Gluten-Free Hot Honey Chicken Tenders with Homemade Ranch

Steps

Marinade

1. 1

   Whisk the buttermilk, egg, hot sauce, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika together in a bowl until smooth.

2. 2

   Add the bite-sized chicken pieces to the marinade and toss until fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

   Start 30-minute timer

Dredge and Coating

3. 3

   In a shallow bowl, mix the cornstarch, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper for the dredge.

4. 4

   In a second shallow bowl, combine the crushed gluten-free cornflakes, gluten-free panko, Parmesan, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and optional cayenne. Keep some cornflake crumbs fine and some chunky for varied crunch.

To Cook

5. 5

   Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200 °C) (200°C (400 °F)). Do not overcrowd the basket; plan to cook in batches if necessary.

6. 6

   Remove a piece of marinated chicken, allowing excess marinade to drip off, and dredge it thoroughly in the cornstarch mixture.

7. 7

   Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken briefly back into the marinade.

8. 8

   Press the chicken firmly into the crumb mixture, turning to coat all sides and helping the crumbs adhere.

9. 9

   Arrange the coated chicken in the air-fryer basket in a single layer and spray generously with avocado oil.

10. 10

    Air fry at 400°F (200 °C) for 6–8 minutes, until the coating is crisp and the chicken is beginning to brown.

    Start 8-minute timer
11. 11

    Flip each tender, spray the exposed side generously with avocado oil, and air fry for another 6–8 minutes, until deeply crisp and the chicken reaches 165°F (74 °C) (74°C (165 °F)) internally.

    Start 8-minute timer

Hot Honey

12. 12

    While the chicken cooks, combine the honey, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, butter, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan.

13. 13

    Warm the hot-honey mixture over low heat, simmering gently for 2–3 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it steep so the pepper flavor develops.

    Start 3-minute timer

Homemade Ranch

14. 14

    Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, chives, parsley, and kosher salt together for the ranch. Season with black pepper to taste.

15. 15

    Refrigerate the ranch until chilled before serving.

16. 16

    Brush the cooked chicken tenders with the hot honey rather than tossing them, which helps preserve the crisp coating. Serve immediately with the chilled ranch.