Nashville Chicken Strips

Nashville Hot Chicken Strips arranged in a red basket with pickle slices.

Nashville Chicken Strips

These Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are coated in flavorful breading and air-fried until perfectly crispy. Toss them in Nashville hot sauce for even more heat.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Servings: servings

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
1 cup flour
½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
½ cup dill pickles sandwich slices
2 large eggs beaten

Nashville sauce

4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons pickle juice

Instructions

For the Chicken

Get out and measure all of your ingredients.
Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cut into strips.
Prepare the dredging station. Add flour and cayenne pepper to a bowl and stir to combine. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Add panko bread crumbs to the final bowl.
One by one, dredge the chicken first into the flour.
Then, dip into the eggs.
Lastly, dip into the panko crumbs.
Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Place chicken tenders into the basket, carefully space to prevent them from sticking to one another. Spray the chicken tenders with canola oil or cooking spray.
Set air fryer to 400°F. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip, then spray lightly with canola oil. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

For the Nashville Sauce

While the chicken tenders are cooking, prepare Nashville sauce. In a small saucepan, add butter over medium heat.
Allow butter to melt.
Whisk in brown sugar, cayenne pepper, garlic, paprika, and pickle juice.
Cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat. Remove from heat.
Remove chicken strips from air fryer.
Place in a heat resistant bowl.
Pour Nashville sauce over chicken strips and toss to coat.
Serve immediately with dill pickles. Enjoy every bite!

Video

Notes

You can serve the sauce on the side instead of tossing them in it if you prefer. This works great when you have a few picky eaters.
It's best to cook the chicken in batches rather than overcrowding the basket. This will cook them up much crispier and aid in more even cooking.
Use one hand to dip the chicken in the wet ingredients and one to dip in the wet so you avoid messy fingers.

Nutrition