Cooking easy air fryer BBQ chicken tenders makes the best quick and easy dinner you can eat as as main dish or you can add them to salad or bowl.
We're taking uncooked chicken tenderloins that aren't breaded, seasoning them, in a simple chicken rub, and cooking them for less than 10 minutes of cooking time. Add barbecue sauce for a simple tasty dinner for perfectly cooked chicken tenderloins.

BBQ Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer are so good!
Cooking chicken tenderloins literally makes the easiest, quickest, and cheapest chicken dinner idea. Just add a little seasoning and your favorite sauce for the perfect weeknight meal.
We used these BBQ chicken tenders to make our popular BBQ chicken sweet potato bowl, it's a reader favorite! You can shred them like we did or leave them as whole chicken tenderloins.
Ingredient notes
- raw chicken tenders (7-8) - these come fresh at the grocery store already cut from the chicken breast. You can also find them in the freezer section and defrost them.
- avocado or olive oil
- homemade chicken rub - we make our own chicken rub but you can also use your favorite store-bought seasoning
- BBQ sauce - we love the Primal Kitchen Hawaiian BBQ sauce we get through Thrive Market that's gluten-free, low carb, and Whole30/paleo, but any favorite brand of yours will work too!
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Kitchen tools
An Air Fryer- We have a Cosori XL basket style air fryer, an Omni Plus oven style air fryer, and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer. The Cosori was used in this recipe.
Diet Adaptions
- Whole30/paleo- use compliant BBQ sauce and chicken dry rub
- Keto/low carb- use BBQ sauce without added sugars and gluten, use chicken rub without sugar.
How to air fry chicken tenderloins
Preheat the air fryer basket or oven to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Cooking time and temperature
- Brush the chicken tenders with olive oil and then sprinkle chicken rub on both sides. We used our homemade chicken rub recipe or you can use your favorite store bought brand.
- The tenderloins will take about 7-9 minutes of cooking time. Air fry the chicken tenders at 400 F for 4 minutes.
- Brush the BBQ sauce on both sides of the chicken and air fry them for 3-5 more minutes until they're cooked through and have an internal temperature of 165 F.
Recipe notes
- For best results, we highly suggest you use a digital meat thermometer and check the temperature in the thickest part of the meat.
- You can also skip the BBQ sauce and just serve the chicken tenders simply seasoned with rub, your favorite grocery store seasoning, or salt and pepper.
- You can air fry frozen chicken tenders too! Follow the same instructions and just add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- Leftovers will last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Reader questions
BBQ chicken tenderloins are terrific paired with classic barbecue sides such as corn on the cob, baked beans, coleslaw, a simple green salad, potatoes, or steamed broccoli.
Yes, you can air fry frozen chicken tenders to make BBQ chicken tenderloins, season as the recipe states and just add 2+ more minutes to the cooking time until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
More air fryer chicken tenders recipes
- air fryer chicken tenders (no breading)
- Air fryer frozen chicken tenders (no breading)
- keto air fryer chicken tenders
- frozen chicken tenders in air fryer (breaded)
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BBQ Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer
Cooking air fryer BBQ chicken tenders makes for a quick and easy dinner that can be eaten as the main dish or added to a salad or bowl. In less than 10 minutes of cooking time you'll have perfectly cooked chicken tenderloins in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw chicken tenders (7-8)
- 2 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
- 1-2+ teaspoon store-bought or homemade chicken rub
- BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer basket or oven to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Brush the chicken tenders with olive oil and then sprinkle chicken rub on both sides. We used our homemade chicken rub recipe but any store-bought brand will work. Press the rub into the meat with clean fingers, making sure to coat all sides of the chicken.
- In total, the chicken will take about 7-9 minutes of cook time. Air fry the chicken tenders at 400 F for 4 minutes.
- Brush the BBQ sauce on both sides of the chicken tenderloins and air fry them for 3-5 more minutes until they're cooked through and have an internal temperature of 165 F.
Notes
For best results, we highly suggest you use a digital meat thermometer and check the temperature in the thickest part of the meat.
You can also skip the BBQ sauce and just serve the chicken tenders simply seasoned with rub, your favorite grocery store seasoning, or salt and pepper.
You can air fry frozen chicken tenders too! Follow the same instructions and just add a few minutes to the cooking time.
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