Air Fryer Honey Butter Garlic Chicken Tenders
Crispy chicken tenders coated in a sweet and savory honey-butter garlic sauce, made easily in the air fryer.
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Mixing Bowl
- Brush or whisk
- Tongs
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken tenders
Sauce / Glaze
- 4 tbsp butter (melted)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 °F (190 °C).
- In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, honey, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Reserve about half of this mixture.
- Pat the chicken tenders dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Lightly brush or toss the tenders with half of the honey butter garlic mixture so they’re coated.
- Arrange the tenders in a single layer in the air fryer basket, making sure they do not overlap.
- Air fry for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the tenders are golden brown and the internal temperature is 165 °F (75 °C).
- Remove the cooked tenders and immediately toss them with the reserved honey butter garlic sauce.
- Serve the tenders hot, optionally garnished with chopped parsley or sesame seeds.
Notes
This method ensures the tenders crisp up nicely and then get coated with the sweet, garlicky glaze. Don’t skip patting the chicken dry, or it may not crisp well. If your air fryer is small, cook in batches. Leftovers can be reheated at ~375 °F for 3–4 minutes to restore crispiness. The version at RecipesSmile follows this same method. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}