These Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are crispy with a candy and savory, spicy kick. They embody hen strips (cooked from frozen) with a easy scorching hen sauce. Learn the best way to make Nashville Chicken Tenders in an air fryer or oven with this straightforward foremost dish recipe.
Why Make Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
There are so many causes to make these Nashville Hot Chicken Strips. Here are my prime three:
- No Deep frying required: many Nashville Chicken recipes use leftover scorching oil from the deep fryer like vegetable oil or canola oil within the sauce. My straightforward recipe provides you scrumptious taste utilizing a substitute. Plus, they’re crispy baked or air fried.
- Air Fryer or Oven: prepare dinner these copycat KFC Nashville scorching hen strips from frozen in both the oven or your air fryer. I desire the air fryer as a result of it helps give the hen strips a crispy fried hen crunch.
- Cooks from Frozen: there isn’t any have to thaw out your hen tenders. Simply, take them from the freezer, prepare dinner them till they’re crispy and golden brown. Then, prime them with my easy Nashville scorching hen sauce recipe.
Ingredients Needed
Making Nashville Chicken Tenders doesn’t require quite a lot of substances. Here’s what you’ll want to assemble:
Crispy Chicken Tenders
To hold this recipe straightforward, I used air fryer frozen hen tenders that I acquired from the freezer part of my native grocery retailer.
These tenders embody hen breasts breaded in a gluten-free or complete wheat flour breading (select the choice that works greatest for you).
They normally come 10-12 in a bag. I make your entire bag for this recipe.
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders Sauce Recipe
This spicy Nashville-style sauce makes use of these easy substances:
- Salted butter
- Avocado oil
- Cayenne pepper: you may add kind of of this relying on how spicy you just like the sauce.
- Brown sugar
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders from Frozen
Make the hen fingers:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 levels for 3-5 minutes
- Add the hen tenders in a single layer to your air fryer basket.
- Spray the hen tenders generously with cooking spray – this helps with crisping and browning
- Air fry the hen strips at 400 levels for 7 minutes. Flip the tenders and spray with extra oil.
- Air fry the hen tenders for 6-8 extra minutes relying on desired browning and crisping.
Make the spicy butter sauce:
- Heat the butter and oil in a small sauce pan on medium-low warmth
- Once the butter is melted and the oil is scorching, flip the warmth to simmer
- Add the spices and brown sugar. Mix and take away the saucepan from the warmth. The aim is to not prepare dinner this combination, however to easily warmth it sufficient to combine the spices and sugar. It will appear like a little bit of sludge.
Top the tenders with Nashville Hot Sauce:
- For greatest outcomes, use a basting brush to use sauce to the hen tenders.
- Serve
Top Cooking Tips & FAQs
- Use any crispy hen tender recipe: If you’d somewhat not use air fryer frozen hen tenders, be at liberty to substitute your favourite crispy hen tenders recipe. You may use different hen like air fryer hen nuggets (frozen) or popcorn hen.
- Use medium-low warmth to soften the oil and butter solely: you do not want to prepare dinner the sauce. The sugars will burn and caramelize when you do. After the butter and oil are heated, merely take away the small saucepan from the warmth and stir within the brown sugar and seasonings.
- Air fry or bake the frozen hen fingers till they’re crispy sufficient for you: hen tenders are suitable for eating when the inner temperature reaches 165 levels. It’s alright to prepare dinner them longer to get the breading crispier.
Storage and Leftovers
Store your leftover scorching hen strips in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days. I reheat these within the air fryer for 3-4 minutes at 400 levels the following day.
You can alter the spice degree in Nashville Hot Tenders by including kind of cayenne pepper.
They are candy, peppery, and crisp.
The spice combine within the sauce provides Nashville scorching hen its distinctive taste.
What to Serve With Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
There are plenty of methods to make this foremost dish a meal. Here are some facet dishes to your scorching hen tenders:
More Hot Chicken Recipes
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
These Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders embody hen strips (cooked from frozen) with a easy scorching hen sauce. Ready in an air fryer or oven.
Nashville Hot Sauce
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
Make the hen tenders:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 levels for 3-5 minutes
- Add the hen tenders in a single layer to your air fryer basket.
- Spray the hen tenders generously with oil – this helps with crisping and browning
- Air fry the hen strips at 400 levels for 7 minutes. Flip the tenders and spray with extra oil.
- Air fry the hen tenders for 6-8 extra minutes relying on desired browning and crisping.
Make the sauce:
- Heat the butter and oil in a small sauce pan on medium warmth
- Once the butter is melted and the oil is scorching, flip the warmth to simmer
- Add the spices and brown sugar. Mix and take away the saucepan from the warmth. The aim is to not prepare dinner this combination, however to easily warmth it sufficient to combine the spices and sugar. It will appear like a little bit of sludge.
Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 22gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 179mgPotassium: 432mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1288IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
