Air Fryer Chicken Tenders (low-carb, gluten-free)

June 3, 2021 by Amy Leave a Comment

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Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are so simple to make and they come out super crispy and juicy. Top them with a tasty sweet and spicy sauce and this is an easy weeknight recipe the whole family will love! Ready in 15 minutes or less!

Crispy breaded chicken tenders on a round white plate with a mixed green salad and a bowl fo red sauce next tot it.

I am so in love with these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders! They are quick and easy to make in less than 15 minutes and they are packed with ton’s of flavor. I made them last night for dinner paired with my Easy Kale Salad and my husband went crazy for them.

They made a wonderful quick healthy dinner and we get to enjoy the leftovers for lunch today, which I am super excited about.

To keep these chicken tenders on the lower carb side as well as gluten free, I used an almond flour blend for the coating. It is similar to the blend I used in this Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe that is also so amazing and a great vegetarian option for this recipe.

A pile of crispy breaded chicken tenderloins on a grey plate.

Why you will love this recipe

A super simple yet crazy delicious air fryer chicken recipe
Loaded with sweet and spicy flavors
Healthier and lighter than other air fryer breaded chicken recipes.
Low-carb, KETO-friendly, gluten free and Whole30-Friendly!
You can make it in 15 minutes
A recipe your whole family will love!

What makes this recipe low carb?

Instead of using breadcrumbs which typically contain lots of carbs and gluten (although you can use gluten free breadcrumbs), I used almond flour blended with herbs and spices as the coating on the chicken.

Most of the time, 1 cup of breadcrumbs contains up to 78 grams of carbs, which is quite a bit compared to about 12 grams of carbs for 1 cup of almond flour. What a huge difference.

Not to mention the health benefits you get from the almonds like healthy fat, iron, vitamin E and potassium to name a few. Plus almond flour is naturally gluten free! Also, there is so much flavour in this almond flour blend, it’s simply amazing!

Ingredients needed to make these air fryer chicken tenders

Pile of raw chicken tenderloins on a round white plate with a bowl of almond flour and 2 eggs in back of it. With bowls of salt and pepper, butter, honey and hot sauce in front of it on a white surface.

How to make homemade chicken tenders in the air fryer

Setup a dredging station. Combine the almond flour, spices, herbs, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and mix well. In a separate shallow bowl, crack and whisk eggs and season them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set up an assembly line of the chicken tenderloins, the egg mixture, then the almond flour coating.
Coat the chicken. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg then in the coating, pressing the almond flour mixture into each piece of chicken, shaking any excess off, lightly. Then place each piece of coated chicken onto a clean plate.
Cook the chicken tenders. Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F. Once it is ready, open the air fryer basket and spray it with olive oil spray. Lay some of the chicken tenders in a single layer into the bottom of the basket and spray them well with more olive oil spray. Close the basket and cook the chicken for 7 minutes. Then open the air Fryer basket, flip each piece over and cook for 4 more minutes.
Make the sweet and spicy sauce. Heat a pan to medium heat on the stovetop, add the butter to the pan. Once the butter is starting to melt, pour in the hot sauce, tomato paste, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk the sauce to mix it all together as it cooks for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside. It’s literally the greatest buffalo sauce!
Serve. You can serve these chicken tenders two ways. Coat all of the chicken in the sauce or just drizzle it over the top of the chicken with an extra drizzle of honey.

Bowl of whisked eggs next to a bowl of breading with raw chicken in it with a plate of sliced raw chicken behind it. — **Setup a dredging station**

2 raw chicken tenders in a bowl filled with whisked egg — **Setup a dredging station**

So delicious, crispy and juicy! You are going to love this recipe and probably want to make it all the time, it’s that good!

How long do you cook chicken tenders in the air fryer?

This really depends on the size (i.e weight) of the chicken you are using but in general I cook them at 390 degrees F for 7 minutes on one side then flip and cook for 4 minutes. Check them after that to see if they are done, using a meat thermometer. If the internal temperature is 165 degrees F then they are done. If not then cook them for a couple more minutes.

To make these in the oven just bake them at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Serving suggestions

This air fryer chicken tenders recipe pairs great with so many other recipes. Here are a few of my faves.

Round grey plat with a pile of golden crispy chicken tenders on it, covered in hot sauce and sprinkled with dried parsley with a cup of hot sauce behind it.

More healthy and easy chicken recipes

Recipe Tips

You can use whole wheat breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs in place of the almond flour.
Use barbecue sauce in place of the hot sauce in this recipe if you don’t like spicy food.
Try to select chicken tenderloins that are similar in size and weight so they cook more evenly.
You can store these air fryer chicken tenders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 360 degrees F for 4-5 minutes.

Plate of crisp chicken with a fork on the plate with a pice of sliced chicken on the fork.

Did you try this recipe? If you did then please leave a rating and comment below, I would love to hear from you.