Air Fryer Southern-Style Fried Chicken Tenders with Spicy Dipping Sauce
These crispy, tender chicken tenders are coated in a seasoned buttermilk batter and cooked to perfection in the air fryer. Served with a zesty homemade spicy dipping sauce, they make a quick, easy, and flavorful lunch or snack.
Ingredients
Check ingredients as you go.
- Chicken Tenders
- Coating
- Cooking
- Spicy Dipping Sauce
Let’s make it
Marinate
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken tenders, buttermilk, and 15 ml hot sauce. Mix well, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Coating Preparation
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper to create the coating mixture.
Preheat Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (about 400°F) for 5 minutes. Lightly spray the basket with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Coating Chicken
Remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge each tender thoroughly in the flour coating mixture until fully covered. Shake off excess flour.
Air Frying
Place the coated tenders in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray to help crisping. Cook in the air fryer at 200°C (400°F) for 10–12 minutes, turning once halfway through, until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F).
Prepare Dipping Sauce
While chicken cooks, prepare the spicy dipping sauce by mixing mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon juice, and optional garlic powder together in a small bowl until smooth and well combined.
Serve
Once cooked, remove the chicken tenders from the air fryer and let rest for 2 minutes before serving. Serve warm with the spicy dipping sauce.
Tips & notes
To ensure extra crispy tenders, lightly spray the coated chicken with cooking spray before air frying. Don't overcrowd the basket to allow even cooking. Adjust cayenne pepper in the coating and hot sauce in the marinade to control spiciness level.
Saving it for later
Refrigerate leftover chicken tenders in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking; consume within 3 days. Store the dipping sauce separately in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Reheating
Reheat chicken tenders in the air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 3-4 minutes until warmed through and crispy. Avoid microwave reheating as it will soften the coating.
