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Crispy air fried buttermilk chicken tenders are hot and crispy right from the air fryer…especially good when you dip or drizzle them with our quick homemade ranch! Major yum!
Am I most excited to share the crispy chicken or the homemade ranch?? Hard to say.
Drizzly Dippy Ranch + Crispy Air Fried Tenders!
Am I just a just an overgrown kindergartener at dinner time? Honestly, yeah.
I’m reaching for the chicken strips and pizza rolls and french fries as often as possible. I can’t help it, I grew up in the Midwest and this is our food. 🤣
I’ve been working on this recipe for crispy buttermilk chicken tenders for a while now. I wanted a nice hand-battered chicken tender vibe and I definitely did not want to deep fry anything…enter these little air fryer beauties.
Could you serve these with our homemade honey mustard or some Carolina bbq sauce? For sure, but…hear me out…this is my secret recipe ranch dressing that I’ve also been perfecting for years.
I like the combo so much that I drizzled the ranch right over the top of the tendies and then still dunked ’em in more. I gotta be me.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Air Fryer Recipe: If you’re anything like me, you love busting out the air fry to create a tasty dinner. So quick, so easy, and like magic, everything it touches is gold.
- Tender & Flavorful: The secret is all in the buttermilk marinade! It’s seasoned so that flavor soaks right into the chicken while the buttermilk works to tenderize the chicken.
- Family-Friendly: I’ve never met a kid that didn’t love a crispy chicken tender situation, especially when dip was involved.
Ingredient Notes:
For the chicken tenders:
Chicken Tenders – You can purchase chicken tenderloins or a pack of chicken breasts that you cut into strips. Either will work!
Buttermilk – Buy a carton of this to help tenderize the meat or make your own by adding about a tablespoon of white vinegar to a cup of whole milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes to thicken up and sour.
Chicken Bouillon – We mix in some chicken bouillon powder with the buttermilk just to give it some extra flavor while the chicken marinates!
Seasoned Breading – For the breading we’re using a mixture of all-purpose flour and cornstarch along with some seasoning including salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. You can use more or less of the cayenne to adjust the spiciness.
For the buttermilk ranch dip:
Creamy Ingredients – This homemade dip starts with a mixture of mayonnaise, buttermilk, and either sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Herbs & Seasonings – You’ll need some dried dill and minced chives along with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. You can use fresh or freeze dried chives. We always keep these on hand in the spice jar because they measure like fresh chives and are so easy. Same goes for the dill!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step:
Prepare the buttermilk and bouillon marinade and marinate the chicken overnight (or at least 1 hour) in the fridge in a covered container.
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, and seasonings together in a shallow bowl to prepare the breading. Dredge each piece of marinated chicken in the flour until completely coated. Spritz the air fryer basket and breaded chicken tenders with oil.
Arrange the chicken in an even layer in the air fryer and spritz liberally with oil spray. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes at 400 degrees.
Flip halfway through cooking and spray again with oil. Make sure chicken reaches 165 degrees to be safe. Serve with buttermilk ranch dip!
Helpful Tip!
Storage:
Store any leftover air fried chicken tenders in the fridge in a covered dish for up to about 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 3-4 minutes, until warmed through.
The homemade buttermilk ranch dip can also be stored in an airtight container or jar in your refrigerator for around a week.
Leftover Hack!
If you’ve got leftover chicken tenders you’ve got some good options for using them up! We like to chop them up into smaller pieces for salads. Plus, you can use the buttermilk ranch dip as dressing! The chicken and ranch are also great for tortilla wraps with crispy iceberg lettuce and shredded cheddar.
Recipe FAQs:
The buttermilk helps to break down the tissue and tenderize the meat. It also makes for a juicier chicken that retains moisture better so it doesn’t dry out while cooking.
Chicken tenders are made from chicken tenderloins, which is a different cut from chicken breast. Chicken strips are often made with strips of chicken breast. You could use either one for this recipe.
Of course! The air fryer isn’t just for frozen foods, it’s great at handling raw meats too. Especially the breaded kind! We think it tastes just as good as deep frying but without all the mess.
Dipping Ideas!
Look, we think our homemade ranch is pretty much perfect, but if you like to experiment we’re here to help. We do love a good dipping situation!
- Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Alabama White Sauce
- Korean Barbecue Sauce
- Fry Sauce
Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Buttermilk Ranch
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders:
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Buttermilk Ranch:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced chives see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
To make the chicken tenders:
- Mix together the buttermilk and the chicken bouillon in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken tenders and push them down into the buttermilk to cover. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour but preferably overnight.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a shallow bowl for breading.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture letting excess buttermilk drip off. Place each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, turning and pressing the chicken into the flour until completely coated.
- Spritz the air fryer basket with oil spray. Add the breaded chicken to the air fryer basket in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the basket. You may need to work in batches (see notes for keeping chicken warm).
- Liberally spray the breaded chicken with cooking spray. This is key to avoiding dry, floury breading after cooking.
- Cook at 400°F for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through and respraying with cooking spray. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve the chicken right away with a Buttermilk Ranch drizzle or on the side.
To make the ranch:
- In a small bowl or mason jar, make the ranch by mixing together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, dried dill, chives, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Allow the flavors to develop by placing it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Taste before using and stir in a bit more salt, if needed.
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