick, the crispier the chicken will be, and we all love crispy chicken!
Cook the coated chicken strips in the air fryer as discussed above, or you could oven bake these too.
Be sure to check out the recipe video in the recipe card to see the steps in action!
To oven bake the cornflake crusted chicken:
Heat the oven to 390F (200C). Place the chicken strips on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and in the hot oven, the middle rack. After 10 minutes of baking time, flip the strips over and bake for another 10 minutes or until cooked through.
What to serve buffalo chicken tenders with:
I like whipping up a quick homemade honey mustard, roughly following this recipe:
You can also serve this with blue cheese or ranch salad dressing, or just ketchup to please the kids!
Add some celery sticks for a true restaurant experience, and don’t forget the fries!
How to freeze the chicken tenders:
The uncooked chicken strips will freeze very well for up to six months. After coating with the cornflakes, place on a baking sheet in the freezer for a few hours to flash freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag.
FAQS and tips for chicken success:
Can I use chicken breast?
Yes! And I have. Just cut them into strips, or have your butcher do this for you, and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Do I need a food processor?
No, you can crush the cornflakes by placing them in a large freezer bag, and rolling over them with a rolling pin until you get the texture you like.
Can I make these without any buffalo sauce?
Yes, I did this with half the strips in order to serve them to my young kids. I still added a dash of sauce to the egg wash, and they were totally fine with that but you can omit entirely.
How do I reheat leftovers?
These are best fresh, but I’d recommend not microwaving any leftovers (they’ll turn soggy) and instead re-heating in a moderately hot oven, or even for a few minutes in the air fryer.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts or tenders cut into strips about 1 lb, 400-450 g
- 2.5 cups cornflakes 70g
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup flour, whole wheat or regular 60g
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon buttermilk or milk
- 1 tablespoon buffalo or chili sauce
For coating:
- 1/2 cup buffalo or chili sauce see notes
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 390F (200C).
- In a food processor add the corn flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Pulse until cereal is broken down into rough crumbs. Pour into a large bowl.
- Place flour in a separate plate, and in a third bowl whisk together egg, milk or buttermilk and tablespoon of buffalo or chili sauce.
- Coat each chicken strip in flour, shaking off extra flour. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture evenly on both sides, then roll in corn flake mix generously. Place on baking sheet and repeat with all the chicken.
- Place in air fryer basket and fry for 5 minutes, then toss around and fry for another 5 minutes until cooked through.
- Once cooked, place the 1/2 cup chili sauce in a shallow bowl, add each chicken strip to the bowl and toss to coat. Enjoy immediately!
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