Blazing Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Name: Blazing Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken breast (raw, or chicken tenders); 2 tablespoons flour; 1 egg white; 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (plain, unseasoned); ½ tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp paprika; ½ tsp ground mustard; ½ tsp salt; ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce; 2 tablespoons light butter; Optional toppings: ranch, blue cheese, scallions

January 4, 2021 By Stephanie 34 Comments

jump to recipe print recipe

Blazing Buffalo Chicken Tenders: Crispy, spicy buffalo chicken tenders are the perfect game-day snack or appetizer, but when paired with a crisp salad and potatoes, they make a fun dinner, too.

What you’ll need to make blazing buffalo chicken tenders

The ingredient list for this recipe is quite small! In fact, I can usually whip this recipe up with things I keep on hand at all times. Many of the ingredients are pantry staples:

chicken breast
all-purpose flour
egg whites
panko breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
garlic powder
paprika
ground mustard
kosher salt
Frank’s Red Hot sauce
light butter (I use this one)
optional toppings, but highly recommended: ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, scallions

I like laying the chicken on a bed of iceberg lettuce and garnishing with chopped scallions for some color and extra flavor. My favorite ranch dressing is from Bolthouse Farms.

How to bread the chicken

First up: the chicken! Take 2 pounds of chicken breast and slice them into 12 long and thin slices, like chicken tenders. You can also use chicken tenders for this, just make sure to remove the white tendon from the middle. Once your chicken is prepared, pat it dry with a paper towel. This ensures that the breading mixture will adhere well to the chicken. The chicken gets a three-part breading: flour, egg white, and breadcrumbs. The first step is to prepare your breading station; this will take two shallow bowls and a ziploc bag. The breadcrumbs are seasoned with a combination of garlic powder, paprika, ground mustard, and salt for extra flavor. Mix the breadcrumbs with the seasonings in one bowl. To the second bowl, add the egg whites. I use egg whites here because I find them to make for a light breading that allows the chicken to crisp up really nicely. But of course, you can use whole eggs here as well. Place the flour into the ziploc bag. I like using this method because it helps the flour evenly distribute among the chicken. Add the chicken strips to the bag and shake it up. Your chicken will be coated in flour in no time! Next, remove each chicken strip from the flour and dip them in the egg whites, making sure to coat each piece of chicken entirely. This is important so that the breadcrumbs adhere really nicely.

Lastly, dredge the chicken pieces in the breadcrumb mixture.

How to cook the chicken

For this recipe, we are using a super high-temperature oven (450F) and, if you have it, use the convection feature. Our goal here is to achieve really crispy chicken strips that taste like they have been deep fried. I like using a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack to achieve this texture. This helps air circulate around the chicken as it cooks in the oven, and it makes the chicken super crispy. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray and lay your chicken strips on top.

Spray the tops of the chicken with more cooking spray. For this recipe, I like using a flavorless oil like grapeseed oil, but any will do. Place the baking sheet into the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven and flip each piece of chicken. Spray the tops again with more cooking spray, and return them to the oven for another 10 minutes. This recipe can also be done in the air fryer. I recommend 400F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway. I prefer the oven method for this recipe, since it doesn’t require working in batches. When the chicken is done, it will look like this:

Making the blazing buffalo sauce

Ok, so now we have cooked crispy chicken tenders, but it’s time to make them blazing buffalo chicken tenders. This part is so simple. It couldn’t be easier! Simply place your hot sauce and butter in a bowl, and microwave it for about 30 seconds to melt the butter. Whisk to combine.

Pour the buffalo sauce into a large mixing bowl (I like a stainless steel one for this) and then add your chicken tenders on top. Toss the chicken tenders gently using tongs, or, if you’re adventurous, you can shake the bowl to toss them without touching them. I like this method the best! It coats the chicken perfectly.

To serve these, I like to lay them on a bed of iceberg lettuce. Garnish with some chopped scallions, and a bunch of ranch dressing for dipping. Enjoy!