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
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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!
Notes
Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
