Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
These easy Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are the perfect way to enjoy this Tennessee classic at home! Shortcut frozen chicken tenders are tossed with an addictive sweet and spicy coating for the perfect chicken entree or Game Day appetizer!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- These Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are made easy starting with a bag of your favorite frozen chicken tenders, but still have that authentic hot chicken coating Tennessee-natives are so proud of!
- Chicken tenders are the ultimate way to serve snack-able fried chicken: these tenders will work for dinner with fries and a salad, in sandwiches or wraps, sliced onto salads, or as an appetizer or Game Day snack.
- You can cook the tenders however works for you, either in the oven or air fryer!
Chef’s Tips
- Don’t skimp on serving these tenders with pickle slices and white bread, they’re a classic pairing for a reason. The pickles help cut through that chicken coating, and the bread helps balance out some of the heat of the chicken, as well as making sure you don’t miss out on any of that delicious sauce! If you’re looking for dips, we recommend something creamy like our Dill Dip or Beer Cheese Dip.
- Adjust the heat level by adding more or less cayenne pepper. Nashville Hot Chicken is HOT, it is supposed to pack a real punch, but it is still delicious dialled down a notch!
- Make them gluten-free by choosing a gluten-free brand of tenders.
More Tasty Chicken Recipes
- Marinated Mustard Fried Chicken
- Blackened Cajun Chicken Sandwich Recipe
- How To Make Tangerine Chicken
- Parmesan Crusted Air Fryer Chicken
- Cheesecake Factory Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta
- Hot Honey Chicken Tenders with Cornflakes
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Nashville Hot Chicken is so easy to replicate at home with this easy recipe that pairs your favorite bag of frozen chicken tenders with an addictively sweet spicy coating.
- 26 ounce bag frozen chicken tenders (we prefer real good or justbare)
Spicy Nashville Coating
- ¼ cup oil of choice (like avocado or veg)
- 1 ½ tablespoons cayenne pepper
- ½ tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- plenty of salt and fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
For Serving
- Pickle slices
- White bread
Preheat the oven according to the directions on the packet of tenders. Arrange the frozen chicken tenders on baking sheet, leaving plenty of room so they crisp up nicely. Bake. You can also cook these in the air fryer.
Meanwhile, make the Nashville Hot Chicken coating: Heat the oil in a small saucepan over low heat until just warm. Stir in the remaining coating ingredients and whisk well to make sure everything is well combined.
Remove the tenders from oven when nicely crisped and browned. Whisk the coating again, then baste the mixture all over the chicken tenders until you get a good coating.
Serve immediately with pickle slices and white bread!
Make it more or less spicy: Adjust the heat level by adding more or less cayenne pepper. Nashville Hot Chicken is HOT, it is supposed to pack a real punch, but it is still delicious dialled down a notch!
Make them gluten-free: Choose a gluten-free brand of tenders.
