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Overhead view of honey chicken strips on a plate.
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4.50 from 2 votes

Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

Hot Honey Chicken Tenders are easy air fried panko breaded chicken tenders with a sweet and spicy hot honey sauce for topping or dipping!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time9 minutes
Total Time24 minutes
Course: Air Fryer Snacks, Appetizer, Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 560kcal
Author: Karly Campbell

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chicken tenders:

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons salt divided
  • 1 teaspoon pepper divided
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the hot honey sauce:

  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to taste
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cracked pepper

Instructions

To make the chicken tenders:

  • Add the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, paprika, and garlic powder to a shallow dish. Add the eggs to a second shallow dish and beat well. Add the panko to a 3rd shallow dish along with the remaining salt and pepper.
  • Dip the chicken strips in the flour, then egg, then panko. Press the strips into the panko to ensure the chicken is evenly coated.
  • Spray the chicken liberally with cooking spray.
  • Place chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You may have to work in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
  • Air fry at 400 degrees for 4 minutes and turn the chicken over. Spritz again with oil spray. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through and the coating is crispy and golden.

To make the hot honey sauce:

  • Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pan and heat over low heat, stirring often, until the butter has melted and the sauce is combined.
  • Drizzle the sauce over the cooked chicken strips or serve as a dip.

Notes

If you’re in a hurry you can use frozen chicken strips that you air fry and serve with our hot honey sauce. Not quite as tasty as homemade, but that hot honey sauce really dresses them up!
The hot honey sauce is the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. Not too hot or too sweet! You can adjust the spice by adding more or less cayenne.
We like to serve these drizzled with the sauce and dipping in ranch dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 1400mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 960IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg