Honey Lime Chicken Tenders

Who says that chicken tenders have to be battered and fried? These lightened up tenders are just as tasty! And the secret might just be an air fryer...

My friend, Amanda, who is an amazing fitness trainer at the Fit Body Boot Camp near my house, recently told me about the new kitchen gadget she’d purchased...an air fryer. She told me that it was a quick and easy way to create healthy chicken dinners - all without turning on the oven and heating up the house. I was intrigued and bought an air fryer to try it for myself. 

An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around the food. A mechanical fan circulates the hot air around the food at high speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy layer.

While there were plenty of recipes out there for battered and air fried chicken tenders, I thought that I’d lighten things up even more by forgoing the batter all together, and instead simply marinating the tenders in a lightly sweetened sauce. 

These Honey Lime Chicken Tenders are one of the first things that I’ve made in my new air fryer. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and painless it was to cook the tenders, and how they turned out a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The crispy outside made it possible to dip these tenders in an assortment of sauces, just as you would chicken nuggets or fried chicken tenders. 

If you don’t have an air fryer then simply bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Enjoy!