These are my air fryer chicken tenders covered in a firecracker sauce which is basically a hot and spicy buffalo glaze. Firecracker chicken tenders combine crispy, air fried chicken tenderloins, with a better than the bottle buffalo hot sauce. But, I am warning you, these are spicy spicy! They will create a firecracker of spicy and delicious-ness in your mouth!
Have you heard of firecracker chicken? Firecracker glaze is basically a dressed up version of buffalo hot sauce. Think, Nashville hot chicken; but, saucier?
I love making my chicken tenders in the air fryer. They come out just as crispy as normal fried chicken; however, A LOT less oil is required. I love healthier food that is just as good as the 'not as healthy' version.
Air fryer spicy buffalo chicken tenders are so easy to make and require ingredients that you probably already have! These are the best weeknight dinner idea.
What is Firecracker Glaze?
Firecracker chicken tenders will need a firecracker glaze. But, what exactly is that? The glazing combines sweet and spicy ingredients into one amazing sauce. It is basically a buffalo hot sauce doctored up with some brown sugar, honey and red pepper flakes. I really like to think of it as a Nashville hot chicken sauce; but, saucier and without all the seasonings.
Coat the sauce onto the chicken tenders, if you really think you can handle the heat. Otherwise, it is really good as a dipping sauce, on the side. Therefore, you can control how much spice you get.
Quick Tips from Allie Carte
Don't say I didn't warn you...
- This sauce is spicy! I am not playing around when I say it is spicy. I can give you some tricks to make it less spicy; but, it is spicy!
- Serve this sauce on the side if you are not sure that you can handle the heat
- Make just the sauce and serve it over pre-made chicken tenders or anything else you would like
Starting with the Glaze
You will want to start with the sauce as it will need to simmer on the stove to thicken, as the chicken cooks. To make the sauce, grab a couple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Buffalo hot sauce
- Honey
- Brown sugar replacement
- Red pepper flakes
Substitutions and Suggestions
Buffalo sauce, hot wing sauce, hot sauce, whatever you want to call it, you need it. I have used Frank's red hot and sweet baby ray's for this recipe before. Both work great; however, you can use whatever your favorite sauce is.
Honey is used in this recipe as buffalo wing sauce tends to have a bit too much vinegar. The honey counteracts the vinegar and makes the sauce enjoyable. I think the honey is pretty necessary in this recipe.
I always, typically, use brown sugar replacement. It is easy grab a huge package from Amazon and that is what I always use/have on hand. I do not mind using a replacement sugar. However, I know some people have concerns with that. You can substitute a brown sugar blend or just straight brown sugar.
The brown sugar really helps thicken the sauce and keeps it from being too spicy. Plus, without it, there are not many other ingredients. It is pretty necessary for this recipe.
Finally, red pepper flakes. This is optional if you are a wimp, like I am. But, if you want to really spice it up, add as much as you can handle.
How to Make Firecracker Sauce Less Spicy
To make the sauce less spicy, add less hot stuff or more sweet stuff. Sounds easy enough; but, really, use less hot wing sauce, more honey, or more sugar. Dip the chicken tenders in the firecracker sauce, instead of coating it, to control how much heat you are getting.
How to Make Firecracker Glaze
Grab a small pan and heat it over medium to medium/high heat. Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl, whisking together the brown sugar as best you can.
Dump the sauce into the heated pan and bring to a slight simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low. Then, simmer until desired thickness is reached and the brown sugar has dissolved completely.
Ingredients to Make Chicken Tenders
I am going to teach you how to make the best chicken tenders in the world; however, you do not have to make your chicken homemade. Store bought or frozen tenders will work great too. Alternatively, you can pair this sauce with chicken nuggets, just fries or anything else that is great for dipping.
I make my spicy chicken tenders in the air fryer. They come out so crispy and perfectly cooked in the air fryer. However, I can go over how to make them in the oven as well. Make sure you grab an air fryer, I like using a rack type air fryer for this.
I love making homemade chicken tenders. Again, only 4 ingredients and some spices go together for this recipe.
- Chicken tenderloins
- Flour
- Breadcrumbs
- Egg
- Seasonings
Suggestions and Substitutions
I love using chicken tenderloins as they are a very tender piece of chicken, hence the name. However, if, for some reason, you cannot find them in the store, make thinner strips out of chicken breasts. This recipe will also work if you prefer to make chicken nuggets.
I use egg beaters, liquid egg whites, a lot for my recipes. I find it to be much easier than cracking and whisking an egg. Plus, it is a lot less 'goopy' and has less cholesterol. However, regular eggs, if whisked, will work fine too.
For the seasonings, I love garlic powder, seasoned salt and paprika. Feel free to spice this recipe up a little and add some ground red pepper or black pepper. But again, these air fryer chicken tenders will already be spicy with the buffalo sauce.
You will also need some cooking spray as it will help emulate actual frying, which we will not be doing here. You are more than welcome to actually fry the chicken; however, I do not.
How to Make Firecracker Chicken Tenders
I make my buffalo chicken tenders in the air fryer. They come out so crispy and perfectly cooked in the air fryer. However, I can go over how to make them in the oven as well.
Air Fryer
First, begin by preheating the air fryer to 400 degrees. Grab two small shallow bowls, I like using a Tupperware, and the air fryer rack. Grease the air fryer rack with cooking spray and set the bowls next to it. In one bowl, add the liquid egg whites. In the other bowl, combine the flour, breadcrumbs and seasonings.
Dip each chicken tenderloin in the egg, making sure to completely cover it. Then, press the chicken tenderloin into the flour mixture, being sure to thoroughly coat all the sides.
Place all the chicken tenderloins on the air fryer rack, being careful not to let them touch.
Air fry for 2 minutes, then spray the chicken tenderloins with cooking spray. This emulates actual frying. You will want to make sure the chicken is slightly warm/hot before spraying with cooking spray. That way, the cooking spray does not melt into the chicken.
Air fry for another 3 minutes. Then, flip the chicken over and spray with more cooking spray. Air fry for another 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked.
You can use a meat thermometer to know exactly when the chicken is ready. Chicken can over cook quickly and you want the best and juiciest chicken.
Once the chicken is cooked, toss in the firecracker glaze or serve it on the side to dip the chicken into.
Oven Version
To make the chicken tenderloins in the oven, follow all the instructions, except for the air fryer part.
First, begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Grab two small shallow bowls, I like using a Tupperware, and an oven safe cooling rack. Grease the rack with cooking spray and set the bowls next to it. In one bowl, add the liquid egg whites. In the other bowl, combine the flour, breadcrumbs and seasonings.
To prevent things from getting messy, grab a cookie sheet that is just bigger than the cooling rack and line it with aluminum foil.
Dip each chicken tenderloin in the egg, making sure to completely cover it. Then, press the chicken tenderloin into the flour mixture, being sure to thoroughly coat all the sides. Place all the chicken tenderloins on the rack, being careful not to let them touch.
Place the rack on top of the cookie sheet that is lined with aluminum foil. I like cooking my chicken on a rack, as it allows the air to circulate the chicken completely. However, you can just cook it on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake the chicken in the oven for about 15 minutes, until fully cooked. Make sure to flip and spray the chicken with cooking spray halfway through. Once the chicken is cooked, toss in the firecracker glaze or serve it on the side to dip the chicken into.
Alternative Cooking Methods
You can make your firecracker chicken tenders by deep frying in oil. Alternatively, you can not bread the chicken and cook it on the stove or in the oven.
Alternative Sauces
If you want to make this recipe, but want a different sauce, try out some of my other ones! I have an amazing yum yum sauce, sometimes called white sauce, or bang bang sauce. Alternatively, you can go with a classic homemade healthy ranch.
Great Sides to Pair
If you want some fries to dip into the extra sauce, you have to make my air fried fries. However, frozen fries work great too. This recipe pairs well with my crunchy crack broccoli or my candied carrot chips as it provides for a sweet taste to counteract the spicy buffalo chicken tenders.
Firecracker Chicken Tenders
Firecracker chicken tenders combine crispy, air fried chicken tenderloins, with a better than the bottle buffalo hot sauce. But, I am warning you, these are spicy spicy! They will create a firecracker of spicy and delicious-ness in your mouth!
Firecracker Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Stovetop
Ingredients
Firecracker Glaze
- ⅓ cup buffalo sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar replacement
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper if desired
Chicken Tenders
- 16 ounces chicken tenderloins
- ¼ cup flour all-purpose
- ⅛ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup liquid egg whites
Instructions
Firecracker Glaze
- Grab a small pan and heat it over medium to medium/high heat. Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl, whisking together the brown sugar as best you can.
- Dump the sauce into the heated pan and bring to a slight simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low. Then, simmer until desired thickness is reached and the brown sugar has dissolved.
Chicken Tenders
- First, begin by preheating the air fryer to 400 degrees. Grab two small shallow bowls, I like using a Tupperware, and the air fryer rack. Grease the air fryer rack with cooking spray and set the bowls next to it. In one bowl, add the liquid egg whites. In the other bowl, combine the flour, breadcrumbs and seasonings.
- Dip each chicken tenderloin in the egg, making sure to completely cover it. Then, press the chicken tenderloin into the flour mixture, being sure to thoroughly coat all the sides. Place all the chicken tenderloins on the air fryer rack, being careful not to let them touch.
- Air fry for 2 minutes, then spray the chicken tenderloins with cooking spray. Air fry for another 3 minutes. Then, flip the chicken over and spray with more cooking spray. Air fry for another 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked.
- Toss chicken in the firecracker glaze or serve it on the side as a dipping sauce.
Nutrition
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[…] With the leftover plain, nonfat Greek yogurt that you have, you need to make my zero point onion dip or my greek yogurt buffalo chicken dip. Same with this recipe, if you do not like yogurt, you will LOVE this! If you want something spicier, check out my firecracker chicken tenders. […]