Air Fryer Sweet & Spicy crunchy Chicken Tenders

Air Fryer Sweet And Spicy Chicken Tenders is a tried and true recipe that uses store-bought chicken tenders, that get a little makeover! Learn how to cook frozen chicken strips in the air fryer.

Air fryer frozen chicken strips are so simple to make and the glaze you dip in offers that sweet and spicy chicken flavor.

Sticky coated crispy chicken strips that have a homemade sweet and spicy sauce.

Or get creative and do a buffalo chicken tenders air fryer version instead of the sweet and spicy!

Chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, or anything for chicken for that matter are always welcome in our books.

Why Make Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Strips…

• Easy
• Quick Cook Time
• Similar Texture to deep fried without the excess grease.
• Dip in this homemade sweet and spicy sauce for added flavor.
• Great lunch or dinner idea.
• Kids and adults love this recipe.

• Frozen Chicken Strips
• Franks Red Hot Sauce
• BBQ Sauce
• Corn Syrup
• Brown Sugar
• Ranch – Optional

Want more chicken recipes – buffalo chicken dip baked chicken or try our Long John Silvers chicken planks.

How To Make Spicy Chicken Tenders

Step 1: You will cooking your chicken tenders in your Air Fryer. The directions for this are listed below in the recipe card.

Step 2: While the chicken is cooking, you are going to make your sauce. Mix up your bbq sauce, Franks, corn syrup and brown sugar in a ban.

Step 3: Bring it to a boil then lower the temp and let it cook until all the sugar is dissolved.

Step 4: Pull the chicken out of the oven and dip each chicken strip in the sauce completely. Then serve with your usual dipping sauce.

Practical notes

How long to bake frozen chicken strips in oven?

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What chicken strips to use for this recipe?

We bought the Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips. Now you can buy a different brand if you prefer. Any u003cstrongu003ecrispy chicken tendersu003c/strongu003e oru003cstrongu003e chicken stripsu003c/strongu003e will do, just make sure it isn’t overly seasoned.

How to cook chicken strips in air fryer?

You will place your chicken strips in a single layer in your air fryer. Then spritz with oil, until nice and crispy. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to read 165 degrees.

Can we use cooking spray in an Instant Pot?

Store-bought cooking spray can eat away the enamel coating on the air fryer. It is recommended to use an u003ca href=u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer nofollowu0022u003eoil misteru003c/au003e that you pour your own oil into. That way your tray or pan doesn’t lose the enamel.

What to Serve With Sweet And Spicy Chicken Strips

• Jalapeno Cornbread
• Crisp Green Salad
• French Fries
• Vegetable Salad
• Chick Fil A Coleslaw

If you are a fan of the air fryer, you might love these recipes listed below. We are a big fan of our air fryer and Instant Pot they are fantastic kitchen gadgets.

Ingredients

Makes 4 -6 servings

• 1 package, 25 ounce frozen Crispy Chicken Strips
• 1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
• 2 tablespoons BBQ Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Corn Syrup
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, light
• 1 tablespoon water
• Dipping sauce, optional Ranch or Blue cheese

Method

1. Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees.
2. Cook your frozen chicken strips for 11-12 minutes or until the chicken strips are fully cooked. If you are cooking in a basket make sure to cook in batches, so the strips don’t overlap.
3. While your chicken strips are cooking you will work on the sweet and spicy sauce. In a saucepan on the stove add your Franks, bbq sauce, brown sugar, corn syrup and water.
4. Cook on medium heat until it begins to boil. Make sure to stir often or it will burn.
5. Once it boils you will reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes. You want all the sugar to dissolve so it doesn’t offer a gritty texture.
6. One sauce is done and chicken strips are done in the air fryer, you will dip each chicken tender into the homemade sauce. Make sure to fully coat the chicken.
7. Lay all the sweet and spicy crispy chicken strips out on a parchment lined baking sheet, and then allow to cool for a few mintues and then serve.
8. You can serve these air fryer crispy chicken strips with a ranch or blue cheese sauce.

Kitchen notes

OVEN COOKING DIRECTIONS

For the oven directions, you will preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then bake your chicken strips for 18-20 minutes. Cook the sticky sauce the exact same way, and dip into the sauce as directed above. You can change up the sauce you dip the strips in if you would like. If you want the sauce extra sticky, dredge cooked chicken then cook another minute or two, to make sauce stickier. We love to dip these sweet and spicy chicken tenders in ranch.