Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders without breading are a quick and easy dinner or appetizer packed with flavor and tossed in a mouthwatering homemade buffalo sauce. And since these chicken strips are made without breading, they are not only super simple to prepare, they are also gluten-free and low-carb.
I may live in Vermont, but I'm still a New Yorker at heart. Sure, I grew up in central New York and not Buffalo, where the classic buffalo wing bar snack was created (and perfected), but buffalo sauce is still one of my all time favorite flavors. Heck, I even make homemade buffalo ranch sauce and buffalo blue cheese salad dressing for romaine wedges.
One of my go-to recipes for a quick yet satisfying dinner are these air fried buffalo chicken strips. The air fryer cooks chicken tenders quickly without the need to turn on the oven or heat oil in a skillet. The chicken strips are briefly marinated in spices, hot sauce and a bit of melted butter then air fried until juicy and delicious and finally tossed in a simple homemade buffalo sauce. The end result is a finger-licking chicken strip that takes 15 minutes and has no breading, meaning they are gluten-free and low-carb.
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Ingredients that Matter
Homemade air fryer buffalo chicken strips use a handful of basic ingredients readily available in most grocery stores. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:
- Chicken Tenders. You'll want 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds of fresh (not frozen) chicken tenders. They may be labeled chicken tenderloins or even chicken strips. There's no reason to remove excess fat or tendon.
- Hot Sauce. You can't have buffalo sauce flavor without hot sauce. I always reach for Frank's RedHot Sauce as it has the classic Buffalo wing sauce I crave. It'll be used in the marinade and the actual sauce for the chicken.
- Melted Butter. Buffalo sauce is frequently a combination of hot sauce and melted butter, so I simply used a small amount of melted butter for the marinade and the chicken sauce.
- Spice. The chicken tenders are first dusted with a combination of garlic powder, paprika and Italian seasoning. This packs lots of flavor to the air fried chicken.
- Salt. A big pinch of table salt is used to season the chicken along with the spices.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make air fried buffalo chicken strips
Making these buffalo chicken strips couldn't be easier! There is how the recipe comes together:
- Start by drying the chicken tenders then place in a medium bowl and sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning and table salt. Toss well to coat.
- Add one tablespoon each of the melted butter and hot sauce and toss well to coat. Marinate the chicken strips on the counter for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat an air fryer to 375F.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, spray the basket with a bit of cooking spray then add the marinated chicken tenderloins in an even layer. Cook for 6 minutes.
- Carefully flip the chicken and continue cooking until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 165F, another 4-6 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of hot sauce with 2 tablespoons of melted butter to make the homemade buffalo sauce.
- While the chicken is still hot, toss with the prepared buffalo sauce until well coated. Serve hot.
Hint: For food safety purposes, be sure to keep the buffalo sauce separate from the raw chicken. That's why I like to make it while the chicken is cooking. And note that the melted butter will eventually solidify in the hot sauce if left for too long, so it's best to make it just before adding the chicken. You can, of course, heat the sauce briefly if the butter does solidify.
Substitutions
There are plenty of tweaks you can make to these buffalo chicken strips based on your dietary restrictions or even flavor preferences. Here are some suggested substitutions:
- Chicken - If you can't seem to find chicken tenderloins, you can instead use chicken cutlets or even boneless skinless chicken breasts. Thinly slice the breasts into strips to make tenderloin-size pieces.
- Hot Sauce - While I prefer Frank's RedHot Sauce, you can use any hot sauce you prefer. I recommend picking a milder sauce if you are making this recipe for your kids.
- Spices - You can swap out just about any (or all) of the spices based on your preferences. Try using chili powder, onion powder, ground mustard, dried oregano or similar spices. You want about 1 ½ teaspoons of spices.
- Butter - If you don't want to make this recipe with butter, perhaps you want it dairy-free, try instead using a light olive oil or even melted coconut oil (it will give the dish a bit of a coconut flavor, however).
Why make chicken tenders without breading?
Homemade buffalo chicken tenders are often made with breading. Even frozen chicken tenders frequently come with a breadcrumb coating. This makes for a crispy chicken finger, but there are plenty of reasons to make chicken tenders without breading.
First, cutting out the breading means this recipe is gluten-free and low-carb, which is important for many people. Even if you aren't gluten-free, it's good to have several recipes you can make for family or friends that don't eat gluten.
And, perhaps my favorite reason to make chicken tenders without breading, is it saves tons of time and mess. To make breaded chicken you need a standard three stage breading setup, with a separate dish each for flour, an egg wash and breadcrumbs. Without breading, you simply marinate chicken tenders then pop them in the air fryer. That's just one dish to clean!
Equipment
A friend asked me the other day what one specialty appliance I'd recommend. My answer is simple: If your oven doesn't have a convection setting, buy an air fryer. I love using mine as an extra small oven that doesn't take a long time to preheat, plus it doesn't heat up the kitchen!
If you are looking for an air fryer, I strongly recommend the 6QT Instant Vortex Plus (this is the one that gets the most use in my house). It is super easy to operate and very consistent. It's a basket-style air fryer compared to a toaster oven-style air fryer. If you want that style, I recommend this Cuisinart Air Fryer + Convection Toaster Oven. It also produces great results, with even heating and easy to control functions.
Storage
Store leftover air fried buffalo chicken tenders in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can reheat the chicken in the air fryer at 375F for a few minutes until sizzling hot.
Freeze leftover chicken tenders in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Reheat back in the air fryer at 375F for about 6-8 minutes.
To make this recipe ahead, you can marinate the chicken tenders in the spices and hot sauce mixture overnight and cook for dinner the next day.
Serving Suggestions
Try serving these air fried buffalo chicken strips with these sides:
- Crispy Air Fryer Red Potatoes
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
- Skillet Charred Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Steak Fries
- Crispy Herb Roasted Potatoes
- Mango and Corn Salsa
- Pesto Orzo Salad
- Charred Broccolini with Chili and Garlic
And try serving the chicken tenders with these sauces:
- Horseradish Aioli
- Buffalo Ranch Sauce
- Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
- Creamy Chipotle Lime Sauce
- Easy Sour Cream and Chive Dip
- Avocado Aioli
Adam's Pro Tip
Note that these no breading chicken tenders are not crisp like chicken strips coated in breadcrumbs. They are tender and even slightly charred. Plus, when tossed with homemade buffalo sauce, they get finger-licking sticky. If you want a crispier exterior, try adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with the spice mixture. This will help make a bit more of a crust on the chicken fingers without adding a breading.
FAQ
Of course! You can cook raw or even frozen chicken in an air fryer. I recommend cooking chicken tenders or chicken breast at 375F. It'll take about 8-10 minutes for tenders, and about 16-18 minutes for breasts, depending on their thickness.
Marinate chicken tenders in spices and homemade buffalo sauce on the counter for no longer than 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
No, chicken tenders are the tenderloin muscle attached to breasts. Tenderloins are considered white meat, like breasts, and they have a similar texture. Tenders are made by cutting the tenderloin muscle off the breast.
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Recipe
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders - No Breading
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 lb. chicken 1x
Description
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders without breading are a quick and easy dinner or appetizer packed with flavor and tossed in a mouthwatering homemade buffalo sauce. And since these chicken strips are made without breading, they are not only super simple to prepare, they are also gluten-free and low-carb.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lbs. chicken tenders
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp. table salt
- 4 Tbsp. hot sauce (such as Frank's RedHot sauce), divided
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter (melted), divided
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Dry the chicken tenders well then place in a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning and table salt and toss well to coat. Add 1 tablespoon each of the hot sauce and melted butter and toss to coat. Marinate on the counter for 10 minutes.
- While the chicken marinates, preheat an air fryer to 375F. Spray with a bit of cooking spray then add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 6 minutes. Discard any excess marinade. Flip the chicken and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches at least 165F and the chicken is browned and slightly charred, another 4-6 minutes.Â
- While the chicken cooks, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoon hot sauce and 2 tablespoons melted butter in a medium bowl. Add the cooked chicken and toss well to coat. Serve the chicken hot.
Notes
- If you can't find chicken tenderloins, you can slice chicken cutlets or breasts into thin strips.
- You can marinate the chicken in the spices and hot sauce mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- Store leftover buffalo chicken strips in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, cook in a 375F oven until sizzling hot.
- To make this recipe in the oven, turn on convection and preheat to 375F. Place the chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165F, about 12 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Try serving these air fryer chicken tenders with our Avocado Aioli, Buffalo Ranch Sauce, Horseradish Aioli or Easy Sour Dream and Chive Dip.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: chicken
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: American
Z says
Quick and delicious! Son really enjoyed this meal. Thankyou !
Adam Dolge says
So glad it turned out well. Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
Paul says
I bought chicken breasts and sliced them....much less expensive then buying already sliced chicken tenders.