Air Fried Nashville Hot Chicken is the perfect restaurant-style sandwich. It’s crispy breading is savory with the perfect blend of spices and a touch of sweetness. Served on a toasted buttered brioche bun and topped with dill pickle slices.
Skip the restaurant lines and prices and make a healthier air-fried version of Nashville Hot Chicken at home.
This was inspired by my other Frigidaire Air Fry Oven Recipes. Full-size air fry oven recipes like Air Fried Beijing Beef and Air Fried Coconut Shrimp, and pairs well with Air Fried Red Potatoes and Air Fried Broccoli.
What is Nashville Hot Chicken?
Traditionally Hot Chicken is deep-fried crispy whole chicken parts coated in a spicy sauce and served on white bread with pickle chips on top. It is said to have originated at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville Tennessee but is now widely available at restaurants and diners around the country.
Ingredients
- Chicken tenders
- Buttermilk
- Pickle juice
- All purpose flour
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Granulated garlic
- Avocado Oil Spray
Sauce Ingredients
- Butter
- Cayenne
- Paprika
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Brown sugar
- Water
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Air Fried Nashville Hot Chicken
Air frying Hot Chicken makes for a tender and juicy chicken inside a crispy “fried” breading but so much healthier than the traditional deep-fried in lard version.
To start marinate the thawed chicken tenders in buttermilk and pickle juice for at least an hour covered in the refrigerator.
Next, combine the flour, sea salt, black pepper, & granulated garlic. Mix together with a fork.
Prepare a baking sheet with a wire rack. Lightly spray or brush the wire rack with EVOO and set up a dredging station. Preheat the Air Fry Oven to 375°
Working with one chicken tender at a time, remove one piece and place it in the flour mixture to coat it completely. Then place it back into the buttermilk mixture and then finally back into the flour mixture for a second time. Press the chicken into the flour to coat then place it gently on the prepared wire rack.
Continue working with each chicken tender until they have all been double-coated. Allow the chicken to air dry for about 10 minutes before lightly spraying with avocado oil or EVOO.
Don’t saturate the coated chicken with oil or the breading will fall off and be sure to allow for the 10 minutes of air drying to ensure a good outcome.
Place the chicken in the oven on the middle rack. Air fry for 12 minutes then remove the tray from the oven and flip the tenders over. Spray with oil lightly on the second side and place it back in the oven for 5-6 more minutes to crisp up or until the internal temperature reaches 165°.
How To Make Nashville Hot Sauce
In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add to the pot the brown sugar and whisk to dissolve. Add cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and Franks RedHot Sauce. Whisk to combine the ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly and becomes a thicker/sticker sauce consistency.
Pour the sauce over the air-fried chicken strips or place the chicken strips in a bowl and gently toss to coat.
Top Air Fried Nashville Hot Chicken with dill pickles chips and serve on buttered and toasted brioche buns. For a lighter version serve over a bed of fresh greens and with a side of homemade air-fried French fries.
Tip: having a meat thermometer when learning to use the full-size air fry oven is very important to ensure you are fully cooking meat to the proper temperature.
Substitutions
- Butter Leaf Lettuce – instead of a bun for a lower carb option.
- Bun – Substitute brioche buns for white, whole wheat buns.
Variations
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders-serve smothered chicken tenders with a side of sweet potato fries.
Spicy – the spice of the dish depends on how much cayenne pepper you use in the sauce. If you are unsure or don’t like spicy food use a small amount of cayenne pepper.
Kid-friendly – serve the kids homemade air-fried chicken strips before coating them with the Nashville hot sauce and serve with Frigidaire Air Fried French Fries.
Check out the Frigidaire Air Fried Coconut Shrimp recipe too!
Equipment
Full-Size Oven with Air Fry Feature (Frigidaire Air Fry Range)
This recipe is specifically intended for full-size ovens with the air fry feature like the Frigidaire Air Fry Range I own. The cook times and temperatures for the range with air fry may vary from smaller countertop air fryers. Follow the recipes below for complete instructions. For small air fryers cooking time and temperatures may need to be adjusted. For the full review of the Frigidaire Air Fry Range go here.
Storage
Store leftover Air Fried Nashville Hot Chicken in an air-tight container for up to three days.
Frigidaire Air Fry Oven Nashville Hot Chicken
Crispy breading with the perfect blend of spices and a touch of sweetness. Served on a toasted buttered brioche bun and topped with dill pickle slices
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Chicken tenders
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- ¼ cup Pickle juice
- 1 Cup All purpose flour
- 1 tsp. Sea salt
- 1 tsp. Black pepper
- 1 tsp. Granulated garlic
- ¼ tsp. Chili powder
Nashville Hot Sauce
- ¼ Cup Salted Butter
- 3-4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- ½ tp. Black Pepper
- ½ tsp. Sea Salt
- ½ tsp. Granulated garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Franks Red Hot Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Water
Instructions
- To start marinate the thawed chicken tenders in buttermilk and pickle juice for at least an hour covered in the refrigerator.
- Next, combine the flour, sea salt, black pepper, & granulated garlic. Mix together with a fork.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a wire rack. Lightly spray or brush the wire rack with EVOO and set up a dredging station.
- Preheat the oven using the Air Fry function 375°
- Working with one chicken tender at a time, remove one piece and place it in the flour mixture to coat it completely.
- Then place it back into the buttermilk mixture and then finally back into the flour mixture for a second time. Press the chicken into the flour to coat then place it gently on the prepared wire rack.
- Continue working with each chicken tender until they have all been double-coated.
- Allow the chicken to air dry for about 10 minutes before lightly spraying with avocado oil or EVOO. Don't saturate the coated chicken with oil or the breading will fall off.
- Place the chicken in the oven on the middle rack. Air fry for 12 minutes then remove the tray from the oven and flip the tenders over.
- Spray with oil lightly on the second side and place it back in the oven for 5-6 more minutes to crisp up or until the internal temperature reaches 165°.
How To Make Nashville Hot Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the butter then add to the pot the brown sugar and whisk to dissolve.
- Add cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and Franks RedHot Sauce and water. Whisk to combine the ingredients.
- Simmer over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly and becomes a thicker sauce consistency.
- Pour the sauce over the air-fried chicken strips or place the chicken strips in a bowl and gently toss to coat.
- Serve on buttered toasted buns topped with sliced dill pickles.
Notes
Store leftover chicken tenders in an air tight container for up to 3 days. The spice of the Nashville Hot Sauce will depend on the amount of cayenne pepper you choose to use. The spice of the sauce will lessen when stored.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 1268mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 2gSugar: 19gProtein: 14g
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Select the air fry function on the range and set the desired cooking temperature. Place food evenly on the air fry tray and place the tray in the manufactures recommended tray position. Air fry selected food for the time indicated in the recipe.
When air frying in an oven/range you are cooking with a specialized convection setting designed with superheated air and a higher speed fan. Giving us that crispy and “deep-fried” texture we love.
Nashville hot chicken sauce is a combination of butter, cayenne pepper, paprika & brown sugar.
Can I pop popcorn in the Fridgedaire range/air oven?
I have not tried this! I’ll have to experiment and let you know!