Ninja Foodi Chicken Breast Recipes - Hot Chicken Tenders for Dinner

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Craving chicken? Try out this popular hot chicken tenders recipe! An air fryer fried chicken drenched in a sauce and crisped up for a sticky chicken tender that carries a punch.

This Ninja Foodi chicken breast recipe is great for lunch or dinner. Pair with some blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing, and dive in!

This recipe is excellent for chicken tenderloins or cut-up chicken breasts. We love making Ninja Foodi chicken breast recipes like this one. Homemade chicken tenders that are sweet, spicy, and addictive.

If you enjoy spicy chicken, don't wait; grab the ingredients and give this dinner creation a try. You could also pair it up with this spicy chicken mac and cheese.

Ingredients For Spicy Chicken Tenders

Boneless Chicken Tenderloins
Dill Pickle Juice
Buttermilk
Hot Sauce
Flour
Breadcrumbs
Eggs
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Paprika
Brown Sugar

How to Make

Start by marinating your chicken as directed in the recipe card below. It needs to be marinated for at least 4 hours.

In a small bowl, you will create your dry mixture for dredging the chicken. Add your flour, bread crumbs, and spices together and combine until.

Ninja foodi chicken breast tenders with breading on baking sheet

Now, create your egg wash and bread your chicken tenders as directed.

Place on a greased air fryer basket and cook for 8-14 minutes. Then flip the chicken part way through cooking.

Buffalo chicken tenders on aluminum foil lined baking sheet

Then dip each tender in the hot sauce and brown sugar mixture, and serve.

Storage

If you want to store your chicken, allow it to cool a bit, then place it in a container and store it for around 3 days in the fridge.

You can freeze any leftover chicken you don't eat. Just freeze for up to 3 months. Then reheat in the microwave or cover in foil in the oven.

Just be cautious of reheating in the oven as it can burn the coating because of the sugar.

ninja foodi chicken breast hot chicken tenders

Variations To Recipe

You can marinate your chicken in just buttermilk if you want; it will help lock in moisture to the chicken. If you don't have buttermilk, it's easy to learn how to make buttermilk. A simple ratio of 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 cup milk makes a terrific buttermilk substitute.
If you want the chicken to be spicier, use a hotter hot sauce. If you prefer a milder flavor, reach for a mild sauce.
Swap hot sauce with a BBQ sauce if you don't want spice.
You can bake these in the oven if you don't own a Ninja Foodi or air fryer.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this recipe with frozen chicken tenders in an air fryer?

If you want to take pre-made air tenders, go ahead. You will air fry them until warmed, then dip them in the hot sauce mixture.

How to know when chicken is cooked?

Grab a meat thermometer and make sure the temperature reads 165 degrees. Once your chicken reaches the proper internal temperature, allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

This will help prevent the chicken from drying out.

What is the difference between chicken breast and tenderloins?

Chicken tenderloins are the innermost muscle located on the chicken breast. You will find a tenderloin that runs through the thin strips of meat.

A chicken breast tends to be a lot larger and is a white meat chicken breast.

Yield: 4

Hot Chicken Tenders - Ninja Foodi Chicken Breast Recipes

This Hot Chicken Tenders Recipe is the favorite dish by many, for its popular and distinctive flavor. Whether to prepare a snack or a quick lunch, chicken tenderloins are just one of the many things you can do with chicken breasts and the best thing is that they are delicious and the children love them.

Prep Time 7 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 21 minutes

Ingredients

Supplies for making the best Hot Chicken Tenders

Ingredients to make a delicious Marinade

Ingredients for an easy Coating

Ingredients for a quick Sauce

Instructions

Place the chicken in a large storage bag. Add the ingredients for the marinade and cover and chill for 4 hours.
Cover a baking sheet with paper towels.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the baking sheet, set to the side.
In a small bowl add the flour, panko, cornstarch, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.
Whisk to combine.
In a separate small bowl add the eggs, buttermilk and hot sauce. Whisk to combine.
Dredge the chicken tenders in the four mixtures, then the buttermilk mixture, then back into the flour mixture.
Place the chicken back on the baking pan.
Repeat until all of the tenders are coated.
Set to the side for 20 minutes.
Lightly spray the grill with Avocado oil.
Place the chicken in the Ninja (or other air fryer) and set to 370 degrees for 8 -14 minutes.
In a small bowl add hot sauce and brown sugar whisk to combine.
Lightly coat your chicken tenders with the hot sauce.

Notes

Suggestions for a unique Hot Chicken Tenders Recipe

You can complement your Chicken Tenders with mashed potatoes, a serving of white rice, or a salad.
For a healthy snack, you can accompany them with strips of celery and carrot, along with your favorite sauce, or blue cheese dressing, or ranch dressing.
To give it a special touch, you can add grated ginger just before the last cooking. This will give it an extra hint of spice.

FAQs:

Can my dog have Hot Chicken Tenders? Although chicken is healthy for your dog's diet, the ingredients that come in the hot sauce are not as healthy for your pet. It is recommended to give only the parts of the chicken that do not include these spicy ingredients.
Can my cat have Hot Chicken Tenders? Due to the sensitivity of the sense of smell, it is not recommended that your cat eat the spicy ingredients of the sauce. On the other hand, a piece of chicken without the spicy coating could feed your cat very well.

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Author

Jessica McCoy

Jessica McCoy is a seasoned food blogger with 14+ years of experience in the industry. As a self-taught home cook, she enjoys creating and finetuning easy recipes that are fool proof and simple for anyone to make. Her expertise is in all things kitchen: cooking tips, air fryer recipes, Instant Pot and other pressure cooking recipes, and slow cooker recipes. Jessica was the previous owner of AllSheCooks, where she focused on easy every day recipes including budget friendly dinner recipes and desserts.

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