Dr. Axe > Recipes > Main Dishes > Chicken & Turkey

Buffalo Chicken Tenders Recipe

Name: Buffalo Chicken Tenders Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 12 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound chicken tender strips; ½ cup cassava flour; ½ teaspoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ cup hot sauce, plus more to taste; 2 tablespoons coconut oil; ¼ cup ghee

October 13, 2020 by Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

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Buffalo chicken tenders recipe - Dr. Axe

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Buffalo chicken wings can really be delicious, but they’re often loaded with unhealthy ingredients along with common food allergens like wheat and gluten. You may not have considered that a buffalo chicken tenders recipe is something that you can make at home, but they’re actually easy to make, absolutely delicious and come with a lot more meat (and protein) than your average wings.

What are chicken tenders made of? The “chicken tenders” that often appear on kids menus (and are equally enjoyed by adults) are typically pieces of chicken meat that have been breaded and deep fried. The main ingredient for the breading is typically wheat flour, which contains gluten.

This recipe for chicken tenders uses cassava flour, which means it’s completely gluten-free, but don’t worry because you’re not going to miss the gluten one bit! This gluten-free buffalo chicken tenders recipe is an all time favorite that packs all of the flavor of conventional wings without the gluten and artificial ingredients.

How Do You Cook Chicken Without Drying It Out?

Chicken can be a tricky protein. You never want it undercooked, but you also don’t want it to be too dry. So how do you get chicken just right and avoid drying it out? Using a meat thermometer can be extremely helpful so you can be sure your chicken is cooked enough without resorting to extra unnecessary cooking time.

Whether you’re making a fried chicken tenders recipe, a baked chicken tenders recipe or this stove top version, having a meat thermometer on hand is a great idea. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165°F to make sure your chicken is safe to eat.

Another way to make these buffalo chicken tenders more juicy is to brine the meat first. Simply put the raw chicken in a mix of water and a few tablespoons of sea salt for about 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.

Nutrition Facts

The best chicken tenders recipe is both delicious as well as nutritious. One serving of this easy chicken tenders recipe contains about:

305 calories
50.7 grams protein
2.2 grams fat
19.5 grams carbohydrates
1 gram fiber
0.9 gram sugars
160 milligrams cholesterol
500 milligrams sodium
10.6 milligrams vitamin C (12 percent DV)
0.2 milligram manganese (9 percent DV)
355 international units vitamin A (7.5 percent DV)
0.05 milligram copper (5.5 percent DV)
0.05 milligram thiamine (4 percent DV)
0.72 milligram iron (4 percent DV)
13.9 micrograms folate (3.5 percent DV)
140 milligrams potassium (3 percent DV)
10.9 milligrams magnesium (2.5 percent DV)

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Tenders

How do you cook raw breaded chicken tenders? Well, there are a few ways. You can fry them, bake them or cook them on the stovetop, like in this recipe.

To make these tasty buffalo chicken tenders, the first thing you’re going to do is cut all of the chicken strips in half. Next, coat both sides of each chicken piece in the gluten-free “breading” mixture. Now you can dip the chicken pieces in a hot sauce of your choosing (look for one without chemical additives and sugar).

Place all of the chicken pieces into the pan with some coconut oil and cook for 6–7 minutes. Before you flip the pieces over, add some ghee or grass-fed butter to the pan. Once you flip them, give the chicken pieces another 6–7 minutes.

Make sure the chicken is cooked through completely.

Remove your buffalo chicken tenders from the heat, add additional hot sauce if you’d like and pair them with a delicious side to enjoy for your next lunch or dinner. Yum!

Buffalo Chicken Tenders Pairings

Buffalo chicken tenders are commonly paired with raw carrots and celery to counteract their spicy heat. These are definitely some healthy, nutrient-dense pairing options. They also provide a nice cooling effect.

Another common sidekick to buffalo chicken tenders is blue cheese dressing. I recommend making your own version at home using a sheep milk or goat milk blue cheese. Looking for another dipping option that is packed with flavor? Try my homemade ranch dressing recipe.

Also, try my buffalo chicken dip that pairs perfectly.