Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Hot honey over crisp chicken tenders makes a very tempting combination of sweet and fiery. The sauce catches in the golden coating, so each bite gets a little of both. Drizzle it on just before serving and dig into the tenders while they're freshly cooked.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Air fryer
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Give the coating its rest
After the flour-buttermilk-flour coating, leave the tenders on the baking sheet for the rest specified before cooking.
2. Keep a single layer
Arrange tenders in one layer in the basket, working in batches rather than crowding them together.
3. Turn for the second stage
Flip the tenders after the first cooking period and continue until golden and cooked through.
Get to know the ingredients
Seasoned flour
Mix the flour with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper before beginning the coating steps.
Separate buttermilk bowl
Pour buttermilk into its own shallow bowl between the two flour dips when coating each tender.
Your chosen hot sauce
Use a hot sauce you like for the honey mixture, combining it with cayenne in the small saucepan.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Drizzle and eat immediately
Take the cooked tenders out of the air fryer, drizzle with the hot honey sauce and serve immediately.
A little more help as you go
Spray both surfaces lightly
Lightly spray the basket and the coated tenders with cooking spray before placing them in to cook.
Whisk the hot honey smooth
Bring the honey mixture to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer and whisk until smooth.
A few questions you might have
Is the flour coating applied twice?
Dip each tender in seasoned flour, then buttermilk, then back into the flour before its resting stage.
What internal temperature is specified?
Check the cooked chicken with an instant-read thermometer for 165 degrees before removing it from the air fryer.
Can the sauce cook while the chicken does?
Yes, make the honey, cayenne and hot sauce mixture in the saucepan while the tenders are cooking.
Does honey go into the buttermilk?
Keep honey for the saucepan sauce with cayenne and hot sauce; the buttermilk is for coating the chicken.
Why leave space around the tenders?
Give the chicken room in the basket and cook in batches so it cooks evenly. Avoid overcrowding.
Any more cooking tips?
Tips for making: After coating the chicken with the seasoned flour and buttermilk, let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes. This will ensure that it cooks evenly and results in juicy meat. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. I cook the chicken in batches to ensure it cooks evenly. Lightly spray the basket of the air fryer and the chicken strips with cooking spray before cooking. This will help the chicken brown up just like traditional fried chicken. Make sure to flip the chicken halfway through the cooking process. Nutritional values provided are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: asouthernsoul.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
